Mark 10:1-31, How Do I Get In?

Mark 10:1-31 and the Question of Entrance Into God’s Kingdom

Our chapter 10 be reading from verses 1 to 31. Hear the word of the lord. And he left there and went to the region of judea and beyond the jordan and crowds gathered to him. And again, as was his custom, he taught them.

And pharisees came up in in order to test him ask Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife? He answered them What did moses command you? They said moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away.

And jesus said to them Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment, but from the beginning of creation god made them male and female. Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife.

And the two shall become one flesh so they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore god has joined together. Let not man separate. And in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter and 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. And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them and the disciples rebuked him. But when jesus saw it he was indignant and said to them let the children come to me.

Do not hinder them for to such belongs the kingdom of god. Truly I say to you whoever does not receive the kingdom of god like a child Shall not enter it. And he took them in his arms and blessed them laying his hands on them.

And as he was setting out on his journey a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him good teacher What must I do to inherit eternal life? And jesus said to him. Why do you call me good? No one is good except god alone.

You know the commandments do not murder do not commit adultery. Do not steal do not bear false witness do not defraud honor your father and mother. And he said to him teacher all these I have kept from my youth.

And jesus looking at him loved him and said to him you lack one thing.

Go.

Sell all that you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow me disheartened by the saying. He went away sorrowful. For he had great possessions. And jesus looked around and said to his disciples how difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of god.

And the disciples were amazed at his words. But jesus said to them again.

Children.

How difficult it is To enter the kingdom of god. It's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle Than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of god. And they were exceedingly astonished and said to him Then who can be saved?

And jesus looked at them and said with man. It is impossible, but not with god for all things are possible with god. Peter began to say to him See, we have left everything and followed you. Jesus said Truly I say to you There is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands.

For my sake and for the gospel who will not receive a hundred fold now in this time houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands with persecutions. And in the age to come eternal life.

But many who are first will be last and the last.

First.

May the lord add his blessings to the reading of his holy word. Well, have you ever wanted to get into something?

And couldn't.

Maybe like a club or a fraternity or sorority a university a country a relationship. Now there's entrance requirements. Twice in singapore. I was denied a permanent resident status, even though I was married to a singapore citizen.

Now they let me stay in the country. They didn't prohibit me from the country, but they let me stay as long as I was Working and so I was given a what's called a work permit. As a foreigner you give a foreigner a work permit.

So if he becomes a nuisance like if I became a nuisance to the country, they don't want me around anymore. They can easily get rid of me by revoking the work permit and then I am legally declared in legal terms persona non grata.

Persona person non without. Grata grace literally a person without grace. Foreigners are in other countries by grace. And so if they become a persona non grata, they have no grace they can't be in the country anymore.

So they'll take you and they'll throw you out of the country. Foreigners are around the countries by grace not by right like citizens are. So when mary and I were seeking to go to ethiopia. We were first denied a visa, which is the entrance requirement.

From their embassy in singapore. And so we went to kenya. Where the ethiopian embassy there gave us a visa and we finally got in to ethiopia. What about you. Ever had a hard time getting into something you wanted into.

Some of you here had a hard time getting in or staying in this country. There are entrance requirements like having to show for the u .s. To get a permit to get a visa or to get a permanent resident status.

You have to show that you won't go on welfare anytime soon. Universities sports teams orchestras. Some occupations have entrance requirements. We probably all accept the reality that you have to meet requirements to get in.

To some of these things we probably accept it. Even if we're disappointed if we're we happen to be the one where that's excluded by them. And we know if only we had we worked harder, you know studied harder.

Get by the entrance exams. We had trained harder to make the team or whatever. If we had said the right thing at the interview that we could have gotten in we think. Or that we think the the entrance requirements we accept them if we if we think they're fair.

Even if we don't have what it takes, but we recognize they're fair and it's not my you know I just didn't have what it takes to get in. We weren't good enough to make the team was a good enough basketball player.

