by Gary L. Evans
(revised 7/31/2023)
Mark — Part 11
Mark 9:33-34 And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way? But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest.
Jesus had just told them a second time that He was going to be arrested and killed, and would rise from the dead on the third day. And while they walked to Capernaum, the Disciples argued among themselves about which one of them was the greatest. Then when Jesus asked them what they had argued about, they got very quiet. Do these guys seem like regular folks to you? They do to me, my friends.
Mark 9:35 And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.
Then Jesus called them and said, If anyone desires to be first, he must be last of all and the servant of all.
Mark 9:36-37 And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them, Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.
Then Jesus picked up a child to make a point. Note that a child is innocent and eager to listen with eyes wide open to everything told to him, because he is open minded and curious to learn. Anyone who receives one like a child in His Name, receives Christ Jesus Himself, and anyone who receives Christ receives The Father Who sent Him.
Mark 9:38-41 And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us. But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is on our part. For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.
John told Jesus that they saw someone casting out devils in The Lord’s Name, but since he wasn’t following us, we told him to stop it. Then Jesus said, don’t stop him, because no man can do a miracle in My Name, that would speak evil of Me. Anyone who is not against us is on our side. By what power is someone using to cast out a devil in The Name of Jesus? The Holy Spirit.
Mark 9:42 And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.
The word “offend” is from “skan-dal-id’-zo” which means “to scandalize; to entrap, that is, trip up (figuratively stumble [transitively] or entice to sin, apostasy or displeasure).”
It would be better for a man that he had been drowned in the sea than for him to cause a new convert to fall away into apostasy from the faith back into sin. Because causing someone to become apostate who was on the right path to receiving Eternal Life is the same as Murder.
Mark 9:43-44 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
The word “hell” is from “gheh’-en-nah” which means “valley of (the son of) Hinnom; gehenna (or Ge-Hinnom), a valley of Jerusalem, used (figuratively) as a name for the place (or state) of everlasting punishment.”
Gehenna was the garbage dump outside of the city of Jerusalem where they dumped their trash and also dead animals and strangers that had died with no one in town to bury them. They kept fires burning there continuously so smoke rose up into the sky day and night. And all the dead and decaying bodies naturally were filled with worms crawling in and out, so it was a terrible and disgusting place to walk through.
We know that after the death of our flesh body, our spirit or mind returns to God in Heaven. But in Heaven is an impassible divide or chasm. On one side are all who are in right standing with God and have Eternal Life, and on the other side are all who are spiritually dead and in torment. Jesus taught about this fact when He spoke of Lazarus and the rich man.
Luk 16:22-26 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
Jesus used the city garbage dump figuratively to represent the state of punishment for unrepentant sinners in Heaven, and in this statement He uses one’s hand to represent the part of the body that someone sinned with, and that it would be much better to have had his hand cut off than for to have sinned and ended up in torment.
In both of these warnings, Jesus is speaking figuratively with comparisons, that it would be better if this horrible thing happened to you than if this far worse thing happened to you. And of course, Jesus is not telling anyone to harm themselves, but understand the meaning of His warning. Causing someone to become apostate or becoming apostate yourself will cause you to go into the place of torment when you return to Heaven. And Jesus uses the analogy of the burning city garbage dump full of dead animals and people to convey the utter horror of ending up in that state.
Mark 9:45-48 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
Jesus repeated His warning twice more for emphasis. What we learn as “Hell” as the place of burning torment is actually in Heaven on the wrong side of the gulf. And when our bodies die, we all return to Heaven, the good, the bad, and the ugly. So what is most important is in what status will we be? Will The Lord be pleased with us and we have Eternal Life? Or will He be displeased and we still be dead?
Mark 9:49-50 For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.
Whosoever has eyes to see and ears to hear, let him hear.
Mark — Part 12
Mark 10:1-2 And he arose from thence, and cometh into the coasts of Judaea by the farther side of Jordan: and the people resort unto him again; and, as he was wont, he taught them again. And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him.
Jesus traveled back to Judea on the west side of the Jordan River. And the Pharisees came to test Him, that is, they continued in their obsession to find fault with Him.
Mark 10:3-8 And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you? And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away. And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh.
Jesus quoted from Genesis.
Gen 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
God made us male and female, and commanded us to be fruitful and multiply. And the way He commanded us to do that was through Marriage between a Husband and Wife, so that they could produce children. The institution of Marriage and the Family were ordained by God In The Beginning of this world.
And Moses gave the people a way to escape a marriage that was very bad and getting worse, and that was through divorce. Because this was better than for the man and woman to kill each other through their sinful natures. But this provision in The Law was not what God had ordained.
Mark 10:9 What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
Jesus concluded by teaching that what God has joined together into one, man should not divide it.
Pro 21:9 It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house.
