Mark 10

Mark 10:5

And when he came to [his] disciples. After the transfiguration. He saw a great multitude. For notes on this miracle, see Matthew 17:14-21. Compare Lu 9:37-42. Mark’s account is the fullest.

Mark 10:9

He foameth. and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away. According to the Revised Version, Matthew (Matthew 17:15) says that the youth was an epileptic, and the symptoms given by Mark are those of epilepsy. Mark also states that he had been afflicted from childhood (Mr 9:21).

Mark 10:14

If thou canst believe. The question is not whether Jesus can, but whether the afflicted father can. Can he have the needful faith in Christ? Faith is the great need.

Mark 10:15

Lord, I believe; help thou my unbelief. The spark of faith has been kindled; if his faith is not strong, he prays the Lord to give him stronger faith. So should always pray the doubting Christian. If your faith is weak, cry for help.

Mark 10:17

[The spirit] cried, and rent him sore. The evil spirit obeys most reluctantly and seeks to destroy one whom it can no longer use. The paroxysm of departure was fearful, and left the boy exhausted and as dead.

Mark 10:18

Jesus took him by the hand, etc. The touch of Jesus completed the cure.

Mark 10:19

Why could not we cast him out? His answer first was, according to Matthew, “Because of your belief” (Matthew 17:20). The whole difficulty centered in their want of faith. No demon could defy them if only they had faith enough. And then Jesus illustrates the power of faith by showing that even a small amount of active, living faith, like a grain of mustard-seed, could remove “this mountain”, perhaps pointing to Mount Hermon, at whose base they were, and which towered in its grandeur above them.

Mark 10:20

Can come forth by nothing, but by prayer. “Fasting” is omitted in the Revised Version, but placed in the margin. The faith which will be effectual must be a faith exercised in prayer. The work of the Church is still to cast out devils, the unclean spirits of worldliness, selfishness, greed, infidelity, lust, intemperance, Sabbath-breaking. These still defy the ordinary efforts and faith of God’s people. We have faith enough for ordinary duties, for some giving, for prayer-meetings, for building churches; but there is a work which ordinary faith cannot do. How shall we get that higher faith? By prayer and fasting. By such an earnestness that we forget the needs of the body.

Mark 10:22

The Son of man is delivered. See notes on Matthew 17:22,23. Compare Lu 9:43-45.

Mark 10:24

What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way? See notes on Matthew 18:1-9. Compare Lu 9:46-50.

Mark 10:26

Servant of all. The two conditions of true greatness are humility and service; not to be the servant of friends, or kindred, or of a class, or even of church members, but of “all”, like Christ.

Mark 10:29

John answered him, . . . we saw one. The disciples had shortly before returned to Christ from their first missionary tour, in which they were empowered to cast out devils (Matthew 10:8). The man here referred to they probably met during this tour. He must have been a disciple of Christ, who was enabled by his faith, yet without a commission, to cure the possessed (Abbott). Casting out devils in thy name. Really, and not in a wrong spirit, as did the Jewish exorcists (Acts 19:13,14); for it was done “in thy name”. Such workers as this man believed in him, or they would not have used his name. He followeth not us. Did not join himself to the apostles as one of their followers.

Mark 10:30

Forbid him not. He neither praises nor blames him for following an independent course, and not working with his disciples. He simply declares that he must not be forbidden, and that those who work the same kind of work that we do should be regarded not as enemies, but allies. Thousands, in every period of church history, have spent their lives in copying John’s mistake. They have labored to stop every man who will not work for Christ in their way from working for Christ at all (Ryle).

Mark 10:33

Whosoever shall offend one of [these] little ones, etc. See notes on Matthew 18:6-10.

Mark 10:34

The fire that never shall be quenched. See PNT Matthew 5:29. The fires that were occasionally lit in the literal Gehenna, or Tophet, were necessarily only temporary. They died out for want of fuel. It was to be otherwise with the “fire” of the other and ulterior Tophet. The “fire” referred to is, of course, a mere symbol of the sum total of certain dreadful realities, for which there are no adequate representations in human language.

Mark 10:39

Worm dieth not . . . fire is not quenched. An expression borrowed from Isaiah 66:24, and probably in current use among the Jews of our Savior’s time, as applied to the state of future retribution.

Mark 10:40

For. Our Lord is alluding to the pervading idea of Mr 9:45-48. These sacrifices of hand, foot, eye, must be made; “for”– every one shall be salted with fire. Fire is used in the Scripture to denote suffering, persecution, trial, distress of any kind. Salt is used to denote permanence, preservation from corruption. “Every one”, good and bad, “must suffer”.

Mark 10:41

Have salt in yourselves. The spirit of self-sacrifice, and thus you will “have peace with one another”.

Mark 10:43

Christ’s Law of Divorce SUMMARY OF MARK 10: Beyond Jordan En Route to Jerusalem. Dispute with the Pharisees About Divorce. The Law of Moses and That of Christ. Blessing the Little Children. The Rich Young Ruler. The Danger of Riches. Reward of Those Who Forsake All for the Gospel. The Ambitious Mother and Sons. The Baptism of Suffering. Blind Bartimaeus Healed. He arose from there. From Capernaum. His Galilean ministry was now terminated. He was about to start his last journey to Jerusalem. See notes on Matthew 19:1,2.

Mark 10:44

The Pharisees came to him. Somewhere on the east of the Jordan, while on his way. For notes on this conversation about marriage and divorce, see Matthew 19:3-13. Compare Lu 16:18.