I couldn't play the instrument well enough to make the the band orchestra. We're disappointed if we don't get in but we know it's fair and so we accept it. We could have done it if only Whatever. Now in the past some institutions kept people out because of race.

Because being of the right race was an entrance requirement. The chinese exclusion act of 1882. Excluded people because of race no chinese allowed. Schools universities some professions excluded people based on race.

This Building that we're in right now was built by a school that excluded people because of race. This building was built to keep out black people. You could be one of the smartest people around. Like ben carson or neil degrasse tyson the famous astrologer astronomer.

Uh condoleezza rice. And you not be allowed entry. Because you're black. That's just unjust that's just unfair because you can't really do anything about that. So we think we don't like those kind of interest requirements.

You you understand interest requirements that are fair. That are just. They're, you know, you understand having to make to be a good basketball player to make the team. And you if you couldn't make it.

You know, it's your fault. You you don't have this talent or you didn't work out hard enough or you have to score high on the sats to make it. Into some college or do you have to show that you won't go on welfare to make it into the country?

Those make sense because they're.

Achievable.

They're what you can bring to the institution or to the country. Those make sense because you can you can do them with enough effort or at least they're fair. Uh, we like to think we can always earn our way in with enough work or talent.

Or maybe buy our way in. We like to think that we could have gotten in if we if we tried harder. We don't like to think that we can't that it's just impossible. It is beyond what we can do. That it'll take a miracle.

Entrance Requirements and Why the Kingdom Cannot Be Earned

What do you want in. How about to the kingdom of god to what we often call.

Inaccurately.

Heaven what's better called eternal life like we see in this passage here paradise god's family. Also here the kingdom of god. How are you going to get in? We see that in three parts here in this passage how you get in covenant.

You receive and you rely. On a miracle. Well, jesus here is on his long march to jerusalem. Starting in galilee in the north going south. Toward jerusalem. And this whole passage here occurs. On that march on that trip as he's heading to jerusalem.

He crosses the jordan river up in the north just south of the lake of galilee, you know, he runs runs north and south. He goes south to the lake to the area east of jericho. And crosses the jordan river again, which is the usual way of people from Galilee going to jerusalem and enters judea.

Heading west into jerusalem on the way crowds are gathering around him and he taught them. So a group of pharisees comes to says to test him. Now we're we've already been told in mark all the way back in chapter three verse six that these pharisees they're plotting to kill him.

And so we know that what they're asking these aren't sincere questions. Like they're just really debating fiala. They want to be taught. They're they're looking for an opportunity to catch him in something.

He says and some aren't guarded comment so they can accuse him. That the word test there is like an army patrol can be sent out to test the enemy lines. Where it's weak or where it's fortified a reconnaissance mission.

To try out the defenses now their trick question.

Is about divorce.

They must have known that jesus had very high standards strict requirements. Into the kingdom of god be perfect as your father in heaven is perfect. Maybe higher than the law of moses so if they can catch him contradicting the law They can accuse him of a blasphemy.

And so they ask in verse two. Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife? Now he responds by asking them what moses commanded in verse three. Interesting you notice the way put jesus put it. When he returns the question back on them.

He says what did moses command?

You.

Wait, why you? Why didn't he say what did moses command us? Himself part of those who are commanded. Why. Command you like the command. Like the command wasn't for him. It's like he's putting himself Above the law.

Like he's implying that He gave it. But the pharisees don't catch that and they just repeat the command back from deuteronomy chapter 24. Jesus's response comes in three parts. First there's the concession.

Second. There's the creation and third there's the culpability. And he says in verse five because of your hardness of heart. He wrote you this commandment. That's the that's the concession. Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you again this commandment.

Wait again, how does jesus know? The motivation behind the command. Because the same is about a motivation because of your hardness of heart. This is the motivation. How does he know that? He says the command if you want a divorce write a certificate give it to her and then you can send her away.

It was a he says it's a concession To their hard hearts. How can he possibly know that? Unless like before He's the actual lawgiver. He's saying yes, the command is there but it's there it's a concession to your hard heartedness because at heart.

