April 28th, 2024

This Sunday’s title is ‘The Fifth Sunday of Easter’ [with the Gospel reading of John 15:1-8], and as we are continuing our walk through the Easter season, in these writings we are continuing our walk through the Gospel according to Mark, in the way that it was laid out for us long ago—that means without an emphasis on the chapter and verse divisions.

There is a noticeable progression within this account. Jesus gets his enemies pretty mad at him quite soon within this account. He then travels north and stays away from Jerusalem for a short while. He teaches his disciples about what is certainly to come with his cross and resurrection. And at the start of so-called ‘chapter ten’ of this account, he comes back to the area near Jerusalem. And you may able to see quite easily the tension building within the situation. In the first case, there is tension with his enemies. In the second case, there is tension with his friends. Jesus gets angry with his disciples. At first the enemies were questioning him; later it was the disciples who were doing the questioning. And the questions continue today.

The word ‘again’ has not been seen for a while. (It was last used in the eighth chapter at verses 1, 13, and 25.) It will be used somewhat frequently again. It is a good reminder that Jesus sometimes did the same things again and again. New things can sometimes be too distracting, and what is important can be easily forgotten.

What follows could be called a somewhat-literal translation of Mark 10:1-17; and the words in bold print are the historical presents within the text (where some type of past-tense verb is expected, but a present tense is given; and you may wish to look at other translations or a study bible to examine the text more carefully):

And from there, having risen, he comes into the regions of the Judea, and beyond the Jordan, and they go with, again, crowds, toward him, and as he was accustomed, again he was teaching them. And having come toward, Pharisees, they were questioning him, if it is permitted for a man, a wife to release, tempting him. Now the one, having answered, he said to them, “What you, he did command, Moses?”

Now the ones said, “He allowed, Moses, a bible of apostasy to write and to release.”

Now the Jesus said to them, “Toward the hardheartedness of you he wrote to you, the commandment, this. Now from beginning of creation, male and female, he made them. For the sake of this he will leave, a man, the father of him, and the mother, and he will be glued toward the wife of him, and they will be, the two, into flesh, one; so as no longer they are two, but on the contrary, one flesh. Therefore, what the God yoked together, man, not let separate.

And in the house, again, the disciples, about this, they were questioning him. And he says to them, “Whoever releases the wife of him, and he marries another, he commits adultery against her; and if she, having released the husband of her, she marries another, she commits adultery.”

And they were carrying to him children, that them he might touch; now the disciples rebuked them. Now, having seen, the Jesus, he was angry, and he said to them, “Allow the children to come toward me, do not prevent them; for the ones of such, is the kingdom of the God. Amen, I am saying to you, whoever not receives the kingdom of the God as a child, certainly not he will enter into it.” And embracing them, he was blessing, putting the hands upon them.