Thru the Bible

Steve Swets: The great untold story of divorce is how much it hurts everyone. Welcome to Through the Bible. We're about to study a passage of scripture that includes what Jesus said about marriage and divorce. As always, we're going to find that he's a compassionate and kind shepherd. In fact, his kindness is a magnet to children. They can't help but be drawn to him. Even when his disciples tried to keep them away, Jesus welcomed them with open arms and probably a warm smile, too. We'll learn about it in just a few minutes as the Bible bus travels through Mark chapter 10.

Now, although Dr. McGee studied psychology before God called him into ministry, he didn't spend his time giving advice or providing marriage counseling. Instead, he pointed people to the transforming power of God's word. Here's how he explained it.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: Well, believe me, friends, we are no authority on marriage. We would do not use the psychological approach at all. We merely teach the Bible, and we found out that the word of God has the answers to the problems of life today.

Steve Swets: Let's commit this time to the Lord. Father, we pray for those whose lives are broken by the threat of divorce. Please intervene in their lives. Bring reconciliation and healing. Bring hope to relationships that right now look hopeless. Thank you for quiet miracles, Lord, that your spirit is performing even now. We ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Open to Mark 10 as we go through the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McGee.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: Now, you've noticed that all of these chapters in Mark are just chuck full of action. And this 10th chapter is no exception. In fact, there is no exception to it anywhere. And we have in this chapter Jesus speaking on marriage and divorce. We have first a brief on marriage and divorce. And that's the first 12 verses. And then the blessing of the little children verses 13 through 16. Then the bewilderment of the rich young ruler verses 17 through 22. And then the beneficiaries of this world's wealth and their responsibility. That's verses 23 to 31. And then beholding again the death and resurrection of Jesus 32 and 34.

And then the brothers James and John and their unbrotherly desire verses 35 to 45. And then we have blind Bartimaeus. And he receives his sight. Now, here in this first verse, and I'll begin reading here. And he arose from fence and cometh into the coast of Judea. And you'll notice that there is a movement in Mark here. In fact of the matter is the geography here in Mark is quite interesting. Back in verse 30 of chapter 9, the last chapter, it says they departed fence, passed through Galilee, and he would not that any man should know it.

He's making his final departure from there. And he certainly didn't want a big send off because that's not what our Lord was after at all. Now, he comes into the coast of Judea by the father side of Jordan, which means on the east side. And that was in that area that we call the Capalis where the 10 cities were. And here we have by the father side of Jordan. And the people resort under him again. And as he was wont, he taught them again. He's now making his final ascent to Jerusalem. Now, the enemies there, the bloodhounds of hate are on his trail.

And the Pharisees came to him and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife tempting him? Now, we need to understand that they have not asked this question because they want an answer. They're asking him the question in order to trap him. And they had their own viewpoint concerning marriage and divorce. And we see here that it's a trick question. Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? Well, that's a trick question. Don't you see if he said it was not lawful to then he would contradict Moses.

This question was a live one at this time because Herod had put away his wife and married his brother Philip's wife. And John the Baptist had been beheaded because he'd spoken out against it. Now, if Jesus said no to their question, it would not only make him contradict Moses, would bring him into conflict with Herod. And the death of Jesus was not to be determined on this issue. That's very important to see. Now, on the other hand, if he said yes to their question, then they could accuse him. You see it being lax in his teaching here.

And now will you notice his method. It always was his method, and it was a good one. He answered and said of them What did Moses command you? He always countered with a question. And they said Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement and to put her away. And he knew they would have to say that. Now, back in Deuteronomy 24 1 and 2 that was the mosaic law when a man has taken a wife and married her. And it come to pass that she find no favor in his eyes because he had found some uncleanness in her.

Then let him write her a bill of divorcement, give it in her hand, and send her out of his house. And when she's departed out of his house, she may go and be another man's wife. Now, Moses permitted divorce here as you can see. And it would seem on the flimsiest sort of an excuse. Now, actually it was not Moses' intention, nor was it God's intention that for just some little pick a excuse that a man or woman could get a divorce. Why actually in time they began to interpret this so that if the wife burnt the biscuits, that would be an excuse.