You're self-centered. The command about a certificate of divorce is a concession. In other words is something granted To people who aren't able to do any better. If you can't do any better than this then getting divorced.

Okay, you do it this way to regulate and mitigate what was going to happen? No matter what they were going to get divorced because they had hard Selfish dead hearts they used marriage for themselves that confused what marriage was for.

How do you get into the kingdom of god? By a covenant. A covenant.

With god.

And if you're in a covenant with god, you should now be able to understand what marriage is supposed to be. Marriage is for marriage for all people. Whether believers or not marriage is for all people.

But divorce is a concession for people who are not in a new covenant. With the lord a covenant that gives a new living tender hearts. Marriage is a covenant and he says from creation in verse 6. Notice in verse 6.

Jesus started talking about creation. The way people were intended to be from when they were created. Before that sin twisted everything and gave people hard hearts. Creation shows that people were made male and female.

For the married and jesus here is teaching as a single man, but he can do that. Because they are created male and female. Then in verse 7 a man leaves his parents and clings to his wife. Jesus here shows that that the marriage relationship is the central relationship.

It is the center of the family. It's at the core. If a family is like a solar system. The marriage is the sun. Okay, so the marriage is the most important relationship. More important even than parent.

Child.

I don't think this prohibits the traditional chinese practice of married couples. Living with their parents or their in-laws. When I lived in singapore. My mother-in-law lived with us. But it does mean that the parents or the in-laws can't be allowed to interfere or undermine or overwhelm.

Because there's just so domineering. The marriage here. Jesus says that creation shows that in marriage we leave our parents and cling to our spouse. Maybe we don't have to leave physically actually distance ourselves from our parents, but we do have to leave.

Spiritually.

As a priority in our hearts and mentally where our time our money and our attention goes the marriage comes first. It comes first because It's a covenant. It's a covenant in which in verse 8 the two become one flesh.

Which is first literally I believe an allusion to sex. It shows why sex must be restricted to marriage because sex is from creation Intended to be what first literally and then spiritually makes a man and a woman one flesh.

Notice how jesus insists on the the one fleshness Of a married couple in verse 8. He first quotes the passage from genesis chapter 2 verse 24.

And then says so.

That's the original creation there from genesis chapter 2. So that is as a result of creation the implication for us now. By being married they are the man and the woman. No longer two but one flesh. God has designed it that way to join a man and a woman together.

Notice that verse 9 god does it. Right the the state Doesn't do it. The government doesn't do it. We don't do it. God does it. So the state can't redefine marriage. We can't redefine marriage. It's already defined.

Right god does it. God has joined a man and a woman together by marriage. Marriage was created to be his tool. To make them one. So don't you? Try to separate them. Now the stun the disciples. These are the disciples the pharisees.

We don't know how they responded. The disciples are just stunned and so they ask him more. I'll be at a later time beginning verse 10. Now. They're not testing Him they they really want to know more. And so jesus clarifies about the culpability.

Well, it was what happens in a divorce. Who is at fault? In verse 11, he says whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery.

Against her.

Which is interesting that last part isn't against her like she's the victim assuming it's the man here seeking the divorce and it would be Vice versa with the woman she gets divorced from him. He's she's committed adultery against him.

Notice first who's couple that is who is guilty in this a generation or so ago. But probably still many around today many christians taught that divorce in a divorce. Both both partners were guilty and neither could be married without guilt.

Which I guess would be the case if they both thought divorce at the same time. But that's not what jesus says. He's saying that in a divorce the one who takes the initiative. That is the one who is active to do the divorcing who is seeking the divorce.

In their case the man who writes the certificate of divorce and sends the wife away. Now technically in jewish law Only the man could divorce the woman. Although i'm sure in actual practice Any skillful woman could manipulate her way into getting the man to get the divorce if she really wanted to but whatever.

But technically only the man could divorce the woman so that's why the focus is on the man here. Now in our case the one who files for divorce that is the divorcer. The one who's legally seeking the divorce.

