CHAPTER 10
[p. 171] CHAPTER 10
In this chapter you get two very important things: the written and the unwritten law set aside. After the ascent to the mount of glory the Lord descends, and now we have a very different character of teaching. He refers everything to the beginning - takes the view of everything morally. He begins with a man - then a child. He is bringing out that development has done nothing. Reliefs have come in because of what man is, but it is not what God intended. He does not sanction putting away, so much the better for Israel. “Where is the bill of your mother’s divorce?” He goes back to the original law. Putting away did not originate with Him. They put themselves away by their sins. He leaves it open for Himself to restore. You must come back to the child, no development of the human mind - you go back to the babe, when you had not an idea. When we are converted we are all in God’s sight reduced to babes. A child has no history, it is helpless, will cling to anyone who cares for it, and it is thus a beautiful illustration of a true soul. The prodigal talked of his badness, the Pharisee of his goodness. On neither ground could he be accepted - you must have no antecedent. If you have a history, you must renounce it. You must drop all your development, all your acquisitions, and go back to the babe.
When the disciples rebuked those who brought the children the Lord is much displeased. What touches there are in this gospel! He did three things: He took them in His arms, put His hands on them, identified Himself with them, and blessed them - a touch you do not get in Luke. Who would not like to be a little child!
Ques On what ground did He bless them?
Because they were God’s and had not rejected the testimony; born sinners, but will not yet developed.
In verse 17 we get a great contrast, a man of development. In Luke the examples we get before this are the distressed widow, the distressed publican and the little child. This is a contrast to all those, a most amiable man and with plenty of means. The Lord only mentions five of the commandments to him, and those in relation to his neighbour, and even in those He left out, “Thou shalt not covet”. The tenth commandment touched the spring - the others only the outside. That is what the word does (Hebrews 4), it discloses the motive and secret spring. Did you ever judge your motive? What made you look like that? The more spiritual you are, the more you will find out what bad motives you have. It is not a question of doing wrong, but you discover that your heart is deceitful above all things. Here was a religious man - he called the Lord “Good Teacher”, but when tested by these things he goes away sorrowful. There is a great moral in this - you see what development does. It does not want Christ, or rather wants possessions and Christ - he was sorrowful because he must make a choice of one. If I allow one single thing to stop me from following Christ, that will be my scourge - the small stone stops the wheel. It is only in Mark you get that the Lord “loved him”.
People would like to get a millennial man, but Christ is rejected, and now comes in the heavenly man. Earth is in contrast to heaven - the Father to the world - the Son of God to the devil - the Holy Spirit to the flesh. There are two distinct places, heaven and earth; and two distinct families. Do you belong to the earthly or to the heavenly family? The earth was given to the children of men. The first man is of the earth, earthy; that is, he is so in constitution - he does not say worldly. The Jew thought that property was a mark of divine favour. The Lord’s statement is most extraordinary to them. They say, “Who then can be saved?” Taking it humanly, it is impossible. Mark is wider than Judaism. It is the Lord Himself that comes out, and this chapter shows that the things allowed did not spring from God, and then you get this example of a man perfect to his fellows, but he did not follow the Lord. Peter says, “We have left all things and have followed thee”. In following Him I have to give up everything that impedes. It is disastrous to suppose that you have made a clean sweep once for all, and that there is no more to give up. I find there is not a year but some fresh thing has to be renounced. But there is the hundredfold more in a new order of things - wife only is left out and fathers. Even in natural things the christian is placed in superiority to the natural man. It is not natural things that you get back, but if you give up a brother, you may get many; but you must not think you have made a sacrifice. You have not! For all you gave up you have a hundredfold more. Spiritual ties are deeper - you have heart-communion with them. If we really believed this word, we should welcome sacrifice, yet giving up, unless it be to the Lord, is no gain, for it makes you feel that you have done something!
In a worldly family I may help or contribute to them, but I do not find resource with them; I have other joys. Near relations know our weak points, and they try to please or to flatter in order to draw us away. The only way is never to blend - real giving up is all gain - you give up a farthing and gain a pound. The man who talks of loss never gets on. Paul felt in prison that he was better off than Agrippa. Stephen surpasses all the heroes put together.
