Bible Commentaries

Mark 10:1. καὶ ἐκεῖθεν ἀναστὰς, and having arisen from thence) The antithesis is not so much to Capernaum, where He had taught sitting, ch. Mark 9:33; Mark 9:35, as to Galilee, Mark 9:30.— διὰ τοῦ) See App. Crit. Ed. ii. on this passage.¹⁰— ὡς εἰώθει, as He had been wont) The habitual acts of Jesus are well worthy of observation: Luke 4:16.

Mark 10:5. ἔγραψεν, wrote) viz. Moses, the writer of the Pentateuch: ch. Mark 12:19.

Mark 10:6. ἀρχῇς κτίσεως, from the beginning of creation) Therefore there was not any creation anterior to the creation described in the beginning of Genesis.

[9. ὁ θεὸς— ἄνθρωπος, God—man) Whatsoever God doeth and ordaineth, it is man’s part to regard as an established principle. It is an impiety to accept as authoritative what God rejects; or to approve of what God censures.—V. g.]

[10. πάλιν, again) The Saviour had given the reply which follows to the Pharisees, Matthew 19:9; but the disciples, by repeating the question, called forth a repetition of the same reply.—V. g.]

Mark 10:11. ἐπʼ αὐτὴν, against her).

Mark 10:13. ἅψηται, should touch) A modest request.

Mark 10:14. ἠγανάκτησε, was much displeased) on account of the obstruction thrown in the way of His love by the disciples.— τοιούτων ἐστὶν, of such is) Of such as these, it is [to such belongs] the privilege to receive the kingdom of God, Mark 10:15.

Mark 10:15. ὃς ἐὰν, whosoever) This He did to mark His disapproval of that very feeling, by which the disciples were moved to put away the infants from Him.— δέξηται, shall receive) for it is offered [to all].— ὡς παίδιον, as a little child) receives: for it receives the kingdom in very deed.

Mark 10:16. καὶ, and) He did more than He was asked, Mark 10:13. [ εὐλόγει αὐτὰ, He blessed them) By that very act conferring on them the blessings, which He afforded to adults by the mediation of the word.—V. g.]

Mark 10:17. ἐκπορευομένου αὐτοῦ, as He was going forth) from the house, Mark 10:10.— προσδραμὼν) The Vulg. has procurrens, as if it had the reading προδραμὼν.¹¹ This man was at all events impelled by a remarkable degree of earnestness. He seems to have been eagerly waiting for the Saviour’s coming. [Sadden impulses of this kind oftentimes by and by grow languid.—V. g.]— γονυπετήσας, falling at His knees) He must therefore have felt great ardour.— ποιήσω, shall I do) Those who are in spirit little children, receive not the kingdom of heaven by doing: Mark 10:15.

Mark 10:18. εἶπεν, He said) The Lord replies, I. To the remarkable title which the young man had addressed to Him: II. To the question which he proposed.— τί ΄ε λέγεις ἀγαθὸν; why callest thou Me good?) There were many things in Jesus, viewing Him merely externally, by reason of which the ignorant would not form the best opinion concerning Him: John 1:47; Matthew 11:6; Matthew 11:19; Isaiah 53:2, etc. Moreover also He did not rest on Himself, but ever referred Himself wholly to the Father. He acted the part of a traveller and a pilgrim in the world; and in that condition, in which the Psalms describe Him as wretched and needy, He was ever aiming towards the eternal good and the eternal joy, concerning which this youth was enquiring. Psalms 16:2; Psalms 16:5, etc.: My goodness [extendeth not to thee, Engl. V.] is not independent of thee. Comp. John 14:28; John 17:5; Hebrews 5:8-9; Hebrews 9:12. He did not “know Himself according to the flesh;” as Augustine preaches [distinctly states], l. i. de Doctr. Christ., c. 34. For good, ἀγαθὸς, properly applies to one blessed.¹² The young man was seeking with [by application to] Jesus happiness, in a too pure [unalloyed] sense. Jesus informs Him that ne will not find this with Him: Comp. Luke 9:57, etc. Nevertheless He does not say, I am not good; but, Why dost thou call Me good? Just as in Matthew 22:43, He does not deny, that He, the Son of David, is at one and the same time also the Lord of David. God is good: there is no goodness without Godhead. The young man perceived in Jesus the presence of goodness in some degree otherwise he would not have applied to Him: but he did not perceive it in its full extent; otherwise he would not have gone back from Him. Much less did he perceive [recognise] His Godhead. Wherefore Jesus does not accept from Him the title of goodness without the title of Godhead (Comp. the “Why call ye me, Lord, Lord,” Luke 6:46): and thereby vindicates the honour of the Father, with whom He is one. See John 5:19. At the same time [He darts causes to enter] a ray of His omniscience into the heart of this young man, and shows that the young man has not as yet the knowledge concerning Himself, Jesus Christ, worthy of so exalted a title, which otherwise is altogether appropriate to Him. Wherefore He does not say, There is none good save one, that is, My Father; but, There is none good save one, that is, God. Often our Lord proportioned [qualified] His words to the capacity of those who questioned Him, John 4:22. So a warlike commander, of noble birth, might answer to a person, who Knew not his noble birth, though knowing the fact of his a being commander, Why do you call me, a gracious lord? Jesus manifested His goodness to the disciples, Luke 10:23; Romans 14:16.