Now, our Lord goes back to that which is fundamental. And this is important to see. You're going to see he turns it from a discussion of divorce to marriage. And today that is the area in which I think that we ought to talk more than divorce. I have so many questions. People say, well, what about this? Is this a reason for a divorce? Well, I have very few people that ever come and say, well, what is the reason for marriage? When they get ready to get married, they never talk to the preacher. They come and tell him they want to get married.

They're not interested in finding out whether he'd approve it or not. The question is will he marry them. That's all they're concerned about. Now, the important thing here is to see that he's going to discuss marriage with them. And notice how our Lord handles it. He gives the reason for the permission of divorce. It was because of sin that God granted divorce under any circumstance. For the hardness of your heart, he wrote you this precept. But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. And for this cause, shall a man leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife.

And they twain shall be one flesh. So then there are no more twain but one flesh. Now, I've read from verse 6 down through verse 8. Now, he goes on and says, what therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. Now, what he's saying here is that he takes them back to God's ideal at the creation before sin even entered the world. And divorce was not in his plan and program at that time. He had something better for man. It may likewise, I think, be said that murder was not in his plan either.

But murderers have been forgiven. And divorce is a sin. But divorced people can be forgiven. And divorced people can be remarried, friends, under I think certain circumstances. That is from a scriptural viewpoint. I don't know why we would forgive a murderer, but we don't always forgive a divorced person. We feel like they've almost committed the unpardonable sin. Now, people who are saved after securing a divorce ought not to bear the stigma anymore than any other sinner who's been saved. And that would mean you and me. We are sinners, and we've been saved. And that just happens to be their sin.

Now, what he's saying here in this section is marriage is a stronger tie than that of parent and a child. A child may be disowned, and marriage may be broken by unfaithfulness. Now, this discourse you see relates more to marriage than it does to divorce. Jesus is showing here that marriage is something that God makes. God joins a couple together. This was the original intention of the creator. And any violation of this is sin. But it's not the unpardonable sin, I can assure you. And I'd like to put it like this. You hear so much today about certain percentage right here in Southern California.

We're told that way over 50%. And I've heard it as high as 80% of those that get married, they're divorced. Or the divorces are in that ratio to marriages. Now, the question is not this that it's wrong to get a divorce. The question is it's wrong to get married. It looks like to me we're working on this thing from the wrong angle. It's like locking a stable after the horse is gone. And there are people getting married that ought not to get married. That is the problem. And the sin is in getting married. The sin is not in getting the divorce for a great many of them.

So it ought to make you think twice, my friend, before you get married because it's something that God wants to arrange for you if you'll let him. And that of course is for the Christian. Now, he says and in the house his disciples asking again of the same matter, he saith under them, whosoever shall put away his wife and marry another committeth adultery against her. And if a woman shall put away her husband and be married to another, she committeth adultery. And this is the strongest statement against divorce that's found in the scripture. The question is how is it to be interpreted?

And all the scriptures on divorce should be brought together and considered before a proper induction can be made. And the parallel passage in Matthew lists fornication as the one basis for divorce. Now, why did Mark omit it? Mark was writing to the Romans who did not know the mosaic law while Matthew was writing for Israel who had and knew the mosaic law of divorce. And therefore it has to be considered in that light. And I'm sure you don't want to use Romans 7 2 because that hasn't anything in the world to do with divorce today.

That had to do with that which was under the mosaic system. And when a woman had an unfaithful husband under the mosaic system, he was stoned to death. And she didn't have a living husband. Now, today they don't stone them to death. If they did, we'd have rock piles all over Southern California. In fact, you wouldn't be able to get out on the freeways. Now, will you notice here we come where he blesses little children. And we had this same thing in the Gospel of Matthew that right along with the question of divorce, he blesses little children.

It seems to me that the gospel writers are trying to tell us something or the spirit of God is. And that is that the little children that suffer in a divorce. It's amazing the number of young people who get in trouble today come from broken homes. That's no accident by any means. That's the way that it works out. And our Lord here, they brought young children to him that he should touch them. And his disciples rebuked those that brought them. When Jesus saw it, he was much displeased. He said under them, suffer the little children to come under me.

