SCRIPTURE
MARK 10:1-12
Marriage and Divorce.
He set out from there and went into the district of Judea [and] across the Jordan. Again crowds gathered around him and, as was his custom, he again taught them. The Pharisees approached and asked, “Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?” They were testing him.
He said to them in reply, “What did Moses command you?” They replied, “Moses permitted him to write a bill of divorce and dismiss her.” But Jesus told them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts he wrote you this commandment.
But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother [and be joined to his wife], and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate.” in the house the disciples again questioned him about this. He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”
WHAT GOD HAS JOINED TOGETHER, NO HUMAN BEING MUST SEPARATE
REFLECTION
Again, Jesus is being tested by the religious leaders of his time. They are so jealous and filled with envy that Jesus may replace them as God’s representative on earth that they will go to any extreme to discredit Him.
By quoting the Torah and citing Moses they believe they got Jesus. Is Jesus a Jew going to against the Torah? Of course not, Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament. Jesus throws the Torah right back, at them “What did Moses command you.” The key word here is command. The Pharisees replied that Moses permitted a man to give a bill of divorce to his wife. So no commandment or law here.
Jesus reminds them Moses permitted a bill of divorce because of the hardness of their hearts. Husbands were abandoning wives and children left to fend on their own without any legal support, even murdering their wives to get rid of them “But from the beginning God made them male and female, one flesh joined together by God never to be separated by man.”
Marriage is a covenant, or a sacred pledge of loyalty with God as our witness between persons, a man and woman. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 1643), there are three goods of marriage, unity, fidelity, and openness to children.
Marriage may not be for everyone. Jesus tells us in Matthew 19. “Not everyone can accept this teaching, but only those to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let anyone accept this who can” MATTHEW 19:11-12
SCRIPTURE
MARK 10:17-23
The Rich young Man.
As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus answered him, “Why do you call me good?* No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not kill; 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.’”
He replied and said to him, “Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth.” Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, “You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to [the] poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” At that statement his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions. Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!”…..
SELL WHAT YOU HAVE THEN COME FOLLOW ME
REFLECTION
This young man ran up to Jesus and knelt before Him to ask his question. This shows the respect this young man had for Jesus. He was a believer, a follower of sort. The young man addresses Jesus as “Good teacher.”
Jesus is testing the young man when he says, “Why do you address me this way, only God is good?” Does this young man have a special insight from the Spirit? Is this someone who may spread the Good News?
Jesus tests him on the Commandments of the Law. The young man passes. But can the Law save you? Of course not. If the law could save us, we would never have needed Jesus to atone for our sins. All the Law does is put a curse on us who fail repeatedly to fulfil the Law.
Jesus looked on the young man with love. He could see this young man was seeking salvation in a serious manner. “To be saved is to be united to God in Christ and to be “conformed to the image of his Son” Romans 8:29.
Jesus says to the young man, ““You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to [the] poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”
We are not sure whether Jesus meant “sell all you have” literally or not. But this message does not resonate well with most of us that have obligations to family and others. But we can conform and follow Jesus as a disciple by detaching ourselves from stuff and uniting ourselves to the will of God in our lives, God must come first!
Jesus said to his disciples, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! Does this mean that people of means or wealth can’t get into heaven and are damned to hell? Of course not.
People of great possessions have more difficulty conforming to the itinerant preacher, Jesus. They have way more stuff in their way to give themselves over to Jesus and their neighbor but it can be done by realizing all they have is gift from God and return in kind. “Render to God what is God’s”
SCRIPTURE
MARK 10:46-52
The Blind Bartimaeus.
They came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging. On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me” And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent.
But he kept calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me.” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take courage; get up, he is calling you.” He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus. Jesus said to him in reply, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man replied to him, “Master, I want to see.” Jesus told him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.
THAT I MIGHT SEE!
REFLECTION
On the way to Jericho, there was a blind beggar by the roadside. I believe it is safe to say this was Bartimaeus’ favorite spot and he was well known by the locals. Some may have shown compassion to him and others just an annoyance.
There was nothing wrong with Bartimaeus’ ears. He could hear people talking about Jesus and perhaps even hear Jesus’ voice. He was not going to let this opportunity pass by, so he cried out, “Jesus Son of David, have pity on me!”
I am struck by Bartimaeus’ faith and humility. He reminds me of that publican in the temple who went home justified. While the Pharisee in front, boasted how great he was to God, the publican knelt in back, striking his breast, saying, “God be merciful to me a sinner.” LUKE 8:10-13
Others were rebuking this son of Abraham, keep quiet! We as Christians are supposed to lift our brethren up to Christ, not put them down. How we treat our neighbors is how God will treat us.
When Jesus called him, Bartimaeus threw aside his cloak, jumped up like John the Baptist leaping in Elizabeth’s womb at the presence of Jesus.
Jesus asks Bartimaeus what he wants Jesus to do for him. Of course, Jesus knows what he wants. But Jesus wants him to ask, to affirm in words what is in his heart.
Bartimaeus simply answers, “That I might see!” Jesus told him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.
Wow! When we have a close encounter with Jesus in mind or will, do we leap for joy and follow Jesus even more closely? Lord, remove the blinders of material attachments from my heart that I may see clearly to follow you on the way, that I may give glory and honor and praise to the Father the giver of all good things!