Mark 10:46-52

Mark 10:46-52 Amplified Bible (AMP)

Bartimaeus Receives His Sight

⁴⁶ Then they came to Jericho. And as He was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a large crowd, a blind beggar, Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting beside the road [as was his custom]. ⁴⁷ When Bartimaeus heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout and say, “Jesus, ^[a]Son of David (Messiah), have mercy on me!” ⁴⁸ Many sternly rebuked him, telling him to keep still and be quiet; but he kept on shouting out all the more, “Son of David (Messiah), have mercy on me!” ⁴⁹ Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man, telling him, “Take courage, get up! He is calling for you.” ⁵⁰ Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped up and came to Jesus. ⁵¹ And Jesus said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” The blind man said to Him, “Rabboni (my Master), let me regain my sight.” ⁵² Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith [and confident trust in My power] has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and began following Jesus on the road.

Personal insights

Many times we hear this passage referred to as the story of Blind Bartimaeus.  However, if we read through this encounter we see that although he is physically blind he is not spiritually blind.  He might not see Jesus with his eyes in the physical sense but he sees Jesus for who He really is.  He is the Messiah, the Son of David. 

Jesus has many names by which He is referred to which gives us an insight into His character.  What does the name Messiah mean?  The Hebrew word for Messiah is mashiach which means anointed one or chosen one.  In the Greek the name is Christos where we get the English name Christ.  Jesus was anointed by God the Father for a special purpose.  He was to be the Saviour of the world.

When Bartimaeus called out to Jesus he made known who he believed Jesus to be.  Notice his first ask of Jesus was not to have his sight restored specifically but to be given mercy.   He was asking Jesus to be compassionate to him.  Notice the crowd’s reaction to him calling to Jesus.  They told him to be quiet, they were embarrassed by his open display of his needs before Jesus.  It would have been easy for Bartimaeus to be discouraged by the crowd and to be quiet and continue his daily ritual of sitting by the roadside begging but his reaction was different.  He shouts all the more.  His encounter with Jesus was more important than what everyone else thought of him.  Bartimaeus stopped Jesus in His tracks and had a one on one with the Saviour of the world.  Jesus is a personal God.  Despite what was ahead for Jesus He had time for this man on the roadside.  He met Bartimaeus where he was at.  Bartimaeus response was not one of timidity or fearfulness in approaching Jesus but one of courage, enthusiasm and full of expectancy.  Jesus’s words to Bartimaeus was “What do you want me to do for you?”  His response was simple “I want to see”.  Jesus healed Bartimaeus’s sight but it was because of His faith in Jesus.  Bartimaeus believed and trusted in Jesus’s power to heal him and it was instant.  Bartimaeus reaction to this healing was to follow Jesus where He went.  He became a disciple of Jesus.  There was a complete life transformation because of His faith in Jesus.

Many people who read that story have their physical sight, they can read, they can play sports and enjoy the wonders of God’s creation around them.  However, they are blind in the spiritual sense.  They might go to church, read His Word but there is no transformation.  Jesus wants to change us from the inside out.  We might look all put together on the outside but the inside is dark and there is a need for the light of the world to come in and illuminate.

John 8:31-32 says that if we hold to Jesus teaching then we are His disciples and if we know the truth then the truth will set us free.

We can either sit by the roadside begging like Bartimaeus did until he met Jesus  or we can trust in the one who can set us free.  The choice is ours to make.

Mark 10:35-45

Mark 10:35-45 Amplified Bible (AMP)

³⁵ James and John, the two sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You.” ³⁶ And He replied to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?” ³⁷ They said to Him, “Grant that we may sit [with You], one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory [Your majesty and splendor in Your kingdom].” ³⁸ But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism [of suffering and death] with which I am baptized?” ³⁹ And they replied to Him, “We are able.” Jesus told them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and you will be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized. ⁴⁰ But to sit on My right or left, this is not Mine to give; but it is for those for whom it has been prepared [by My Father].”
⁴¹ Hearing this, the [other] ten became indignant with James and John. ⁴² Calling them to Himself, Jesus said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their powerful men exercise authority over them [tyrannizing them]. ⁴³ But this is not how it is among you; instead, whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴ and whoever wishes to be first and most important among you must be slave of all. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ^[a]ransom for many.”