Forbid them not for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. I think probably we ought to pause there just a moment make this comment. Today we're always trying to get children to become adults. We say now we'll wait a little while he grows up, and then he will make a decision for Christ. Our Lord says I wish some of the adults would become little children. We hear so much today about going on and growing and developing.

And actually that 's great after you become a child of God. But actually most of us are going the wrong way. We need to leave our cleverness and our sophistication and our great knowledge that we boast of today and return to the simplicity of childhood. And just with simple faith, trust Christ. Now, will you notice he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them. And when our Lord did that, and he never did take anybody else up in his arms like that, friends, he took the little children because they are the ones he'll receive.

And when they die in infancy, they go to him or die before the age of accountability. We have here the account of the rich young ruler. I've talked about him before in Matthew. I'll spend a great deal of time with him when we get the loop. And when I say a great deal of time, there's certain places where we put emphases in the Gospels. And we will not put the emphasis here. I will call attention, however, to certain things as we move along. And when he was gone forth, I am reading now verse 17. And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running and kneeled to him and asked him Good master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?

Now, there's several things probably we should say. In this day of crass materialism this incident of the rich young ruler and the teaching of our Lord on riches are certainly very applicable. Matthew tells us that the ruler was young. And this was a normal question for a man under law to ask. And what our Lord is doing here, he says what must I do to inherit eternal life? Now, he's living under the mosaic law, the mosaic system. And notice. And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is God.

Now, he's trying to get the young man to think. Why would he call Jesus good? There's only one good. That 's God. Then why did he call Jesus good? When I notice he says, thou knowest the commandments. Do not commit adultery. Do not kill. Do not steal. Do not bear false witness. Defraud not. Honor thy father and thy mother. And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. Now, will you notice that the commandments that our Lord flashed on this young man was the second section of the 10 commandments.

You know the commandments are labeled pious. And those are the first commandments that have to do with a man's relationship to God. And then the probatus. And they have to do with the man's relationship to man. Now, our Lord did not speak of the man's relationship to God. He spoke of his relationship to man. And he could meet the standard of the second section. You see he said all these have I kept. But what was the problem the young man had? He answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.

And in verse 21 Jesus beholding him loved him. Said unto him, one thing thou lackest. And what was that? Well, it's a relationship to God. How would he come by that? Well, the thing that was hindering him was his riches. And he's called Jesus good. And if he'll follow him, he'll find out that the reason Jesus is good is because he's God. And notice this. He says, go thy way sell whatsoever thou hast, give to the poor, and thou shall have treasure in heaven. And come, take up thy cross and follow me. Now, if he'd follow the Lord Jesus, where would it lead him?

Well, at this time the Lord Jesus is on the way to die for the sins of this man. And this young man was sad at that saying, went away grieved for he had great possessions. This I think has a great message here. Paul says that the love of money is the root of all evil. He was merely repeating what our Lord said in this discourse. You know money will buy anything except the most valuable thing. And that's eternal life. That's a gift. And this discourse reveals the impossibility of a rich man to enter into heaven by means of riches.

It's impossible for any man to enter heaven by his own means. And you can see here notice what our Lord says. Jesus looked round about and said under his disciples, how hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God. And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answered him and saith under them, children, how hard it is for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God. It's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

Well, a camel can go through the eye of a needle. That's humanly impossible or it's camel impossible. But for God all things are possible. The man can't do it. Only the Lord Jesus can. The idea today is if we have the money, we can do it. Someone has put it like this. Money will buy a bed. It will not buy sleep. It will buy food, but it will not buy an appetite. Money will buy medicine, but it will not buy health. Money will buy a house, but it will not buy a home. Money will buy a diamond, but it will not buy love.

Money will buy a church pew, but it will not buy salvation. And therefore this man had to find out by getting rid of that which stood between him and God. And if he followed the Lord Jesus, he'd found out the reason he's good is because he's God. Now, he gives that warning here against the riches. Now, we come to verse 32. We find that he's speaking of his death and resurrection. You see he's moving now toward Jerusalem. They were in the way going up to Jerusalem. And Jesus went before them. And they were amazed. And as they followed, they were afraid.

