Mark 10

Mark 10:1

1. καὶπέραν] Our Lord retired, after His discourses to the Jews in John 10 and before the raising of Lazarus, to Bethany (John 1:28; John 10:40) beyond Jordan, and thence made his last journey to Jerusalem; so that in the strictest sense of the words He did come into the borders of Judæa and beyond Jordan.

Matt. has πέραντ. Ἰορ. without the copula. See Luke 17:11. Here a large portion of the sayings and doings of Jesus is omitted: cf. Matthew 18:10; Matthew 19:3; Luke 9:51 to Luke 18:15; John 7:1 ff.

Mark 10:2-9

2–9. See notes on Matt., with whose account ours is nearly identical. Compare however our Mark 10:3-5 with Matthew 19:7-9, and we have testimony to the independence of the two reports—for such an arbitrary alteration of arrangement is inconceivable.

Mark 10:4

4. ἐπέτρεψεν is emphatic. Moses gave an express permissory injunction.

Mark 10:7

7. Our Lord makes Adam’s saying His own: in Matt. it is attributed to ὁποιήσαςἀπʼ ἀρχῆς. The parallel is most instructive.

Mark 10:10-12

10–12. In Matt. this saying forms part of the discourse with the Jews. Here again Mark furnishes us with the exact circumstantial account of the matter. On the addition, Matthew 19:10-12, see notes there.

We may notice, that Mark omits Matt.’s κατὰπᾶσαναἰτίαν in Mark 10:2,—and his μὴἐπὶπορνείᾳ in Mark 10:11; as also does Luke (Luke 16:18). The one omission seems to involve the other. The report here gives the enquiry without this particular exception. As a general rule, Mark, so accurate in circumstantial details, is less exact than Matt. in preserving the order and connexion of the discourses.

Mark 10:12

12. This verse corresponds to ὁἀπολελυμένηνγαμήσαςμοιχᾶται in Matthew 19:9—but it is expressed as if the woman were the active party, and put away her husband, which was allowed by Greek and Roman law (see 1 Corinthians 7:13), but not by Jewish (see Deuteronomy 24:1; Jos. Antt. xv.7.10). This alteration in the verbal expression may have originated in the source whence Mark’s report was drawn. On μοιχᾶται, Grotius remarks, ‘Mulier, cum domina sui non sit, si, marito relicto, ad aliud matrimonium se conferat, omnino adulterium committit, non interpretatione aliqua, aut per consequentiam, sed directe: ideo non debuit hic addi, ἐπʼ αὐτόν.’

Mark 10:13

13. παιδία] Not only children, but as in Luke, infants (βρέφη): and our Lord was not to teach them, but only to touch, and pray over them. This simple, seemingly superstitious application of οἱπροσφέροντες (perhaps not the mothers only) the disciples, interrupted in their converse on high and important subjects, despise and reprove.

Mark 10:14

14. We can hardly read our Lord’s solemn saying, without seeing that it reaches further than the mere then present occasion. It might one day become a question whether the new Christian covenant of repentance and faith could take in the unconscious infant, as the old covenant did:—whether when Jesus was no longer on earth, little children might be brought to Him, dedicated to his service, and made partakers of his blessing? Nay, in the pride of the human intellect, this question was sure one day to be raised: and our Lord furnishes the Church, by anticipation, with an answer to it for all ages. Not only may the little infants be brought to Him,—but in order for us who are mature to come to Him, we must cast away all that wherein our maturity has caused us to differ from them, and become LIKE THEM. Not only is Infant Baptism justified, but it is (abstractedly considered;—not as to preparation for it, which from the nature of the case is precluded) the NORMAL PATTERN OF ALL BAPTISM; none can enter God’s kingdom, except as an infant. In adult baptism, the exceptional case (see above), we strive to secure that state of simplicity and childlikeness, which in the infant we have ready and undoubted to our hands.

Mark 10:16

16. κατευλόγει, like all such compounds, is more forcible and complete than the simple verb would have been. It may be rendered He fervently blessed them.

Mark 10:17

17. εἰςὁδόν, out of the house, Mark 10:10, to continue His journey, Mark 10:32. The running and the kneeling are both found in the graphic St. Mark only.

Mark 10:19

19. Mark here takes exactly the commandments of the second table,—μὴἀποστ. standing for the tenth. Matt. adds their summary (ἀγαπ. τ. πλησίονσουὡςσεαυτ.), omitting (with Luke) μὴἀποστ., perhaps on account of μὴκλ. having gone before.

Mark 10:21

21. Notice the graphic details again, of looking on him and loving him.

ἄραςτὸνστ. is added here.

Mark 10:22

22. ἦνγὰρἔχων—so also Matt.

Mark 10:23-31

23–31. Here our Mark 10:24 is a most important addition; the rest is much alike in the three. In that verse we have all misunderstanding of our Lord’s saying removed, and “the proverb,” as Wesley well observes (Stier ii. p. 290), “shifted to this ground: ‘It is easier for a camel, &c. than for a rich man to cast off his trust in his riches.’ ” Yet the power of divine grace can and does accomplish even this.