Personal Insights

This passage of Scripture starts out with a request from Jesus' closest disciples, James and John.  They ask Jesus "We want you to do for us whatever we ask".  We might read this and our initial reaction might be "wow the audacity of these two men" or "who do they think they are?"  However, have a bit of a think back to some of the requests we have made of God recently in our conversations with Him.  "Lord I need you to fix this situation now" or "why does God not answer my prayers regarding .........." or we have a meltdown in front of God because we are not getting what we want.  
James and John didn't understand what they were asking and often times we are no different.  James and John hadn't fully grasped what Jesus was soon going to go through on the cross and the suffering He would experience.  Soon they would understand not only Jesus suffering but also, in time, they would experience personal suffering.  It is a good thing that God does not answer yes to every request we ask of Him.  In His wisdom He knows it would not end well.

James, John and the rest of the disciples  needed a lesson regarding pride and humility.  It was pride that was the downfall of Satan and it's the downfall of many us since.   Pride is described in the Biblical sense of giving ourselves credit for something that God has accomplished.  Pride is essentially the worship of ourselves and that can get messy.  I am sure all of us have tripped over our own pride and have the bruises to prove it.

Jesus has a different way for us to live and that is the path of humility.  Jesus walked that path and has given us a perfect example.  If any of us struggle with a bad attitude then we only need to turn to Philippians 2 to see how to counteract that.  Pray for the same attitude as Christ.

As people of God we are called to a different way.  We are called to a life of humility and not arrogance.  Humility is a heart attitude.  We are new creations if we are in Christ.  (2 Cor 5:17 and Gal 2:20)  We need to understand who we are in Christ and walk in that truth.  When we walk in His ways we experience life with Him and that life is a life of abundance (John 10:10).  Ephesians 3:20 is the verse that we are clinging to this year.  I love the Amplified version of it.

„Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us…”

So what requests are you and I making of God this year? What questions are we asking of Him?  Let us be wise in those moments and take stock of the motives behind them.

Mark 10:32-34

Mark 10:32-34  Living Bible (TLB)

Jesus Again Predicts His Death

³² Now they were on the way to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking along ahead; and as the disciples were following they were filled with terror and dread.

Taking them aside, Jesus once more began describing all that was going to happen to him when they arrived at Jerusalem.

³³ “When we get there,” he told them, “I, the Messiah,^[a] will be arrested and taken before the chief priests and the Jewish leaders, who will sentence me to die and hand me over to the Romans to be killed. ³⁴ They will mock me and spit on me and flog me with their whips and kill me; but after three days I will come back to life again.”

Jesus continues to instruct his disciples as they make their way to Jerusalem.  This is the third time that Jesus brings up his death with the disciples and He gave them more details as to what was ahead.   The disciples also now knew where his death was going to occur, in Jerusalem.  The disciples still struggled to take on board what Jesus was saying.  It still didn’t make sense to them what was being told to them and they were terrified.  They were panicked about what was ahead for them personally.  I wonder if the graphic detail of what Jesus described in His upcoming death made the disciples wonder if they would endure such atrocities also.

Jesus was very aware of what was going to happen and yet He moved towards Jerusalem with boldness.  He didn’t follow behind the disciples but led the way.  He showed His commitment to His Father’s will despite what was being asked of Him.

I wonder what we would do if we had been one of the disciples.  Would we have continued with Jesus on the way to Jerusalem or would we call it quits then and there.  It is not always easy to stand out for Jesus and be counted.  It can cost us but are we willing to do it despite the cost?  These are not questions that are easily answered.

Mark 10:17-31

Mark 10:17-31 Living Bible (TLB)

The Rich Young Ruler

17 As he was starting out on a trip, a man came running to him and knelt down and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to get to heaven?”

18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good!19 But as for your question—you know the commandments: don’t kill, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t lie, don’t cheat, respect your father and mother.”

20 “Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve never once[a] broken a single one of those laws.”

21 Jesus felt genuine love for this man as he looked at him. “You lack only one thing,” he told him; “go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor—and you shall have treasure in heaven—and come, follow me.”

22 Then the man’s face fell, and he went sadly away, for he was very rich.

23 Jesus watched him go, then turned around and said to his disciples,“It’s almost impossible for the rich to get into the Kingdom of God!”