Usually the plaintiff in the divorce suit. The one who is somehow active to make the divorce happen. He or she according to jesus here is the perpetrator. He or she is guilty and if that one remarries He or she is guilty of adultery even adultery against.

The former spouse who is the victim the one who instigated the divorce the active one the perpetrator is guilty of adultery and adultery was a capital offense in old israel under The law and paul will later write in first corinthians chapter 6 That adulterers are excluded from the kingdom of god.

No adulterer will inherit the kingdom of god. They don't meet the insurance requirements. Now I hate talking about divorce. And i'm only doing it here. Because I have to it's in this passage we're preaching through it and I hate it because in actual practice is it's messy and it's complicated and um, it's difficult to say Direct blatant things about it.

And I think christians in the past were wrong. To say that every divorce person was guilty. Even the one who was trying to keep the marriage together and in the other would just wouldn't listen because someone can be.

Um the one who was served the divorce papers who is trying to stop the divorce. And the other spouse is just hard-hearted. Maybe immoral maybe just already living with another person and is the one the other person is seeking the divorce and in our system There's really nothing he or she can do to stop it.

You can try to contest it in court, but you're going to lose after a while such a person. I believe is not culpable. And can we marry because he or she didn't break the covenant the other one did. And marriage is a covenant it's not just a contract.

There's a restaurant on riverside drive. That I never go to anymore because they broke a contract with me a verbal contract, but that's a contract. About a decade ago. I ordered a steak medium rare and it came out.

Well done I showed it to the waitress asked for a new steak. And they took so long to bring the new one and the old well-done one was still lying there in front of me. So I took a few bites of it and then they tried to charge me for that, too.

No.

You broke the contract.

I ordered medium rare. That was the contract. The contract is you give me medium rare steak. I give you money. That's the way it works. Now. There were rabbis in jesus's time who taught that you could divorce for the same reason.

She burned the food. I ordered a medium rare and she brought me a well done cancelled. Well because they thought marriage was just like a contract. It's about functions. You perform you do these tasks.

I'll give you this back up for you. It's an exchange like business. It's just like many people today think. So if they're if they're not keeping their side of the bargain. They're giving me a well-known steak.

When I'm one of medium rare the contract is broken and i'm gonna go elsewhere. Made a china dragon get some chinese food there. But that's not what marriage is. It's a covenant. To be in a relationship.

It's not a contract just to perform certain functions. Like you might have with a contractor in your house, right? He comes in he's a contractor, but he doesn't perform the functions, right? You you fire him and you get another one.

You're not in a covenant with him. You're not in a relationship with him. But a covenant is about a relationship. That you enter into and it can only be broken if the other partner has already broken it.

It's abandoned the relationship. Broken the covenant and entered into a covenant with someone else. Now, how do you get into god's family by him making a covenant with you? Now if he does that he will never break it.

He will never abandon you. He will never be hard-hearted. He'll never get tired of you. Because you're not performing the functions, right? You're giving him well-done steaks. You're never meeting up to his standards now that he's.

He's faithful.

And he's tender-hearted. And he's committed to you. Can't you be in a covenant with someone else like that. How do you get into god's kingdom. By a covenant. Well in this way to jerusalem parents brought their kids to jesus to be blessed by him.

He's the famous rabbi and the disciples kind of his handlers like his entourage. They rebuked and they scolded them. They corrected them for their error. What they thought was the parents error. You know, don't you see that?

Jesus is a very important person. He doesn't have time to be distracted by your little kids. Get out of here. But when jesus saw that in verse 14, he was angry. The same story is told in although in matthew and luke.

But only here in mark does it tell us that jesus is angry. Usually the word translates as indignation. Like it's kind of fancy and sanctified sounding word. It just literally means he's angry. And jesus is has anger.

Um.

Because they violated His mission what he came to do. Jesus's indignation shows how deeply the disciples had violated jesus's mission. Jesus was angry because the disciples were excluding people for the wrong reason here because.

Because they're lowly. In the world's eyes, they're insignificant. They're unimportant. They have no power. They have no they can't give you money. They can't do anything for you. So he gives two commands let the children come to me.

