May 4th, 2024

This Sunday’s title is ‘The Sixth Sunday of Easter’, and this Sunday’s Gospel reading (for the three-year series) continues where we left off last Sunday [with this Sunday’s text being John 15:9-17]. And with these writings we are also continuing our walk through the Gospel according to Mark, where we left off with the last writing (not at verse 17 of chapter ten as was wrongfully indicated in last week’s submission, but at verse 16).

With this sixth Sunday of Easter, we are nearing the Ascension of Our Lord and the end of the Easter season; but, in a way, it does not end, since every Sunday is a small Easter celebration. And in this so-called tenth chapter of this Gospel account, we are definitely past the midpoint, and there are starting to appear some hints that we are coming close to the end. Jesus told the disciples what was ahead of him with his death and resurrection.

On the Mount of Transfiguration, that could definitely be called a highpoint. And when Jesus was getting close to Jerusalem, that was also a significant point. And the historical presents [where a past-tense verb is expected, but a present tense is given] were significantly different at those times. But now we are getting back to a much more common word, that of the verb ‘to say’.

For the Son of God to say something at any time is still significant. And, as an historical present, the importance of Jesus’ word continues even today. This has to do with his kingdom and not ours.

This Jesus-centeredness may be helpful when a Christian begins to think that God is not involved enough in the things that go on within this sinful world. Jesus’ two-thousand-year-old words continue to say important things that matter today. It could be said that the three sections below that follow the historical presents take the person from the Law to the Gospel, from the active to the passive, from self to Savior.

What follows is the next step in our trip through this gospel account, a somewhat-literal translation of Mark 10:17-31; and the words in bold print are the historical presents within the text (and you may also wish to look at what other translations say or perhaps a study bible to examine the text more carefully):

And going out, he, into a way, having run toward, one, and having knelt to him, he was questioning him, “Teacher, good, what may I do that life eternal, I may inherit?”

Now the Jesus said to him, “Why me, you say good? No one good, if not one, the God. The commandments you know: Not murder; Not commit adultery; not steal; not pseudo-witness; not deprive; honor the father of you and the mother.”

Now the one responded to him, “Teacher, these things, all, I have guarded from youth of me.”

Now the Jesus, having looked at him, he loved him, and he said to him, “One, you, is lacking; go, what you have, sell and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Now the one, having become gloomy upon the word, he went away, being sad, for he was having possessions, many.


And having looked around, the Jesus, he says to the disciples of him, “How difficult, the ones, the riches having, into the kingdom of the God they will enter.” Now the disciples were amazed upon the words of him. Now the Jesus, again, having answered, he says to them, “Children, how difficult it is, into the kingdom of the God, to enter into; easier it is, a camel, through the eye of the needle, to come through, than a rich man, into the kingdom of the God to enter.”

Now the ones, exceedingly, they were pounded out, saying toward themselves, “And who is able to be saved?”

Having looked at them, the Jesus, he says: “With men, impossible; but on the contrary, not with the God; for all things, possible, with the God.”

He began to say, the Peter, to him, “Look, we, ourselves, have left all things, and we have followed you.”​

The Jesus responded: “Amen, I am saying to you, no one there is, who left a house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for the sake of me and for the sake of the Gospel, if not he receives a hundredfold presently in the time, this, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and fields, with persecutions, and in the age, the coming, life eternal. Now many will be first, last, and the last, first.”