He took again the 12 and began to tell them what things should happen under him. Saying, behold, we go up to Jerusalem. The son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priest and under the scribes. And they shall condemn him to death and shall deliver him to the Gentiles. And they shall mock him and shall scourge him and shall spit upon him and shall kill him. And the third day he shall rise again. Here again he's telling them he's going to Jerusalem to die. And then you have this thing here. James and John again come.

The sons of Zebedee saying, Master, we would that thou shouldst do for us whatsoever we shall desire. Now, we've had this before in Matthew. The mother, you remember, came and asked. And our Lord said, are you able to be baptized with the baptism I'm baptized with? And they said unto him, we can. Jesus said unto them, you shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of. And with baptism that I'm baptized with all, so ye be baptized. We know James was made a martyr. And John was put on the Isle of Patmos. It's not believed he was a martyr.

That is that he was executed. He might have been. Now, notice he says in verse 40, but to sit on my right hand, on my left hand is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it's prepared. Now, I went into a great deal of detail in Matthew on that. What he's saying is this. He didn't say that there's not a place on his right hand and left hand, but he said he didn't give it just arbitrarily to anyone he wanted to give it to. But those that will receive it are preparing themselves for the place.

Friends, heaven you get for nothing. Your place in heaven, you work for it. Salvation is free, but you have to work for a reward. If you are going to be rewarded of him, you won't get it by twiddling your thumbs or ringing your hands or sitting in a corner in a rocking chair. You'll have to work to receive that. Now, we come to his final statement here. And this is the key of the Gospel verse 45. For even the son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many.

That's the great thought here. Now, you have here blind Bartimaeus again. And we'll have that in loop. And I'll be dealing with it there. I do want to say that there is a teacher in a certain seminary that says that he can't believe in the inerrancy of scripture because he can't reconcile the accounts of the Lord Jesus entering Jericho with blind Bartimaeus, one blind man and two blind men. Well, may I say to you that all I can say when anyone takes these accounts and tears them apart like that, I feel like we got a third blind man.

And that's the man that's trying to figure it out. And I don't have time to go into it today. I may take a few moments next time, but we're coming to it again. There just happens to be two blind man. And Mark is emphasizing the one for a very definite purpose. We'll pick right up there next time and until then may God richly bless you, my beloved.

Steve Swets: Well, we've certainly covered a lot of ground, haven't we? Jesus talked about marriage and divorce, children, riches, his own death and resurrection, and even touched old blind Bartimaeus. You know Dr. McGee was right. This book is full of action. And we got a lot more coming in our next few studies. To get the most out of this time in God's word, be sure to get our app or visit ttb.org and download our Bible companion for Mark. It's really a great resource for recapping what we're learning together or for sharing this study with a small group with links to the Bible passage included in each section and then discussion questions to help you go deeper.

You can take some time to work through it all at your own pace. Now, another really good resource to help you grow in God's word is our digital booklet download The Most Important Question Who is Jesus? No matter how long you've been walking with the Lord, Dr. McGee's teaching from Matthew 16 where Jesus asks his disciples who he is is sure to encourage and inspire you. And then while you're at ttb.org, be sure to sign up for our This Week on the Bible bus. It's a weekly email, and you're going to in it receive descriptions and advanced links to listen ahead to each day's study.

Gives you a great road map for the week ahead. Again, these resources are available anytime in our app or at ttb.org. And you can always call us at 1 800 65 Bible if we can help you find something. That's 1 800 65 Bible. Now, as we go, I want to remind you that we love hearing what God is teaching you as we travel through his word together. Is there a particular verse or chapter that's been meaningful to you? Has he challenged or changed your thinking on something that's important? We want to know. Send us a quick note.

You can email us at Bible bus at ttb.org. Write to us at box 7 100 Pasadena, California 9 1 1 0 9. Or in Canada box 2 5 3 2 5 London, Ontario N6C 6B1. Or call and leave a message at 1 800 65 Bible. Now, next time we're going to learn about Jesus cursing the fig tree. What's that all about? Well, find out as the Bible bus continues to roll through the entire word of God. I'm Steve Swets, and I'll meet you back here next time. We're grateful for our committed listening family who faithfully pray and invest in Through the Bible as we together take the whole word to the whole world.