Mark 10:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And he left there and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan, and crowds gathered to him again. And again, as was his custom, he taught them.

NIV: Jesus then left that place and went into the region of Judea and across the Jordan. Again crowds of people came to him, and as was his custom, he taught them.

NASB: Setting out from there, Jesus *went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan; crowds *gathered to Him again, and, as He was accustomed, He once more began to teach them.

CSB: He set out from there and went to the region of Judea and across the Jordan. Then crowds converged on him again, and as was his custom he taught them again.

NLT: Then Jesus left Capernaum and went down to the region of Judea and into the area east of the Jordan River. Once again crowds gathered around him, and as usual he was teaching them.

KJV: And he arose from thence, and cometh into the coasts of Judaea by the farther side of Jordan: and the people resort unto him again; and, as he was wont, he taught them again.

NKJV: Then He arose from there and came to the region of Judea by the other side of the Jordan. And multitudes gathered to Him again, and as He was accustomed, He taught them again.

In Galilee, Jesus had suspended His public ministry. He had taught there extensively, but the Pharisees' hard hearts reached a tipping point (Mark 8:11–13), and Jesus chose to concentrate on teaching His disciples, instead. When Jesus left Galilee, He resumed teaching the people in Judea and Perea who hadn't heard Him before. John 7—11 and Luke 9:57—18:14 cover this timeframe in much more detail. Jesus and the disciples went down to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles (John 7:2) where the Pharisees and chief priests tried to arrest Him (John 7:32–52), twice (John 10:22–39). He went to Bethany at least twice, once to teach (Luke 10:38–42) and once to raise Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1–16). Now He is east, across the Jordan River from Jerusalem, in Perea.

Jesus and the disciples had been in Capernaum, a fishing village on the northwest coast of the Sea of Galilee. The region of Galilee is a smallish district north of Samaria that cradles the western shore of the sea. Galilee is ruled by Herod Antipas, whom Mark simply refers to as "Herod." Antipas also rules the territory "beyond the Jordan," or Perea. Perea is a larger, oblong-shaped district along the east side of the Jordan River from about one-fourth of the way south of the Sea of Galilee to half-way down the coast of the Dead Sea. It is bordered on the northwest by Samaria, on the northeast by Decapolis, and on the southeast by Nabatea. It was in Perea that John the Baptist preached, baptized, and confronted Antipas (John 1:28; 10:40).

Herod Antipas was originally married to a princess of Nabatea. When he dismissed her so he could marry his brother's wife Herodias, the king of Nabatea became a very real international threat. John the Baptist then preached against Antipas' new marriage, and became a domestic threat. Herodias and her daughter manipulated Antipas into killing John (Mark 6:14–29). Antipas knew of Jesus and thought He had taken John's mission, but didn't appear threatened, perhaps because Jesus' personal attacks against Antipas were milder (Luke 13:31–32). Although Antipas purportedly wanted to kill Jesus, when they finally met, he was first more curious, and then contemptuous when Jesus wouldn't perform any tricks (Luke 23:6–11). He didn't try to save Jesus from being killed, but he didn't appear to do anything to convict Him, either.

Mark 10:1–12 carries profound implications for marriage and sexuality. In Jesus' time, a man could divorce his wife for the slightest offense. Jesus' asserts people have corrupted God's definition for marriage: that one man and one woman become unified by a covenant made before God. Jesus then says that if a man can't handle that kind of lifelong commitment, he shouldn't get married (Matthew 19:10–12). As usual, God's law protects the powerless: in this case, women. Today, Jesus' words do the same, rebuking those who choose to harden their hearts against their spouse for selfish reasons. An expanded version of this account is in Matthew 19:1–12, and Luke 16:18 contains a portion of it, as well.

In this passage, Jesus again confronts the Pharisees by clarifying God's views on marriage and divorce. He reminds the disciples not to dismiss the spiritual perspective of children. This chapter also records Jesus' encounter with the rich young ruler, who becomes an object lesson in why wealth makes it hard for people to rely on God. After this, Jesus deftly sets aside an arrogant request from James and John, and again predicts His impending death. Just prior to the triumphal entry of chapter 11, Jesus is sought out by Bartimaeus, whom He heals of blindness.

In between chapters 9 and 10, Jesus resumes His public teaching as He travels to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles (Luke 9:57—18:14; John 7—10). We meet Him here across the Jordan in Perea and follow as He makes His way west again to Jericho. This chapter surrounds a third prophecy of Jesus' death (Mark 10:32–34) with lessons on His value for those others often dismiss: women (Mark 10:1–12), the powerless (Mark 10:13–16), those who value God more than the world (Mark 10:17–31), servant-hearted leaders (Mark 10:35–45), and those with bold faith (Mark 10:46–52). Next is the triumphal entry and the beginning of Passion Week.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.