Women tend to get a bad rap in The Scriptures, because this precept equally applies to the trouble that some men cause. In ancient times, the roof tops were flat, and they would go up there especially in the hot summers to feel the cool air at night. This Proverb simply says that it is better for a man to find solitude on the roof top instead of being inside the house with a wife who wanted to argue all the time. So this Proverb teaches us HOW TO DEAL WITH IT. Seek peace and when necessary just stay away from conflict.
Mark 10:10-12 And in the house his disciples asked him again of the same matter. And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her. And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.
Jesus taught that divorce was not a provision to allow a husband or wife to remarry. Instead, it was a legal way for separation of the husband and wife to live their separate lives. But because God said, “they two shall become one flesh,” it was impossible for man to divide them into two again. Only after the death of the husband or the wife was it permitted for the survivor to remarry. Matthew provided us with more detail of what Jesus taught on the subject:
Mat 5:32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
So Jesus taught that when a man divorced his wife, he caused her to commit adultery, because she would most likely need to remarry in order to survive. The only exception was if the wife had already committed adultery against her husband, then he would not be guilty. And if a man married a divorced woman, then he was committing adultery against her husband. So in the case of adultery by either the man or the woman, the other was permitted to divorce and remarry.
Mark 10:13-16 And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.
The people brought young children to Jesus, but His Disciples told them to stop. But Jesus rebuked the Disciples and told them to allow the children to come to Him, because little children are of The Kingdom of God. Then He expounded on that precept by saying that anyone who does not receive The Kingdom of God as a little child, cannot enter.
Rom 8:14-16 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
Paul explained this precept simply. When we enter into The New Covenant, we receive The Spirit of Adoption, such that we cry, Daddy, Daddy, demonstrating that we are God’s Children by The Holy Spirit in us. And Jesus explained that unless we become as little children, we could not enter The Kingdom of God.
Mark 10:17-20 And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.
A young man ran to Jesus and asked Him what did he need to do to inherit Eternal Life? Jesus told him to obey the commandments. And he said that he had always obeyed the commandments since he was a child.
Mark 10:21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
Then Jesus told him to sell all of his possessions and give to the poor, and then follow Jesus to the cross, and be willing to be crucified with Him.
Mark 10:22 And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.
The young man was very sad when Jesus said that and walked away, because he was very wealthy. So giving up the things of this world and going to the death for The Lord’s Name’s Sake was just too much of a price to pay in order to receive Eternal Life.
Mark 10:23-25 And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
Jesus emphasized His point and said, very few who are wealthy will enter into The Kingdom of God. Then the Disciples were shocked at His saying. So Jesus repeated His point again and said, Children, it is extremely hard for anyone who trusts in wealth to enter into The Kingdom of God. And it is easier for a camel to go through the Eye of a Needle than for a rich man to enter into The Kingdom of God.
Note that Jerusalem had a wide main gate that was open during the day which was shut at night to protect the city. But on one side of the main gate was a narrow gate, referred to as The Eye of the Needle, actually about as wide as a doorway, so that people could still walk in and walk out. And the Needle Gate was barely wide enough for a camel to get through if it had been completely unloaded of its cargo. So getting a camel through the Needle Gate was difficult to do, because it had to be unloaded, then it would have to kneel down on its knees and crawl through the narrow gate, and then be reloaded on the other side. Jesus said it was easier for a camel to get through this way than for a rich man to enter The Kingdom of Heaven. Because first he would have to “unload all of his worldly possessions.”
Mark 10:26-27 And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.
Again, the Disciples were shocked, and wondered among themselves, who could be saved? Then Jesus said, with men it is impossible, but with God all things are possible.
Mark 10:28-30 Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.
Peter said to Jesus, we have left everything to follow You. Then Jesus answered, anyone who has left a house, or family, or land for His sake and The New Covenant, will receive a hundred fold return in this world along with persecutions, and in the next world will receive Eternal Life.
Mark 10:31 But many that are first shall be last; and the last first.
This is a Dark Saying. Who are “The First?” and who are “The Last?”
Mark 9:35 And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.
So whosoever will be the first must be the last of all and servant of all.
Rev 1:11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
And Jesus, The Christ is The First and The Last, The Alpha and Omega. The Living Word of God is The First, Our Creator, and also, He serves us and takes care of our needs and grants our requests which are according to His Will.
Mark 10:32-34 And they were in the way going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus went before them: and they were amazed; and as they followed, they were afraid. And he took again the twelve, and began to tell them what things should happen unto him, Saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles: And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again.
Jesus again for the third time tells His Disciples that He was going to be arrested by those hypocrites in The Temple and be condemned, mocked, beaten, and killed. But on the third day, He will rise from the dead.
Whosoever has eyes to see and ears to hear, let him hear.