24 This amazed them. So Jesus said it again: “Dear children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches[b] to enter the Kingdom of God. 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.”

26 The disciples were incredulous! “Then who in the world can be saved, if not a rich man?” they asked.

27 Jesus looked at them intently, then said, “Without God, it is utterly impossible. But with God everything is possible.”

28 Then Peter began to mention all that he and the other disciples had left behind. “We’ve given up everything to follow you,” he said.

29 And Jesus replied, “Let me assure you that no one has ever given up anything—home, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, or property—for love of me and to tell others the Good News, 30 who won’t be given back, a hundred times over, homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and land—with persecutions!

“All these will be his here on earth, and in the world to come he shall have eternal life. 31 But many people who seem to be important now will be the least important then; and many who are considered least here shall be greatest there.”

Personal Insights

Warren Wiersbe said of this rich young ruler “Of all the people who ever came to the feet of Jesus, this man is the only one who went away worse than he came.” How sad that a man has an encounter with Jesus and walks away rejecting what Jesus had to offer. He chose the things of this world over what Jesus could give him….eternal life.

Jesus challenged the ruler on the way he greeted Him. It was an unusual form of address at that time. He pushed the ruler to realise that by calling Him good he was implying that Jesus was God. As one writer said “He was telling a self-centered and self-righteous man that only God is truly good”.

This young man thought he could earn his salvation. He asked Jesus what he needed to do to earn salvation. When he got the answer he was disheartened and sorrowful. He was not willing to give up what he had on this earth for the eternal. He had a superficial view of salvation.

Jesus used this situation as a teaching point for His disciples. Jesus said it is difficult for people to enter the Kingdom of God. It is not something we can do on our own. According to verse 27 Jesus says it is impossible but with God it is possible.

In contrast Peter expressed to Jesus that he and the disciples have given up everything to follow Him so what would their reward be. Jesus assured Peter that if he followed Him he would gain much including eternal life, however, there would be persecutions along the way. “God balances blessings with battles, developing mature sons and daughters” (Warren Wiersbe)

What is it that we are unwilling to give up for God? It might not be riches or wealth but it could be something else. The story of the Rich Young Ruler is a good reminder for us to examine our priorities. Is there anything in our life that we put before God? On the outside we might look like the ideal Christian and yet on the inside it might be something very different. Jesus says in John 10:10b “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly”. However, we need to be obedient to the Good Shepherd. There is blessing in obedience. This young ruler missed out on the greatest gift ever and settled for second best. Let us not follow his example.

Mark 10:13-16

Mark 10:13-16 Living Bible (TLB)

The Little Children and Jesus

13 Once when some mothers[a] were bringing their children to Jesus to bless them, the disciples shooed them away, telling them not to bother him.

14 But when Jesus saw what was happening he was very much displeased with his disciples and said to them, “Let the children come to me, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as they. Don’t send them away! 15 I tell you as seriously as I know how that anyone who refuses to come to God as a little child will never be allowed into his Kingdom.”

16 Then he took the children into his arms and placed his hands on their heads and he blessed them.

Personal Insights

In this section we see the disciples learning another truth and, again, the situation involved children. It wasn’t unheard of in Jewish culture for parents to bring their children to the rabbis for blessing. So the parents in this story bringing their children to Jesus for a blessing would not have been strange. However, we see the disciples stepping in and rebuking the parents. The Living Bible talks about the disciples shooing the parents away and telling them not to be a bother to Jesus. This gives us a good image of what the situation looked like.

The disciples probably thought they were helping Jesus and creating some space and rest from people. Unfortunately, they had forgotten what Jesus had taught them not so long ago in 9:36-37. Jesus response to them was not positive. It says He was indignant with the disciples. This is not a mild annoyance but Jesus is irate and angry and gives them another lesson about His Kingdom.

Jesus taught the disciples, parents and whoever else that was listening that they (and us) are to receive the Kingdom of God like a child. What does this mean? Children at an early age are trusting, they are humble, they depend on others for their needs and they accept who they are. Somehow, as we grow up, we lose that innocence. We begin to listen to the ways of the world that we don’t need anyone, we can do life alone, and we develop insecurities about who we are. Jesus is encouraging us to have a childlike faith but not childish. When we understand who Jesus is, the Son of God, what’s not to trust. We need to continue to work at developing that relationship with Him. Humbly accepting His ways and trusting completely in what He says in His Word.

