Hosea 9-10 offer more words of judgment for Israel. While the details vary, the theme is the same: Israel will be carried off by their enemies. Both Assyria and Egypt are named. The reason? The same reason offered throughout the letter: the people have been unfaithful to the LORD, and their wickedness continues to increase.
After the nearly contemptuous condemnation of chapters 9-10, the LORD tells us in chapter 11 of His love for Ephraim, for Israel. He recalls His founding of the people as He called them out of Egypt, and how even while they were “children” they turned from Him. Yet, He is God and not a person, so He will show mercy. It is the common theme of the prophetic books: the LORD’s judgment is sure, but His mercy is even surer!
As we return to Mark 10, we’re reminded of Jesus’ affirmation of His Heavenly Father’s establishment of marriage in the fabric of creation as a relationship between a man and a woman for life. The religious leaders came to Him asking whether it was lawful for a man to divorce his wife? Jesus asked them how the Law of Moses read? They said it was permitted, but Jesus responded this was because of human hardness of heart, but not God’s purpose or plan. In this day of anything goes sexuality, it is vital for us to remember Jesus’ affirmation of the order of creation concerning it: Sexuality is a gift from God, and is to be exercised between a man and woman in the covenant of marriage. This statement rattled the disciples, because even in their day, such an affirmation seemed radical. Imagine how radical it seems to us! Yet, God’s truth is always best for us, His boundaries are intended to guide and help us, not to hinder or limit us. After this comment on marriage, Jesus blesses children, whose parents brought them to Him. While the disciples didn’t think this important, Jesus affirmed the parents’ desires and blessed the children.
Next, Jesus encountered a rich, young man who wanted to know how to inherit eternal life. We need to understand in that day (as often in ours), wealth was considered to be a blessing of God. Imagine the young man’s surprise when after passing the “religion” test, Jesus told the man the only thing he “lacked,” was to sell everything he had, give it to the poor, so he would have riches in heaven, and then come and follow Jesus. The young man walked away sad, because he couldn’t give up his wealth. Picture being offered a spot among Jesus’ disciples and giving it up, because you couldn’t let go of your money. That’s exactly what happened. The disciples were confused once again, by the idea that wealth could be a stumbling block, but Jesus offered His famous statement about it being easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of heaven. We must never let anything stand between us and Jesus, because whatever it is, Jesus will ask us to give it up–or at least be willing to give it up–to serve Him.
The chapter continues with Jesus telling the disciples a third time He is going to be crucified and then rise again. This time James and John’s mother sees this as an opportunity for her sons to be given important positions when Jesus reigns as King. She asks Him for those positions on his right and left hand. But Jesus tells her it isn’t His to give. The rest of the disciples become irate when they find out what happened. It wasn’t because they were so righteous, but because they were pre-empted. Jesus reminds all of them leadership in God’s Kingdom is the opposite of worldly leadership. Leadership in God’s Kingdom starts with servanthood, and Jesus is the best example of that!
Finally, Jesus heals blind Bartimaeus as we would expect in Mark’s gospel. The entire chapter has been talk–significant talk, but talk nonetheless. It ends with Jesus healing Bartimaeus, so we remember what Jesus came to do: Bring the Kingdom of God to earth. In His Kingdom all can see! Faith is the ingredient that makes it happen. Here it was Bartimaeus’ faith. In other places it was Jesus’ faith in His own power. Always, faith brings the Kingdom forward.