Mark 10:19. οἶδας, thou knowest) Why dost thou ask, What shall I do?— μὴ ἀποστερήσῃς, defraud not) by covetousness, Exodus 20:17.¹³ The same verb occurs, 1 Corinthians 6:8 : see note.

Mark 10:20. διδάσκαλε, Master) The young man now repeats the noun [title of address] without the epithet [good]. And yet Jesus loves him.

Mark 10:21. ἐμβλέψας αὐτῷ ἠγάπησεν αὐτὸν, looking earnestly on him, loved him) He expressed love with the earnest look, and as it were smiling expression, of His eyes.—A ἕν διὰ δυοῖν, He lovingly beheld,¹⁴ in order that He might thereby give him a token of His love for the time to come, if he would follow Jesus: and that He might counteract his ‘sadness.’ The antithetic word is στυγνάσας, with saddened look [countenance], Mark 10:22. It is for this reason mention is made in Christ’s life of tears, rather than of laughter, because He had come to bear our sins. Yet benignity and joy sometimes shone forth from His countenance, as was the case in this passage, with the view of alluring the youth, who now was standing on the threshold of following Christ. Comp. Mark 10:16; Luke 10:20-24; Luke 12:32. A similar use of this verb occurs in Psalms 78:36, ἠγάπησαν αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ στόματι ἀυτῶν and 2 Chronicles 18:2, ἠγάπα αὐτὸν τοῦ συναναβῆναι: so also the use of the verb ἐλεεῖν ( οὒς δὲ ἐλεᾶτε [ ἐλεεῖτε] ἐν φόβῳ), Jude 1:22.— ἓν, one thing) In antithesis to ταῦτα πάντα, all these, Mark 10:20. [The faithful Master wished to render the business (his obtaining eternal life) more easy and delightful to the man.—V. g.] This one thing is a heart freed from the [idolatry of] creatures: the selling of his goods was intended to be the proof of his freedom. Generally speaking, to men, severally and individually, there is wanting some one thing, this or that; and by the want of that one thing they are kept back from Christ.— σταυρὸν, cross) Viz. that of poverty, etc. So the words, with persecutions, Mark 10:30, express the same sentiment.

[22. ‘O δὲ, but he) How quickly do men refuse the happiest of all conditions!—V. g.]

Mark 10:23. περιβλεψάμενος, having looked round about) We have often the look [countenance] of Christ described, corresponding as it did to His inward feeling, and adapted to the inward feelings of His hearers: Comp. Mark 5:21; Mark 5:27.— πῶς, how) The proposition stated is, A rich man is with difficulty saved: the subject of the proposition is limited in Mark 10:24 [They that trust in riches being substituted for, they that have riches]: the predicate is enlarged [amplified: Mark 10:25 being the amplification of the simple predicate, enter into the kingdom of God]. They [the subject and predicate of the proposition, A rich man is with difficulty saved] differ in the abstract; they for the most part agree in the concrete.¹⁵— οἱ τὰ χρήματα ἔχοντες, they that have riches) The few have most of the wealth of the world.

Mark 10:24. τέκνα, Children) This term of address shows, that Jesus speaks with pity, but at the same time with truth: and that He freely declares the fact to His disciples.— τοὺς πεποιθότος, those that trust) puffed up thereby, so as not to obey the word of God: ch. Mark 4:19; Psalms 62:10; 1 Timothy 6:17. [The number of those who hare riches is not much greater than that of those who trust in them.—V. g.]

[26. ἀφήσει, neither will forgive) And so will also refuse to give ear to.—V. g.]

Mark 10:27. πάντα, all things) Psalms 62:12. Comp. in that passage and here the preceding context.

Mark 10:28. ἤρξατο, began) as having been led to entertain hope from the words of the Saviour.

Mark 10:29. ἢ ἀδελφοὺς, or brethren) The goods which are left (for Christ’s sake) are enumerated disjunctively [“house or brethren or sisters,” etc.]: the goods, which are granted in reward, are enumerated copulatively [“houses and brethren and sisters,” etc., Mark 10:30]: See following verse. Observe the rich plentifulness of the reward, illustrating the goodness of the Lord.— ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ, for My sake) whilst I am in the world.— ἕνεκεν τοῦ εὐαγγελίου, for the sake of the Gospel) In order that he may preach My name after My ascension. For the sake of the world, many leave many things.¹⁶

Mark 10:30. ἐὰν μὴ) but he shall [quin]— και πατέρας καὶ μητέρας, both fathers and mothers) See App. Crit. Ed. ii. on this passage.¹⁷ Each one has by nature but one father and one mother [favouring the Sing, reading of Lachm.]: but by means of [having regard to] benefits received, he is blessed with many, who follows Christ:¹⁸ Comp. Romans 16:13. There is not added, wives;¹⁹ for that would sound somewhat inconsistent with propriety.— τέκνα, children) 1 Corinthians 4:14-17.— μετὰ διωγμῶν, with persecutions) This is added lest the disciples should look for [expect] external prosperity. Persecutions shall not he wanting: but these not only shall not prove prejudicial, but shall even be advantageous towards his receiving an hundred-fold, preventing him in the interim from being unduly elated by that ‘hundredfold.’— αἰῶνι, in the world) not καιρῷ, in this time.— τῷ ἐρχομένῳ, coming) Already that world is in the act of coming.

