RSV ~ Mark 10 Notes

Mk 10:1 | ISB Notes

the region of Judea: Jesus turns from his ministry in Galilee and northern Gentile territory (1:14; 5:1; 7:24; 8:27) to head southward toward Jerusalem (10:32; Lk 9:51).

beyond the Jordan: Also called Perea, the region governed by Herod Antipas and the location of John the Baptist’s ministry (Lk 3:13). See note on Mk 6:14 and Mt 19:1.

Mk 10:2 | ISB Notes

to test him: The Pharisees lay a trap for Jesus as part of a strategy to eliminate him (3:6). They anticipate he will deny the legality of divorce and so draw upon himself the wrath of Herod Antipas and his unlawful mistress, Herodias. For it was well known that Herod, the ruler of this territory, and his consort had abandoned their spouses in order to remarry. Because John the Baptist had been executed for condemning their unlawful union (6:17-19) as he ministered in this very region (10:1), the Pharisees hope Jesus will meet the same fate as John by making the same outspoken mistake. See note on Mk 6:18.

Mk 10:4 | ISB Notes

a certificate of divorce: Moses permitted Israelite laymen to divorce their wives under the Old Covenant (Deut 24:1-4). This was a temporary legal concession tailored to the weaknesses of Israel (10:5). Jesus now revokes Mosaic divorce legislation by returning to God’s original intention for every married couple: lifelong monogamy (10:6-9).

See essay: at Mt 19.

• Divorce is one of many concessions that Yahweh made for Israel in Deuteronomy. This is seen by a careful reading of the Pentateuch, which distinguishes the Levitical covenant ratified at Mt. Sinai (Ex 1924; Lev 27:34) from the Deuteronomic covenant that was ratified 40 years later on the plains of Moab (Deut 1:1-5; 29:1). There are, in fact, many laws distinctive to Deuteronomy that are absent in earlier Mosaic legislation: cultic worship was confined to a single, central sanctuary (Deut 12:11), genocidal warfare was permitted for the first time (Deut 20:16-17), animals once sacrificed at the sacred Tabernacle could now be slaughtered in profane contexts (Deut 12:15-24), allowance was made to collect interest on money loaned (Deut 15:3; 23:20), and the grim reality of divorce was tolerated and regulated (Deut 24:1-4). These and other laws indicate that Deuteronomy was a less than perfect law that lowered the standards of covenant faithfulness for wayward Israel (Ezek 20:25). It was always a temporary and concessionary arrangement designed to permit lesser evils in order to avoid greater ones.

Mk 10:6 | ISB Notes

from the beginning: God alone is the Creator of marriage and the laws that govern it.

• Jesus demonstrates this by citing Gen 1:27 and 2:24, passages that describe God’s design for marriage as a lifelong union between one man and one woman. This marital bond is spiritual, exclusive, and indissoluble. Since it is forged by God himself (10:9), it cannot be broken by any civil or religious authority (CCC 1603, 1640).

Mk 10:11-12 | ISB Notes

Divorce and remarriage are prohibited in the New Covenant (Lk 16:18; 1 Cor 7:10-11; CCC 2382-86). To divorce and remarry is to commit adultery. According to Mark’s account, Jesus warns both spouses of this danger. This speaks directly to Mark’s readers in ancient Rome, where men and women shared the right to initiate divorce. This double warning may also evoke the well-known story of Herod Antipas’ illicit union with Herodias, since both of them abandoned their respective spouses before unlawfully remarrying. See note on Mt 14:4 and 19:9.

Mk 10:14 | ISB Notes

Let the children come: When Jesus blesses the kilkJ children, he attaches great practical importance to his teaching on the indissolubility of marriage (10:11-12). Children are, after all, the fruit of married love and the ones who stand most affected by the tragedy of divorce. God intends them to be raised and blessed in the security of a healthy family.

• Jesus welcomes children into the kingdom of God and so lays a foundation for the Church’s practice of Infant Baptism (CCC 1250-52). See note on Lk 18:16.

