Mark 10 · The Lantern

Teachings about Divorce

And from there, having risen up, He comes into the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan. And crowds come together to Him again, and as He had been accustomed, again He was teaching them.

And Pharisees, having come to Him, were questioning Him if it is lawful for a husband to divorce a wife, testing Him.

In us it is not only the spirit which ought to be sanctified, but also our behaviour, manner of life, and our body. What does the apostle Paul mean when he says that the wife is sanctified by the husband and the husband by the wife? And what is the meaning of the Lord's words to those who asked concerning divorce whether it is lawful to put away one's wife as Moses commanded?

(ubi sup.) Mark the difference of temper in the multitude and in the Pharisees. The former meet together, in order to be taught, and that their sick may be healed, as Matthew relates; the latter come to Him, to try to deceive their Saviour by tempting Him. Wherefore there follows, And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife?

They come to Him indeed, and do not quit Him, lest the multitudes should believe on Him; and by continually coming to Him, they thought to bring Him into difficulty, and to confuse Him by their questions.

And answering He said to them, “What did Moses command you?”

And they said, “Moses permitted to write a roll of divorce and to send her away.”

But Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you.

So true, moreover, is it that divorce "was not from the beginning," that among the Romans it is not till after the six hundredth year from the building of the city that this kind of "hard-heartedness" is set down as having been committed.

(cont. Faust. xix. 26) Moses, however, was against a man's dismissing his wife, for he interposed this delay, that a person whose mind was bent on separation, might be deterred by the writing of the bill, and desist; particularly, since, as is related, among the Hebrews, no one was allowed to write Hebrew characters but the scribes.

(Cat. in Marc. Oxon.) Or else, it is said, For the hardness of your hearts, because it is possible for a soul purged from desires and from anger to bear the worst of women; but if those passions have a redoubled force over the mind, many evils will arise from hatred in marriage. (Chrys. ubi sup.).

But from the beginning of creation, ‘male and female He made them.’

I will call your attention to the law of monogamy. The very origin of the human race sanctions it. It is abundantly clear that God ordained it at the beginning as a pattern for posterity. For after he had made Adam, and had foreseen the necessity of providing a helpmate for him, he borrowed from his loins one alone. One woman only did he design for man.

(ubi sup.) He says not male and females, which the sense would have required had it referred to the divorce of former wives, but male and female, so that they might be bound by the tie of one wife.

But from the beginning it was not so: God joins two persons in the bond of marriage so that they become one, even leaving their own parents. Note that the Lord says: God does not permit polygamy, so that one wife could be divorced and another taken, and then that one abandoned and another married.

‘On account of this a man will leave his father and mother, and will be joined to his wife,

and the two will be for one flesh.’ Therefore they are no longer two but one flesh.

What therefore God has joined together, let man not separate.”

There are some who say outright that marriage is fornication and teach that it was introduced by the devil. They proudly say that they are imitating the Lord who neither married nor had any possession in this world, boasting that they understand the gospel better than anyone else.

But if two persons, whom God has joined together, are not to be separated; much more is it wrong to separate from Christ, the Church, which God has joined to Him.

(ubi sup.) What therefore God hath conjoined by making one flesh of a man and a woman, that man cannot separate, but God alone. Man separates, when we dismiss the first wife because we desire a second; but it is God who separates, when by common consent, for the sake of serving God, we so have wives as though we had none.

And in the house again the disciples were questioning Him concerning this.

And He says to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her.

We hold that a man should either remain as he is born or else marry only once. For a second marriage is a veiled adultery.

(ubi sup.) In Matthew it is more fully expressed, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication. (Matt. 19:9.) The only carnal cause then is fornication; the only spiritual cause is the fear of God, that a man should put away his wife to enter into religiono, as we read that many have done.

(Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.) The Lord calls by the name of adultery cohabitation with her who is not a man's wife; she is not, however, a wife, whom a man has taken to him, after quitting his first; and for this reason he commits adultery upon her, that is, upon the second, whom he brings in.

And if she, having divorced her husband, marries another, she commits adultery.”

