Lent Gospel is a campaign for people to read through the whole of Mark’s Gospel during Lent, in 40 short readings. Helpful notes on each day's reading are available from www.usefulbible.com/lent-gospel; and you can download the whole series in PDF or Kindle format (it's free - just right-click on the links then select ‘save as...’ to download). Of course, it doesn’t have to be for Lent... why not begin now?
Last part: Dominate Day 21 Mark 9:33-50
· Read: Mark 10:1-31
Oddly, this passage begins with an instruction not to separate families and ends with an instruction to separate! But Jesus is not contradicting himself.
Marriage matters to God. The fact that Gods law permitted divorce did not change anything. God always intended, from the very beginning, that a married couple should remain married. Their relationship was a picture of the relationship between God and his people. So no-one should separate them.
The rich young man was joined to something else: his wealth. His obedience to the commandments was exemplary; but his love of money outweighed his love for God. When he rejected Jesus advice to separate himself from his wealth, he was also rejecting his reward in heaven.
Jesus did not mean that the man or anyone else could buy a place in heaven. It would be easier for a camel to walk through the eye of a needle! Only God can make it possible for people to enter heaven. But those people should place God above everything else in their lives. If necessary, they might have to leave their families and possessions for his sake. But God would not disappoint them. All these things are temporary. Their reward in heaven will last forever.
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Next part: Imitate Day 23 Mark 10:32-52 |
© 2012, Keith Simons.