Dr. Bingham’s Lesson for January 29, 2012

Series in Mark

“Divorce, Children, & the Rich Young Man” – Mark 10:1-31

Deuteronomy 24:1-4
The first verse is what the Pharisees have in mind when speaking to Jesus.
In verse 23, the word in Hebrew, translated as “indecent,” is actually a Hebrew euphemism for sexual perverseness such as adultery, incest, etc.

Mark 10:1-12
Jesus, however, goes back to Genesis 2:23-24, to the fundamental inauguration of marriage, which holds that the man and woman when they join in marriage become one new flesh and are related by flesh as being of the same family, blood relatives. This should govern our concept of marriage rather than the concession of Moses. What is joined together should not be separated.

Mark 10:13-16
People were bringing children to Jesus for Him to touch them, but some disciples rebuked them. Jesus was indignant, however, and ordered them to allow it and declared that the children coming to Him were a demonstration of how everyone should come to Him.

Mark 10:17-31
The rich young man.
Jesus shows the young man that he was not worthy of heaven by his works because he was greedy.
Jesus calls His disciples “children,” reminding everyone of what He said about children and the kingdom of heaven in the preceding incident.
Who then can be saved? With man this is impossible but with God all things are possible.
God needs to regenerate everyone into children, who come to him with nothing checked off, with nothing to offer God.
Come to Him with an attitude of needing to be totally dependent on God.