Jesus took these young children in His arms. They would feel safe and secure in His arms. Jesus blessed them. Jesus would know these children and would know what was ahead of them. I wonder what blessing He bestowed upon them.

For those of us who are parents, or Aunts and Uncles, or Grandparents who are entrusted with the care of children what influence do we have on them? John McArthur once said in a sermon concerning this passage and was speaking to parents mainly but I will extend it to caregivers in general “You’re the primary missionary in the life of your children” That is a responsibility not to be taken lightly. How do we evangelize our children? Deuteronomy 6:1-9 is a challenge for us today.

Mark 10:1-12

Mark 10:1-12 Amplified Bible (AMP)

Jesus’ Teaching about Divorce

10 Getting up, He left there (Capernaum) and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan; and crowds gathered around Him againand accompanied Him, and as was His custom, He once more began to teach them.

2 Pharisees came to Jesus to test Him [intending to trick Him into saying something wrong], and asked Him, “Is it lawful [according to Scripture] for a man to divorce his wife and send her away?” 3 He replied to them,“What did Moses command you?” 4 They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away.” 5 But Jesus said to them,“Because of your hardness of hearts [your callousness and insensitivity toward your wives and the [a]provision of God] he wrote you this precept. 6 But from the beginning of creation God made them male and female. 7 For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother [to establish a home with his wife], 8 and the two shall become one flesh; so that they are no longer two, but [are united as] one flesh. 9 Therefore, what God has united and joined together, man must not separate [by divorce].”

10 In the house the disciples began questioning Him again about this.11 And He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her; 12 and if a woman divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.”

Personal Insights

The subject in this chapter is not an easy one to take on. Divorce conjures up a myriad of thoughts and ideas and maybe, for some reading this, memories of heartache and pain. However, let us look at the discussion that Jesus and the disciples had in these verses.

The Pharisees were notorious for trying to corner Jesus and get Him to make a mistake that would give them the right to imprison Him or kill Him. In this chapter we see they are using the topic of divorce. Their question to Jesus was “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” Jesus takes them back to the OT and to Moses and what he said on the issue. He asks them “What did Moses command you?” They answered Him and said that Moses had permitted a certificate of divorce to be given by the husband to the wife and to send her away. Jesus steps in at this point and says that Moses did this because the people’s hearts were hardened. Notice that God did not create divorce but man did. Also this law talked about in Deuteronomy 24:1-4 was there to protect the wife. It was not unheard of in Biblical times for men to divorce and remarry whenever they felt like it. If their wife burned their food, showed her ankles, spoke too loudly or did something else that he didn’t like he would divorce her. By Moses instituting this law it gave some protection to the wife. She had a legal document that meant she was free from her husband and wouldn’t be seen as a harlot or prostitute.

Despite all this In Malachi 2:16 God is really clear on what He thinks about divorce. He hates it. God was the one that brought in the institution of marriage. He was the one that created it and had guidelines on how it was supposed to work. In Genesis 2:21-25 it talks of a man and a woman becoming one flesh. When you look at the word cleave in the Hebrew it means to stick, keep fast, to cling, or to abide to name a few definitions. A couple of Pastors likened it to being glued together. This is not just a casual relationship or friendship but the strongest of all ties.

God loves marriage because it reflects who He is (Gen1:27). God uses marriage as a symbol of His relationship with the church. The church is His bride. He loves the church, that is you and me as believers.

The disciples in Mark 10, however, continue to press Jesus on the issue of divorce. In order to get a fuller idea of this conversation that Jesus has with the disciples we need to look at Matthew 19. In v9 we find an exception clause that Jesus gives us. He says that “…anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery”. Also in 1 Corinthians 7:15 there also seems to be another reason that would allow for divorce if either spouse is not a believer and walks out. However, the text goes onto say that “…God has called us to live in peace”. These two exceptions would also appear to give the grounds for remarriage in such cases.

The disciples in Matthew 19:10 seemed to be getting the sanctity of marriage. They were realizing that it is not supposed to be a covenant that you can rip up and then just start again with someone else. It was supposed to be lasting. The disciples came to the conclusion that this was a difficult mandate to keep and thought it better not to marry at all. Talk about going from extreme thought to another.