Mk 10:19 | ISB Notes

the commandments: Jesus reaffirms the necessity of keeping God’s moral laws in the New Covenant (12:28-34; Rom 13:8-10; 1 Cor 7:19). The Ten Commandments forever lead God’s children to moral maturity and remain integral to our pursuit of “et

ernal life” (10:17; CCC 2068, 2072). Jesus cites five precepts of the Decalogue that command us to love our neighbors and parents (Ex 20:2-17; Deut 5:6-21). Do not defraud: Not an ordinance from the Decalogue but here included with them. It may refer to Deut 24:14.

Mk 10:25 | ISB Notes

easier for a camel: A parable that depicts wealth as a formidable obstacle to entering God’s kingdom (1 Tim 6:9-10; Heb 13:5). This difficulty is sorely demonstrated by the young man’s refusal to part with his riches and embrace the gospel (10:22). .

Mk 10:27 | ISB Notes

it is impossible: We are completely incapable of reaching salvation on our own. The human family descended from Adam suffers from a wounded nature and is unable to obey God completely or consistently without divine assistance (Rom 7:21-25). Only by cooperating with God and his grace can we fulfill the righteous requirements of his Law (Rom 8:4). By ourselves we can do nothing (Jn 15:5), but with the Lord’s help all things are possible (Jer 32:17; Lk 1:37; CCC 2082).

Mk 10:33-34 | ISB Notes

Jesus’ third and final prediction of his Passion and Resurrection (8:31-33; 9:30-32). It is the most detailed of the three, specifying that his death will result from a conspiracy of Jewish (chief priests, scribes) and Roman (Gentiles) au

thorities.

Mk 10:38 | ISB Notes

drink the chalice: A reference to Jesus’ forthcoming suffering (10:45; 14:36).

• The OT uses this image to depict the misery that God compels the unfaithful to drink (Ps 75:8; Is 51:17; Jer 25:15). Although Jesus is innocent and pure, he consumes the cup that was filled for sinners. with the baptism: Symbolic for immersion in trial and suffering. James and John will share in Jesus’ cup and baptism as they encounter persecution in the early Church. The NT recounts the martyrdom of James in Acts 12:2 and the exile of John in Rev 1:9.

Mk 10:42-45 | ISB Notes

The ambitions voiced by James and John lead Jesus to clarify the true nature of Christian leadership (10:37). His disciples are not to imitate the pomp and tyranny of Gentile rulers (10:42) but the humility and service he has been modeling for them during his ministry (10:45; Jn 13:14-15; CCC 1551).

Mk 10:45 | ISB Notes

for many: The expression is used idiomatically to mean “for all”. It indicates that Jesus will die, not just for some, but for the sins of the entire world (2 Cor 5:14; 1 Jn 2:2).

• Here and elsewhere Jesus interprets his Passion as the fulfillment of the Isaian prophecy about the Suffering Servant (Is 52:13-53:12; Lk 22:37). Pouring out his life “for many” recalls how the messianic Servant will make “many” righteous and remit the sins of “many” by bearing their afflictions (Is 53:11-12; Rom 5:19).

Mk 10:46 | ISB Notes

Jericho: Six miles north of the Dead Sea in the Jordan Valley. Jesus’ brief stay in the city was spent with Zacchaeus (Lk 19:1-10).

Mk 10:47 | ISB Notes

Son of David: Refers to the Messiah, who was expected to be a descendant of King David and the rightful heir to his throne (Is 9:7; Ezek 34:23-24). Many hoped he would possess the power to heal sickness and exorcize demons (Mt 15:22), much like the original son of David, King Solomon (Wis 7:20). Here the confession of Bartimaeus is ironic: this blind man sees Jesus’ messianic identity more clearly than most people in Mark’s Gospel.

• Allegorically (St. Bede, In Marcum): Bartimaeus signifies the Gentile nations saved by Christ. Jesus bids them to rise up from their spiritual blindness, throw aside the mantle of their sinful habits, and follow him down the road to glory. See note on Mt 12:23.