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The Gospel of Mark Chapter 10:1-52 Third Prediction of His Death and Resurrection 32 - 34 10.32. They were on the way, going up to Jerusalem. Jesus was going ahead of them, and they were amazed, but those who followed were afraid. He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them what was going to happen to him. The Lord commences His last journey up to Jerusalem. Our verse says "they were on the way" although this would seem to be insignificant when we apply it to Jesus only it reveals to us that in setting His face to go up to Jerusalem (Luke 9: 51) He was in fact walking the way that was in accordance with His Father's will and by so doing He would become "the way" of salvation. Jesus as the "good shepherd" was leading his disciples and they obediently followed him. We are told that they were amazed or more correctly bewildered and greatly astonished by the fact that He seemed to be heading for Jerusalem when He knew that the religious leaders were plotting to kill Him. It was like walking straight into the lion's den. They were greatly alarmed and afraid of the consequences of such action. This could not have been because they had remembered the Lord's two other predictions of what was going to happen to Him because they had failed to understand those and there would have been no need for Jesus to remind them again of it. Therefore they must have felt some vague sense of foreboding. Jesus knowing what they were feeling like takes them aside again and in more detail tells them what is going to happen. 10.33. "Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and experts in the law. They will condemn him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles. “We are going up to Jerusalem�; there is a determination in these words. As far as the Lord was concerned there was no other way but that which lay ahead, no matter what the cost His Father's will must be done. This is the path that He leads all His disciples to follow and with the same determination that He had. We cannot do this in our on strength but "we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us" (Phil. 4: 13). He would be delivered up to the chief priest and the Sanhedrin and they would find Him guilty and condemn Him to death and hand Him over to the Romans (Math. 26: 57, 65 - 66).
10.34. They will mock him, spit on him, flog him severely, and kill him. Yet after three days, he will rise again." They would spit in His face and mock Him (Math. 26: 67 - 68). Afterwards they would hand Him over to their bitterest enemy the Romans, who would further mock and spit upon Him then scourge and put Him to death (Math. 27: 26 - 31). In all this they could not triumph over Him for on the third day He would rise from the dead a victor over all His foes (Mark 16: 6).
To be Great is to be a Servant 35 - 45 10.35. Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him and said, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask." In Matthew 20: 20 we are told that it was James and John's mother who came with her sons and made the request to Jesus on their behalf. She wanted the best for her sons and they had an ambition to get on in the world. Concerning our going on with the Lord and growing in grace it is better to have a desire than an ambition for the word ambition has the ring of the things of the world about it and conjures up all the dishonest things that have been done by those who have great ambitions. John and James came with an ambition rather than a spiritual desire. However, they came in faith as their request shows for they had no doubt that Jesus was able to grant them whatever they asked of Him; in this we can take a lesson from them. They approached Him as one would a king who had promised to grant the desires of the heart and they expected to receive a blank cheque! 10.36. He said to them, "What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus responded by given them an open invitation to tell him what it is they wanted. By leaving it to them it would be revealed how deep or shallow their spirituality was. If the Lord should give us an invitation to ask of Him whatsoever we want, what would we ask for? (See 1 Kings 3: 5 - 13 for Solomon as an example.) 10.37. They said to him, "Permit one of us to sit at your right hand and the other at your left in your glory." In their request we see the selfish ambition of these brothers. They believed that Jesus was about to set up the Kingdom of God on earth and therefore wanted to secure positions of honour and authority for themselves. Their selfish ambition blinded their hearts to the truth that Jesus had just told them that He was about to suffer. They did not stop to consider or sympathise with Him. 10.38. But Jesus said to them, "You don't know what you are asking! Are you able to drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I experience?" Jesus realized that they had gotten hold of the wrong end of the stick and thus gently rebukes and sobers them down by challenging them. The word cup in the Old Testament is a symbol for suffering as well as for joy (Isaiah 51: 17 compare with Psalm 23: 5). The Lord refers to it as the cup of suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22: 42). Baptism again in the Old Testament is a picture of one undergoing the wrath of God (Psalm 69: 15). Jesus asked these disciples if they were able and