Jesus Blesses the Children

And they were bringing little children to Him that He may touch them; but the disciples rebuked those.

Now Jesus, having seen it, was indignant and said to them, “Permit the little children to come to Me; do not hinder them! For to such belongs the kingdom of God.

For why is it necessary-if (baptism itself) is not so necessary -that the sponsors likewise should be thrust into danger? Who both themselves, by reason of mortality, may fail to fulfil their promises, and may be disappointed by the development of an evil disposition, in those for whom they stood?

The apostle praised one [Timothy] who had known the holy Scripture from infancy. He also instructed that children be reared "in the discipline and correction of the Lord." So we consider every time of life, even the very earliest, suitable for receiving persons into the community of faith.

What then does Christ do? Teaching the disciples to be humble-minded and to reject worldly pride, He receives and embraces the children.

Amen I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a child will certainly not enter into it.”

Let us then, like disciples of Christ, run in the path which He hath shewn us, and let us walk in the way which He hath trodden for us, and let the invention of simplicity be precious in our sight, and let us be simple children to receive the doctrine which is good.

Amen, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it. As a child does not persist in anger, does not remember harm done, does not delight in seeing a beautiful woman, does not think one thing and speak another; so you, unless you have such innocence and purity of mind, cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.

By the Kingdom of God He here means the preaching of the Gospel and the promise of future blessings. Therefore, whoever receives the Divine preaching as a child, that is, without any hesitation and admitting no unbelief in himself, shall enter into the Kingdom of God and inherit those blessings which he has already acquired by faith.

And having embraced them, He was greatly blessing them, having laid the hands on them.

The Rich Young Man

And when He is going forth on the journey, one having run up and having knelt down to Him was asking Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”

And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except one — God.

"But," say they, "God is `good, 'and `most good, ' and `pitiful-hearted, 'and `a pitier, 'and `abundant in pitiful-heartedness, ' which He holds `dearer than all sacrifice, ' `not thinking the sinner's death of so much worth as his repentance', `a Saviour of all men, most of all of believers.

The words, "None is good" are a reply to the young ruler who was testing him and had borne witness to his goodness as a human being. Consummate goodness, he meant, belongs to God alone, though the word "good" can be derivatively applied to human beings.

Therefore the Lord intended by these words to raise the mind of the young man, so that he might know Him to be God. But He also implies another thing by these words, that when you have to converse with a man, you should not flatter him in your conversation, but look back upon God, the root and fount of goodness, and do honour to Him.

You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness,’ you shall not defraud, ‘Honor your father and your mother.’”

And he was saying to Him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.”

And Jesus, having looked upon him, loved him and said to him, “One thing is lacking to you: go, sell as much as you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

(in Evan. tom. xv. 14) For in that He loved, or kissed him, He appears to affirm the truth of his profession, in saying that he had fulfilled all those things; for on applying His mind to him, He saw that the man answered with a good conscience.

What that man heard, most beloved, we, too, have heard. The gospel of Christ is in heaven, but it does not cease to speak on earth. Let us not be dead to him, for he thunders. Let us not be deaf, for he shouts. If you are unwilling to commit to full obedience, do what you can.

(Cat. in Marc. Oxon.) It is worthy of enquiry, however, how He loved a man, who, He knew, would not follow Him? But this is so much as to say, that since he was worthy of love in the first instance, because he observed the things of the law from his youth, so in the end, though he did not take upon himself perfection, he did not suffer a lessening of his former love.

But having been sad at the word, he went away grieving; for he was one having many possessions.

The rich man followed his own counsel, having rejected the precept of dividing his resources with the needy. He was abandoned by the Lord to his own opinion. There is no justification for applying the term "harshness" on this account to describe Christ. For each individual free will is able to choose to defile itself.

He did not follow. He just wanted a good teacher, but he questioned who the teacher was, and scorned the identity of the One who was teaching. "He went away sad," bound up in his desires. "He went away sad," carrying a great burden of possessiveness upon his shoulders.