Some of you might be thinking well what about other difficulties in marriage are they not grounds for divorce also or should be?

Pastor David Guzik puts it like this…..

“ Note that incompatibility, not loving each other anymore, brutality, and misery are not grounds for divorce, though they may be proper grounds for a separation and consequent "celibacy within marriage."

This study on divorce could go on and on as there are lots to say about it and will probably be a controversial issue amongst believers until the Lord comes back. However, let me finish on a positive note and to encourage those who are married.


Proverbs 19:14Amplified Bible (AMP)

House and wealth are the inheritance from fathers,
But a wise, understanding, and sensible wife is [a gift and blessing] from the Lord.

Ephesians 4:32 Amplified Bible (AMP)

Be kind and helpful to one another, tender-hearted [compassionate, understanding], forgiving one another [readily and freely], just as God in Christ also forgave [a]you.


Ephesians 5:33 Amplified Bible (AMP)

However, each man among you [without exception] is to love his wife as his very own self [with behavior worthy of respect and esteem, always seeking the best for her with an attitude of lovingkindness], and the wife [must see to it] that she respects and delights in her husband [that she notices him and prefers him and treats him with loving concern, treasuring him, honoring him, and holding him dear].

Proverbs 31:10Amplified Bible (AMP)

Description of a Worthy Woman

An excellent woman [one who is spiritual, capable, intelligent, and virtuous], who is he who can find her? Her value is more precious than jewels and her worth is far above rubies or pearls.

Mark 9:42-50

Mark 9:42-50 New International Version

Causing to stumble

⁴² ‘If anyone causes one of these little ones – those who believe in me – to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung round their neck and they were thrown into the sea. ⁴³ If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. ^{[a] 45} And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. ^{[b] 47} And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, ⁴⁸ where

‘“the worms that eat them do not die,
    and the fire is not quenched.”^[c]

⁴⁹ Everyone will be salted with fire.

⁵⁰ ‘Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other.’

Personal Insights

The lessons from Jesus continue in these next verses in Mark 9.  The disciples had a lot to learn concerning living out their faith as do we.  Jesus tells the disciples that to cause a fellow believer to stumble in the faith has severe consequences.  His analogy with the millstone shows us Jesus’s heart on the issue.  This millstone that he was talking about was not the small one that women would use for grinding grain but the more industrial one.  This one if tied around your neck would take you down into the depths of the sea.  Jesus is emphasizing to the disciples the importance of getting along with other people.  It is not always easy but something that Jesus considers highly important.

Jesus gives us an analogy of cutting away anything in us that causes us to sin.  This is not something we are to do literally but gives us a good visual of the seriousness that Jesus places on sin.  Sin starts in the heart and mind and needs to be dealt with there before it gets put into action.  “What He is teaching is that sin is to the inner person what a cancerous tumor is to the body, and it must be dealt with drastically”. (Wiersbe)

A topic that is often avoided is the subject of hell.  When was the last time you heard a sermon on hell.  It probably wasn’t recently.  Jesus doesn’t expound too much on what hell is like but what He does say is enough that should encourage us to share the Gospel with the lost.  Jesus believed in hell and knew it was a place of eternal torture and punishment.   The Hebrew word for hell is gehenna.  Gehenna originally was the valley of Hinnom where the rubbish, filth and dead animals would be thrown out and burned.  This was where King Ahaz worshipped Molech and sacrificed his children in the fire to appease this false god.  You can read what happened to King Ahaz in 2 Chronicles.  Hell is an everlasting punishment and not something to be taken lightly.

Depending on the context in which the word “fire” is used it can have a negative connotation such as hell or it can have a positive association such as purification.  God can use the fire of trials and testing to purify us.  Although not pleasant at the time it is removes all the dross, the unwanted stuff in our lives.  (Proverbs 25:4-5)

If you didn’t understand the fire of purification then Jesus gives us another example of salt.  Salt has many uses.  In ancient times it was used as a seasoning, a preservative and a disinfectant.  In Ezekiel 16:4 it talks about a practice of rubbing newborn babies in salt. In general it was used to prevent something going bad or to improve the taste of food.  Salt is seen as a positive thing.  How about us?  Are we considered salty in the way we live our lives?  Or could we do with another shake of salt over us to purify and preserve us to live a life worthy of our calling?  Something to ponder over today.