Let them have jesus's time and attention then put another way. Do not hinder them. Don't put anything in their way to be near jesus. Now throughout church history many people have done mischievous things with this passage.

Like first assuming that we come to jesus through baptism and so we shouldn't prohibit small children even babies from being baptized. In fact, I bet I don't have any proof for it. But I just I just Almost willing to bet that way back like in the in the second century when infant baptism first started I bet it started when someone brought their baby to church said baptize my baby after all jesus said don't prevent the babies from being Coming to him being baptized.

Of course, we don't come to jesus through baptism. We get baptized. Because we've already come to jesus and this passage has absolutely nothing to do with baptism. What it's about is how you come into god's kingdom.

They thought some people have a right to be in at least they have kind of priority boarding to get through the door. They're the big shots. They're the somebody's. They get to be first in line. They get priority.

And jesus tells him in verse 14.

No.

To such.

Like these.

Children.

It belongs to the kingdom of god.

What are the children doing. That is how you get into the kingdom of god. They're showing us the children are showing us something about how to get into the kingdom of god. How what are they doing? Well, jesus says truly I say to you whoever does not receive The kingdom of god like a child shall not enter it.

Children Receive. They're not too proud simply to be given something. They're given their dinner. They're given their clothes. And he said be like a child.

And receive.

Not like an adult, you know, he's always got to pay his way. Just show that he can pay his way. Who won't receive a gift because he has to assert his? Self-sufficiency. To show that he or she you know, I i've earned it and I got to show that i've earned it.

If that's your attitude.

But you don't you don't need grace.

That you're you're noble enough. You're good enough. You've earned enough to get in. You deserve your way in you think? If that's your attitude You'll not get in.

You'll be.

Persona non grata. We enter god's kingdom by receiving entry like a child. And so jesus received the children. In verse 19, he takes them in his arms. And he blesses them. He's laying his hands on them and playing a blessing and playing and he's praying for them.

We cherish children from the womb to youth. Now today is sanctity of your life. Sunday. Remember the children who can be legally killed in this country as much as our self-righteous and selfish culture wants to deny it.

Follow the science some say the fact is the science shows that there is no objective. There's no biological reason to say that a child before birth is any less a person than a child after birth. That a child before birth should have fewer rights than a child after birth.

Say whether the child in the womb is depending on his mother. You know, there's at least two babies here, you know very well. These babies still depend on their parents for several years after they're born.

We live in a culture now that no matter what they say Radically devalues children. We've seen that in the pandemic children's education and once-in-a-lifetime experiences for for them. You know like sports or socializing or church even they have been sacrificed by adults.

Because of the adults fear of a virus. That we've known from the beginning rarely harms children. But we don't care because we this culture.

Doesn't care.

About children we can even kill them. Now imagine since jesus is angry with the disciples here. There's barring children. Imagine how angry he is with this country. For what we do to them. Well here jesus says do not hinder them including by Seems to me including by cutting them in pieces Or locking them down.

Value them bring them to jesus and like them. That is like the baby who all he or she can do.

Is receive.

Like them.

Receive.

The Childlike Reception of the Kingdom

How do you get into god's kingdom? Well, that's what a rich young man wanted to know. Other gospels tell us that he's a ruler too. So he's he's got a lot going for him doesn't. He's powerful. He's rich.

He's young. He's religious. He's probably good looking too. It doesn't say. But he seems to have everything going for him here. He meets jesus as jesus continues his long march to jerusalem. To give his life.

And he meets him one morning as just jesus is starting to set out for the day. He comes running to jesus. Kneeling on the ground now you normally wouldn't expect a rich ruler to come running. Right running is not really dignified and rulers are going to be dignified looking but he is he's running and then he's kneeling down.

But that's exactly what he does in verse 17 and we would think. But this man again, you know, he has everything going for him. He's a he's a big shot. He has lots of cash his whole life is ahead of him.