"But he, being dismayed at this saying, went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions." It is not without reason that it is added that he had much: for to possess even a little is both harmful and dangerous, but the bonds of many possessions are utterly unbreakable.

And having looked around, Jesus says to His disciples, “How difficultly will those having riches enter into the kingdom of God!”

For as it is disagreeable to walk among thistles with naked feet, so also it is hard for such to enter the kingdom of God. But by all these the repentance of the rich is rendered difficult.

Note what kind of riches it is that God loves. Note what wealth does he demand that we should store up for children. Note what possessions he especially orders us to guard: faith, fear of God, modesty, holiness, and discipline. Nothing earthly, nothing base, nothing perishable or transitory.

It is not wealth in itself that is evil, but those who hoard it are evil and worthy of condemnation, for one ought not to have it, that is, to keep it for oneself, but to put it to good use. It is called wealth precisely because it is meant for beneficial use, not for hoarding.

And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus, answering again, says to them, “Children, how difficult it is to enter into the kingdom of God!

It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of the needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.”

And they were exceedingly astonished, saying among themselves, “Then who is able to be saved?”

Having looked on them, Jesus says, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.”

But the Lord replies, "Because what is impossible with men is possible with God." This again is full of great wisdom. For a man by himself working and toiling at freedom from passion achieves nothing. But if he plainly shows himself very desirous and earnest about this, he attains it by the addition of the power of God. For God conspires with willing souls.

Orthodox: The Lord God wishes nothing inconsistent with his nature, and is able to do all that he wishes, and what he wishes is appropriate and agreeable to his own nature.… Eranistes: Nothing is impossible to almighty God. Orthodox: Then according to your definition sin is possible to almighty God? Eranistes: By no means. Orthodox: Why? Eranistes: Because he does not wish it.

But with God this is possible. Christ said: "Make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth" (Lk. 16:9). Do you see how all things become possible when we hear the Word of God? "With men this is impossible," that is, it is impossible when we reason in human terms. Some are puzzled how Christ said that "all things are possible with God." Can He then also sin?

Peter began to say to Him, “Behold, we ourselves left all and have followed You.”

(ubi sup.) And because it is not sufficient to have left all, he adds that which makes up perfection, and have followed thee. As if he said, We have done what Thou hast commanded. What reward therefore wilt Thou give us?

Although Peter had left but few things, still he calls these his all; for even a few things keep us by the bond of affection, so that he shall be beatified who leaves a few things.

(non occ.) Because the youth, on hearing the advice of our Saviour concerning the casting away of his goods, had gone away sorrowful, the disciples of Christ, who had already fulfilled the foregoing precept, began to question Him concerning their reward, thinking that they had done a great thing, since the young man, who had fulfilled the commandments of the law, had not been a…

Jesus was saying, “Amen I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands because of Me and because of the gospel,

"And Jesus answering said, Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall leave what is his own, parents, and children, and wealth, for My sake and the Gospel's, shall receive an hundredfold." But let neither this trouble you, nor the still harder saying delivered in another place in the words, "Whoso hateth not father, and mother, and children, and his own life besides, cannot be My d…

(Hom. in Matt. 64) But it seems to me that by these words He intended covertly to proclaim that there were to be persecutions, as it would come to pass that many fathers would allure their sons to impiety, and many wives their husbands.

Everyone who leaves wife or mother — He says this not so that we would leave our parents helpless or separate from our wives, but teaches us to prefer pleasing God above all things of the flesh.

who will not take a hundredfold now in this time — houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions — and in the age which is coming, eternal life.

For he who for the sake of Christ's name distances himself from his particular beloved father or mother or child, and gives himself over to the purest love of all who serve Christ, will receive a hundred times the measure of brothers and kinsfolk. Instead of but one he will begin to have so many fathers and brothers bound to him by a still more fervent and admirable affection.

For a wife is busied in a house about her husband's food and raiment. See also how this is the case with the Apostles; for many women busied themselves about their food and their clothing, and ministered unto them.

(Cat. in Marc. Oxon.) This hundredfold reward therefore must be in participation, not in possession, for the Lord fulfilled this to them not carnally, but spiritually.