if they were prepared to suffer for Him as He was about to suffer for them and to give their lives in service for Him. 10.39. They said to him, "We are able." Then Jesus said to them, "You will drink the cup I drink, and you will be baptized with the baptism I experience, Whether they clearly understood what He was saying to them we do not know but their answer was very bold "we are able." They could never have imagined what this would mean but the Lord knew what would lie ahead of them and what it would indeed cost them to be followers of Him. They would drink of the cup and be baptised with the same baptism as He. James was killed by the sword (Acts 12: 2) and John was exiled on Patmos (Rev. 1: 9). 10.40. but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give. It is for those for whom it has been prepared." Nevertheless, to grant their request to sit on His left or right was not even for Christ to give at His will but only at the Father's will. It will be given to those whom it is prepared for. When Jesus was crucified, which was for the glory of God, it was two thieves that were on either side of Him. 10.41. Now when the other ten heard this, they became angry with James and John. The other ten disciples in turn displayed their spiritual shallowness by their anger at these two who had stolen a march on them. 10.42. Jesus called them and said to them, "You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions use their authority over them. Jesus uses the incident to emphasis again the new principles that would be in the Spiritual Kingdom. In the present set up of the world those who rule over the nations do so with a rod of iron and have absolute power over the people and hold them in complete subjection. 10.43 - 44. But it is not this way among you. Instead whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of all. This is not to be so among the followers of Christ it is to be completely the opposite. It is those who will become the servant of all will be the greatest and who will be a slave to others that will be the first in rank and importance. 10.45. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." For even Christ did not come to enjoy the service of others but He took the servant's position (Phil. 2: 7) and to pay the ransom price to redeem men back to God (1 Pet. 1: 18 - 19). What does this say to us?
Blind Bartimaeus - Persistency 46 - 52 The chapter ends with this example of persistency of never giving up no matter what the opposition may be.
10.46. They came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus the son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the road. This man was blind and therefore he was at a disadvantage to the people who crowded around Jesus. His name is simply recorded as son of Timaeus and would have been well known in Jericho. 10.47. When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to shout, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" He did however have good hearing and a strong voice and as soon as he knew Jesus was about he made the most of them both. He immediately put aside the name that men had given to Jesus for He recognised that He was the promised Messiah by calling Him "Son of David" (Jer. 33: 17). He pleads for mercy because he realises that He had no rightful claims, he could not demand his healing. 10.48. Many scolded him to get him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" He was not put off by the aggressive attitude of the people toward him but he cried out all the more because of it. 10.49. Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called the blind man and said to him, "Have courage! Get up! He is calling you." The people had no time for Bartimaeus but Jesus did and He stopped and called him to come to Him. When the people saw the compassion and concern that the Lord had for this man their attitude towards him changed. Jesus in the midst makes all the difference to people's behaviour. 10.50. He threw off his cloak, jumped up, and came to Jesus. The man immediately responses throws off all that may hinder him in coming to Jesus away with doubt, unbelief, pride etc.? 10.51. Then Jesus said to him, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man replied, "Rabbi, let me see again." The Lord knew what the man wanted but He desires that he should ask for it. He wastes no time and this time addressing Jesus as Rabbi (teacher), asks for his sight. So Jesus tells us to come and ask Him (Luke 11: 9). 10.52. Jesus said to him, "Go, your faith has healed you." Immediately he regained79 his sight and followed him on the road. Because this man asked and believed he was completely and immediately healed and became a follower of Jesus. © Derek Williams 2013 Bible Studies Online UK www.biblestudiesonline.org.uk You may copy, print or distribute our studies freely in any form, just so long as you make no charges. Sign up today for our FREE monthly Bible study magazine “Living Word” Scriptures taken from the NET Bible www.bible.org