It is a sure sign that I am superior to my circumstances when I never speak of them. Some speak of the grace given to bear up against such great trials. That is not being superior to them.
The Jew was first - and he is last - but it often [p. 174] happens. There is a principle in it - the first may be last and the last first.
Verse 32. The Lord takes the twelve and begins to tell what things should happen to Him - His death. Christ is the Servant all through this gospel, and He never loses an opportunity to give them meat in due season. It is encouraging to see that He knew all the character of ministry we should need down here; and not only that, but He ministered Himself in every way - even in prayer! He never had a companion here; He was alone.
Verse 35. They did not go beyond the Messiah’s kingdom, they were looking for good places in it. He shows them the way to it. Baptism here has no reference to water baptism, though it explains what baptism naturally is, a change of standing, not of state. It does not refer here either to the baptism of water or to that of the Spirit - it is simply death - it takes you out of one standing and puts you into another. Baptism with water is the confession of having passed from Adam to Christ. The ten are jealous of the two apostles: Christ explains that He came to minister; He is leading them into His own path. He is the Model. But taking the lowest place in service runs counter to all the ideas of men.
In this chapter we had first the religious man, then possessions, then relationships - here it is self-seeking, and He shows that instead of that it must be the cup of suffering. The cup is fellowship with Him. For Him it was the cross; for them martyrdom. We have never yet grasped what Christ went through. It is only a thoroughly holy person who can feel a shade of distance from God; a sinner knows nothing of it. Christ bore judgment at the hand of God. He went through it beforehand in Gethsemane. One feels unable to enter into it, but in the offering of the red heifer we get a sense of what it cost Him. It is Christ suffering for what I have been allowing.
[p. 175] The house is an actual thing, the kingdom is wider and is morally Christ’s rights. He has not given up the earth; He has the claim still, but it is moral space I claim for Him. Satan has thrust God’s Son out of the earth - that is the great sin on the world now. Originally it was the fall of Adam, but now they have refused God in the Person of His Son, and they have no cloak for their sin. God does not overlook what goes on, though man seems to have it all his own way. The difference between this time and the millennium is that then Satan is not on the earth and Christ is exercising direct judgment. Now He gives a long day - nothing can be right until Christ comes, until the right Man is in the right place; then it will be direct, and therefore immediate judgment. Now it is indirect, but I believe those who are in the house are under a discipline now which the heathen are not. Power was given to the gentiles, and that goes on still - you are to pray for the king and to be subject to the powers, but you are not to exercise power.
In verse 40 it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared. He speaks there as a Man. God had prepared everything. Christ gives, but God has prepared it. Paul was called of God. He gives as they are qualified, but the point is the preparation. We get heaven without any qualification, but a place in the kingdom is according to qualification. They sought patronage.
Verse 46. It is interesting about Jericho here. In Luke we get the blind man, and also Zacchaeus; here it is only the blind man. What a contrast between the young ruler and this blind man! It is important to bear in mind that the Lord is on His way to Jerusalem from Jericho, the place of the curse, the very lowest place. Luke gives us Zacchaeus; the most unlikely man to get the blessing gets it; and here it is one who has no sight - really the state of Israel at that moment. He has no sight, but he cries for mercy [p. 176] like the faithful remnant. However low down you are, if you cry for mercy the Lord delivers you. You can find no depths where He will not hear you. What the Lord calls forth in the blind man is that he calls to Him, and He will not let the people stop him. He satisfies the longing soul. When I see a soul in difficulty I say, Have you cried to Him? He always delivers. In Psalm 107 there are four classes who cry to Him, and each one is delivered. The first have done nothing wrong. The second are suffering for rebellion. Third, a worse case. Fourth, they that go down to the sea do business in great waters. You undertake things and find there are difficulties. You come to your wits’ end. Turn to the Lord - what does He do? He bringeth them to their desired haven. To cry is the one sovereign remedy for everything.
There is one Psalm (136) devoted to the mercy of the Lord. It endures for ever! I go on in spite of every discouragement - that is faith.
Verse 52. When the blind man had received his sight he followed Jesus “in the way”.