But many first will be last, and the last first.”

"The first shall be last, and the last first." This is fruitful in meaning and exposition, but does not demand investigation at present; for it refers not only to the wealthy alone, but plainly to all men, who have once surrendered themselves to faith.

"But many that are first shall be last, and the last first. For example, see Judas, who turned from an apostle into an apostate, and you will say that many that are first shall be last; see the thief on the cross, who became a confessor, and on the same day he was crucified for his sins, rejoicing in paradise with Christ by the grace of faith, and you will say that the last sha…

For those who appeared last in the present age, on account of the sorrows and persecutions they endured, will be first in the age to come for their steadfast hope in God. The Pharisees, who were first, became last, and those who left everything and followed Christ became first.

The Third Prediction of the Passion

And they were on the way going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going on before them, and they were astonished; and those following were afraid. And having brought the Twelve to Himself again, He began to tell them the things soon to happen to Him:

(Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc. sed v. Chrys. Hom. 65) And He enumerates each thing that was to happen to Him; lest if He should pass any thing over, they should be troubled afterwards at suddenly seing it; wherefore he adds, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man.

(ubi sup.) The disciples remembered the discourse in which the Lord had foretold that He was about to suffer many things from the chief priests and scribes, and therefore in going up to Jerusalem, they were amazed. And this is what is meant, when it is said, And they were in the way going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus went before them.

Why does Jesus predict to the disciples what will happen to Him? To strengthen their spirit, so that having heard about it beforehand, they would bear it courageously when it came to pass, and not be struck by its suddenness; and at the same time they were to know that He suffers of His own will.

that “Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes, and they will condemn Him to death and will betray Him to the Gentiles.

In so speaking the Lord foreshadowed those by whose hand he would die. He does not mean here the death upon the cross as such, but that the Jews would deliver him up to the Gentiles, or, in other words, to the Romans. For Pilate was a Roman, and had been sent by the Romans into Judea as governor.

(interlin.) That is, He to whom suffering belongs; for the Godhead cannot suffer. Shall be delivered, that is, by Judas, unto the Chief Priests, and unto the Scribes, and they shall condemn him to death; judging Him to be guilty of death; and shall deliver him to the Gentiles, that is, to Pilate the Gentile.

And they will mock Him and will spit upon Him and will flog Him and will kill Him; and on the third day He will rise again.”

The Request of James and John

And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come up to Him, saying to Him, “Teacher, we desire that whatever we ask You, You shall do for us.”

Pray does the emperor in person set forth, or the prefect in person cudgel? One whose ministers do a thing is always said to do it. So "He will baptize you" will have to be understood as standing for, "Through Him," or" Into Him," "you will be baptized.

(de Con. Evan. ii. 64) Matthew has expressed that this was said not by themselves, but by their mother, since she brought their wishes to the Lord; wherefore Mark briefly implies rather that they themselves, than that their mother, had used the words.

Now the abovementioned disciples thought that He was going up to Jerusalem, to reign there, and then to suffer what He had foretold. And with these thoughts, they desired to sit on the right and the left hand; wherefore there follows, They said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, the other on thy left hand, in thy glory.

And He said to them, “What do you desire Me to do for you?”

And they said to Him, “Grant to us that one of us at Your right hand and one at Your left hand let us sit in Your glory.”

But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup which I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?”

They did not nail him then, but simply bound him. And he, placing his hands behind him, and being bound like a distinguished ram [taken] out of a great flock for sacrifice, and prepared to be an acceptable burnt-offering unto God, looked up to heaven, and said, "O Lord God Almighty, the Father of thy beloved and blessed Son Jesus Christ, by whom we have received the knowledge o…

Here Christ was calling his crucifixion a cup and his death a baptism. He called his cross a cup because he was coming to it with pleasure. He called his death a baptism because by it he cleansed the world. Not only on this account did he call his death a baptism but also because of the ease with which he would rise again.