He's a good guy, too. He's not cocky or uppity. He's well mannered. He's humble here. We see he's respectful. He's earnest. He even believes in jesus at least to some extent he respects jesus. What's not to love about this guy?

Indeed verse 21 says that jesus loved him now we would think.

Surely he.

Is going to get into the kingdom of god. Remember, that's what he's asking for in verse 17 notice. By the way that the rich young ruler asks how he can inherit eternal life and jesus says later down in verses 23 and 24 That that the man was seeking to enter the kingdom of god and this shows us that inheriting eternal life Is the same thing as entering the kingdom of god that there are different ways of talking about the same experience.

To have eternal life is to enter god's kingdom and vice versa. Now surely of all people he meets the requirements doesn't he? He's running to jesus. He's kneeling on the ground. He's humble. He's asking he's not just testing.

He's sincerely asking good teacher. What must I do to inherit eternal life? Now jesus catches on the word good. Why do you call me good? Jesus isn't saying he's wrong to call him good. He's not implying that.

He's saying think about why are you calling me good? Only god is good. You're right to call me good. So what does that mean? Another one of those hints. About who he is. But back to the question. How do you inherit eternal life?

How do you get into god's kingdom this man really wants to know? Notice what jesus does. A couple of weeks ago a prominent evangelical pastor said that for 2022 on a new year's resolution. He said our new year's resolution should be that we not tell people should for this year.

You know like you should do this or you should not do that. Telling people should he said was the law. And we should ironically. We should be about the gospel. Now that's horrible advice. It's unbiblical and it shows that he doesn't fully understand the gospel in the first place.

Look what jesus does here, right? This man is coming to him. How am I get it into the kingdom of god? And jesus gives him the law. He tells him shoulds. In verse 19 you you know the commandments and jesus starts with the sixth commandment goes in order.

Uh, don't murder. Don't commit adultery. Don't steal. Don't bear false witness. Don't defraud kind of a combination of the last two lying in order to steal. And back to the fifth commandment honoring your parents.

Jesus is telling him the law. He's using the law what he should do to make him aware of his sin to see his need for grace. This is what in reform theology is called the first or the evangelical use of the law.

Evangelical means of the gospel. It's using the law to prepare the way for the gospel. The way the law prepares people for the gospel is by making them. See that they need the gospel, you know in james.

He says the law is like a mirror. You know, it shows us that our hair is messed up or whatever. We got something dirt on our face. The law shows us that about ourselves. You should do this it tells us you should be perfect, but you can't.

It's to wake people up to the fact that they don't have eternal life. That they fail the insurance requirements to make it into god's kingdom. And so they're they're not going to get in.

As they are.

Now this risk this rich young man is still not aware.

He's deluded.

By his religion his morality Teacher was a term of respect. Like I said, he's respectful. All these I've kept from my youth.

Really.

Really. He's really kept all the law.

So he really loves the lord with with all his heart and his mind and his strength He obeys all the lord's commands. Well, really. Let's see. Let's apply more of the law. More of god's insurance requirements.

More shoulds.

Until we see this apply enough until we see what's really in his heart. And jesus looked at him says he loved him. And so he tells them the truth.

You lack.

One thing.

Sell all that you have and give to the poor. And then you will have treasure in heaven. And come follow me. Those are the requirements everything but being rich. Having so many things here nice houses luxury cars the newest tech stuff.

And every day probably luxury clothes probably silk everything you could want being rich.

He couldn't let it go.

He was willing to keep some rules sure, but he wasn't willing to give everything. To follow jesus and so it goes away.

Sad.

Excluded.

From the kingdom. As he's slinking away frowning Jesus looks around at his disciples. Notice this interesting. There's like an eyewitness. This is why eyewitnesses talk. He remembers telling us this story.

Jesus looking at them. Jesus looks around his disciples and says how difficult it will be for those who have wealth To enter the kingdom of god. Now that they can't understand they just assume somebody has wealth.

God has blessed them and god has blessed them because he approves of them. So the wealth is proof That that god likes them loves them. He's going to accept them. Well, but he jesus says the rich can't buy their way in.