Mark 10:31. ἔσονται πρῶτοι, first shall be) First ( πρῶτοι), is the subject; see Matthew 19:30, note.

Mark 10:32. ἐθαμβοῦντο, they were amazed [fear-struck]) They knew not themselves the reason why. Often something, which does not fall under the vision [the ken] of the mind or of the eye, affects another sense; Daniel 10:7. They were fear-struck [shuddered with amazement] on account of Jesus, who went before: they were afraid, on account of their own selves, who were following Him. By this shuddering amazement and fear, they were divested of their opinion and hope of earthly things, if not completely, as, for instance, in the case of James and John [Mark 10:35, etc.], yet in part.— ἤρξατο, He began) Already He had begun before, ch. Mark 8:31; but now He began to speak more fully and at large. And this even as yet was but the beginning.

Mark 10:35. προσπορεύονται) go together to Him.— θέλομεν, ποιήσῃς, we would that thou shouldst do) So in the following ver., What would ye that I should do?— ποιήσῃς· ποιῆσαι· δός, that thou shouldst do; that I should do? Grant) They use art in their request; for petitions are often more readily asked and obtained, which consist in doing, than those which consist in granting or giving.

Mark 10:38. τὸ ποτήριον— τὸ βάπτισμα, the cup—the baptism) To drink this cup was difficult (as often death itself is taken in the act of drinking). Baptism also, among the Jews, was a thing to be shuddered at, inasmuch as the whole body was dipped in a stream, however cold. Accordingly, by both words the passion of Christ is denoted: by the cup, His inward passion; the cup is therefore placed first: by the baptism, chiefly His external passion, He was distended inwardly with His passion [referring to the cup; He was filled with the cup of anguish]: He was covered over [as a person baptized is with water] with His passion. Moreover, both are appropriately employed; for they who take the sacraments, are partakers of the baptism and the cup of Christ; 1 Corinthians 12:13 : and the baptism of Christ and our baptism, as also the Holy Supper, have a close connection with Christ’s passion and death, and with ours also.— πίεσθε— βαπτισθήσεσθε, ye shall drink—ye shall be baptized) James, when slain with the sword, drank the cup [Acts 12:2]; afterwards John was baptized in boiling oil, as Ecclesiastical History represents. Boiling oil is in consonance with the term, baptism. Our Lord Himself, in Gethsemane, also calls His suffering of death a cup. It is in consonance with this, that the cup is placed before the baptism.²⁰

[41. οἱ δέκα, the ten) When one of two persons seeks some special privilege, the other takes it ill, who would have been contented of himself.—V. g.]

Mark 10:42. δοκοῦντες) they who think [which are accounted, Engl. Vers.] that they rule. A Metonymy of the antecedent for the consequent; that is, they who strenuously exercise rule. [Worldly princes have but little greatness in the eyes of the Divine Majesty.—V. g.]

Mark 10:44. πάντων, of all) Mark 10:43, of you [your]. Thus there is an Epitasis in this verse.²¹

[45. διακονῆσαι, in order to minister) Who is there, whom the Saviour’s incomparable example ought not to put to the blush, and sweetly gain over to Him?—V. g.]

Mark 10:46. βαρτίμαιος, Bartimœus) A proparoxyton [accented on the antepenult] as the simple name τίμαιος. Timæus seems to have been a man at that time known at Jericho; and Bartimœus seems to have been made a beggar only by reason of his blindness [and not previously].— ὁ τυφλὸς, blind) This epithet had become an equivalent to a surname. Bartimæus was very well known in the time of the apostles. [As to the other blind man associated with him, see the note Matthew 20:30.]— ὁδὸν, the way) On the highway to Jerusalem there was the greater opportunity of begging.

Mark 10:47. ὁ υἱὸς δαυὶδ, ἰησοῦ, Thou Son of David, Jesus) See App. Crit. Ed. ii. on this passage.²² It was a great instance of faith that the blind man calls Him Son of David, whereas the people announced Jesus to him as Jesus of Nazareth.—[ ἐλέησόν ΄ε, have mercy on me) This is the very marrow of all real prayers.—V. g.]

Mark 10:49. θάρσει, Be of good comfort) in mind.— ἔγειραι, rise) with the body. An elegant asyndeton [omission of the copula]. They had no doubt but that He was both willing and able to help.

Mark 10:50. ἀποβαλὼν, casting away) through eagerness and joy·

Mark 10:52. ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ, in the way) towards Jerusalem.