Therefore the Lord also rebukes them as not understanding what they are asking: "You do not know," He says, "what you are asking." You think that My Kingdom will be an earthly one, and therefore you ask for an earthly seat; no, it is not so: this is beyond human comprehension, and to sit at My right hand is the greatest thing, surpassing even the angelic ranks.

And they said to Him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup which I drink you will drink, and the baptism with which I am baptized you will be baptized with;

but to sit at My right hand or at the left hand is not Mine to give, but to those for whom it has been prepared.”

And the ten, having heard this, began to be indignant about James and John.

And having called them near, Jesus says to them, “You know that those being accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.

But it is not thus among you. Instead, whoever desires to become great among you will be your servant;

and whoever desires to become first among you will be slave of all.

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

Such is our Instructor, righteously good. "I came not," He says, "to be ministered unto, but to minister." Wherefore He is introduced in the Gospel "wearied," because toiling for us, and promising "to give His life a ransom for many." For him alone who does so He owns to be the good shepherd.

He shared with us our punishment, but not our sin. Death is the punishment of sin. The Lord Jesus Christ came to die; he did not come to sin. By sharing with us the penalty without the sin, he canceled both the penalty and the sin.

And there is an example of this close at hand: "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His soul as a ransom for many." And this is more than service. Indeed, not only to serve but also to die for the one whom you serve — what could be higher and more wondrous than this?

Jesus Heals Bartimaeus

And they come to Jericho. And when He was going out from Jericho — and His disciples and a large crowd — the son of Timaeus, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting beside the road.

The name of the city agrees with the approaching Passion of our Lord; for it is said, And they came to Jericho. Jericho means moon or anathema; but the failing of the flesh of Christ is the preparation of the heavenly Jerusalem.

(ubi sup.) In a mystical sense, however, Jericho, which means the moon, points out the waning of our fleeting race. The Lord restored sight to the blind man, when drawing near to Jericho, because coming in the flesh and drawing near to His Passion, He brought many to the faith; for it was not in the first years of His Incarnation, but in the few years before He suffered, that H…

But Jesus, considering his ready will, rewards him with the fulfilment of his desire. But the blindness in part, brought upon the Jews, will in the end be enlightened when He sends unto them the Prophet Elias. (Rom.

And having heard that it is Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and to say, “Son of David, Jesus, have mercy on me!”

This blind man is rightly described as sitting beside the road and being a beggar; for the Truth himself says: "I am the way." Therefore whoever does not know the brightness of eternal light is blind; but if he already believes in the Redeemer, he sits beside the way; if, however, he already believes but neglects to ask that he might receive eternal light, and ceases from praye…

But see how the crowd honors Jesus: they even forbid the blind man to cry out, as if some king were passing by.

(Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.) The blind man calls the Lord, the Son of David, hearing the way in which the passing multitude praised Him, and feeling sure that the expectation of the prophets was fulfilled. There follows: And many charged him that he should hold his peace.t

And many were rebuking him that he may be silent; but he was crying out much more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

And having stopped, Jesus commanded, “Call him.” And they call the blind man, saying to him, “Take courage! Rise up, He calls you.”

And having cast away his cloak, having jumped up, he came to Jesus.

And answering him, Jesus said, “What do you desire I may do for you?” And the blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, that I may receive sight.”

And Jesus said to him, “Go, your faith has healed you.” And immediately he received sight, and he was following Him on the way.

The commandment of the Lord is far-shining, "enlightening the eyes." Receive Christ, receive sight, receive thy light, "In order that you may know well both God and man." Praise and declare to me Thy Father God; Thy utterances save; Thy hymn teaches that hitherto I have wandered in error.

To this light, indeed, faith is the way. Hence rightly it is immediately answered to the blind man as he is enlightened: "Receive your sight, your faith has saved you." He sees and follows who puts into practice the good that he understands. But he sees and does not follow who indeed understands the good, but disdains to do good works.

The mind of the blind man is grateful, for when he was made whole, he did not leave Jesus, but followed Him. Further, it says that he followed the Lord in the way, that is, in this life, because after it all are excluded who follow Him not here, by working His commandments.