Mark 10:24

24. τέκνα is remarkable and a trace of exactitude: see John 21:5:—so also περιβλ. Mark 10:23.

Mark 10:26

26. This reiterated expression of dismay, after the explanation in Mark 10:24, need not surprise us. The disciples were quite as well aware as we must be, if we deal truly with ourselves, that οἱτὰχρήματαἔχοντες and οἱπεποιθότεςἐπὶχρήμασιν are too nearly commensurate, for the mind to be relieved of much of its dread at the solemn saying which preceded.

Of the καί at the beginning of a question, Kühner remarks, on Xen. Mem. p. 117 (in Meyer) “cum vi auctiva ita ponitur, ut is qui interrogat cum admiratione quadam alterius orationem excipere, ex eaque conclusionem ducere significetur qua alterius sententia confutetur.”

Mark 10:28

28. Here is an instance of a saying of Peter’s reported, without any distinction indicating that he had a share in the report.

See note on Matt. for the promise here made to the Apostles.

Mark 10:29-30

29, 30. Here our report is most important. To it and Luke we owe νῦνἐντῷκαιρῷτούτῳ, without which the promise might be understood of a future life only:—and to it alone we owe the particularizing of the returns made, and the words μετὰδιωγμῶν, which light up the whole passage, and shew that it is the inheritance of the earth in the higher sense by the meek which is spoken of;—see 1 Corinthians 3:21-22. Observe mothers—nature gives us only one—but love, many (see Romans 16:13). We do not read, fathers, perhaps because of our high and absorbing relation to our Father in heaven, cf. Matthew 23:9.

On καὶτοῦεὐαγγελίου, Bp. Wordsw. observes, “See above, Mark 8:35, where this phrase (not found in the other Evangelists, see Matthew 16:25; Luke 9:24) is inserted by St. Mark. Perhaps it made a greater impression upon his mind, because he had formerly shrunk from suffering ἕνεκεντ. εὐαγγελίου. (See Acts 13:13; Acts 15:38.) St. Mark also alone here inserts our Lord’s words, μετὰδιωγμῶν, perhaps from a recollection that he had been once affrighted by persecution from doing the work of the Gospel: and desiring to prepare others to encounter trials which for a time had mastered himself.”

Here follows in Matt. the parable of the Labourers in the vineyard, ch. Matthew 20:1-16.

Mark 10:32

32. ἤρξατο, anew: He again opened this subject.

Mark 10:33

33. The circumstances of the passion are brought out in all three Evangelists with great particularity. The ‘delivery to the Gentiles’ is common to them all.

Mark 10:34

34. ἐμπτ. Mark and Luke:—σταυρῶσαι, Matt. only, which is remarkable, as being the first intimation, in plain terms, of the death He should die. The ἄραςτὸνστ., so often alluded to, might have had now for them a deep meaning—but see Luke 18:34. After τοῖςἔθν. the subject of the verbs (ἐμπ., μαστ. &c.) is τὰἔθνη.

Mark 10:35-45

35–45. REQUEST OF THE SONS OF ZEBEDEE: OUR LORD’S REPLY. Matthew 20:20-28, where see notes throughout, and especially on the difference in our Mark 10:35. The two accounts of the discourse are almost verbatim the same, and that they came from one source is very apparent. Even here, however, slight deviations occur, which are unaccountable, if the one had actually before him the writing of the other. Besides, we have the whole additional particular of the baptism, with which He was to be baptized: see note on Matt.

Mark 10:38

38. Observe the present tenses, πίνω and βαπτίζομαι. The Lord had already the cup of His suffering at His lips: was already, so to speak, sprinkled with the first drops of spray of His baptism of blood [or they may be merely official, ‘that I am to drink of and to be baptized with’].

Mark 10:42

42. οἱδοκοῦντεςἄρχειν, those who are reputed to rule,—who have the title of rulers, not ═ ‘those who rule,’ which God alone does.

Mark 10:46

46. Βαρτ. patronymic. בַּר טִמְאי:—so Bartholomew, ch. Mark 3:18, Barjesus, Acts 13:6.

Mark 10:48

48. See on Matthew 20:30-31.

Mark 10:50

50. ἀποβαλών, κ.τ.λ.,—signs of an eye-witness, which make us again believe, that here we have the literally exact account of what took place.

Mark 10:51

51. Ῥαββουνί = רַבּוֹנִי, Master, or My Master, see ref. John. It was said (Drus. in Meyer) to be a more respectful form than ῥαββί.

Mark 10:52

52. In Matt. only, Jesus touches him. The account here and in Luke seems to correspond better with the wonderful strength of his faith. Our Lord healed by a word in such cases, see Matthew 8:10-13; ch. Mark 7:29, and other places. Luke adds, δοξάζωντὸνθεόν,—and that all the people seeing him gave glory to God: see also Luke 19:37.