I had no internet yesterday morning, so I saved my blog to my computer. Today, I will add the Matthew verses (in red) below the Mark verses.
Vs. 1-12 - Divorce - God intended marriage to be a permanent relationship. Sure, these relationships get hard sometimes, but if you enter a marriage with the understanding that you are in it "for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness & health" then you are more willing to work out your issues and keep open lines of communication. The Pharisees wanted to expose Jesus as an opponent of Moses' law. However, once again, Jesus demonstrates that He understands the law much better than the religious leaders. Divorce was never part of God's original plan. It was provided for in Moses' law because of the hardenend hearts of man. Does this mean you need to stay in an abusive relationship? Absolutely not. It simply means that you need to approach marriage as a sacred union. Divorce should only be used for extreme cases.
Matthew 19:1-12 - Matthew adds that one may also divorce for sexual immorality. A spouse who sexually betrays his/her partner has broken the covenant of marriage. However, many couples are able to work through these issues and develop a happy relationship.
Vs. 13-16 - The disciples saw children as an annoying distraction. Jesus treated children with love and compassion. Their faith - that innocence and trust - is a characteristic that we adults need to adopt. Don't let the world harden your heart!
Matthew 19:13-15: nothing to add
Vs. 17-31 - A rich young man asks Jesus what he must do to earn eternal life. For this young man, it's all about being good enough. Can he work for it? Pay for it? Jesus tells him to give up his wealth & the young man walks away. If it's not about what you do, why would Jesus tell us this? It is because this man's wealth blocked his faith. He was self-sufficient and independent from God. He isn't looking for a relationship, he just wants an assurance. I like the last verse in this section, "But many who are first will be last, and the last first." This is a statement about servanthood. In the kingdom of God, it's not about you - it's about Him. In His family, it's not about you - it's about others. We are to rely on one another, treat one another as we want to be treated, serve and assist one another. Are you willing to put others first? If not, you will struggle in your relationships. Strive, greed, resentment, and anger will follow you. It is only when we humble ourselves and treat others with compassion and love that we find the compassion and love we long for.
Matthew 19:16-"With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Did you ever face a tough choice. You knew the right choice to make, but it just seemed too hard? Our carnal minds talk us out of doing the right thing. Carnally, we are lazy and self-serving, which leads to depression and hopelessness. With God, those right choices are possible. When you trust Him, step out in faith, and do what you know is right - you will find a weight has been lifted along with freedom and joy you never thought possible.
Vs. 32-34 - Unlike Luke, Mark simply provides Jesus' words. He is pretty clear about what will happen during the passion week - he will be betrayed and delivered to the Pharisees, condemned to death, given to Pilate for confirmation of the death sentence. He will be mocked, spit on, flogged, and killed. But He will rise in three days. Jesus knew exactly what was coming. He allowed it all simply because He loves you. He put it all on the line simply to rescue you. Wow. Vs. 35-45 - Those disciples are still thinking they will be rulers once Jesus took political control. They want special places of honor in His kingdom. They are still thinking that this kingdom is an earthly kindgom. I think it is interesting that these men just heard a foretelling of Jesus' death - for the third time & they still don't get it. Once again, we humans have this ability to hear & not understand. We simply block out what we don't want to hear. Well, hear this plainly, Jesus came to serve - He taught, He healed, He loved, He died. His disciples are expected to copy this example. We are to serve others, not worry about our own importance. Matthew 20:17-19 - same as Mark.
Matthew 20:1-16 - We don't serve to get something out of it. Sure, we do get something out of it - sometimes payment, sometimes just the satisfaction of doing a good deed. However, it's not about what we will get. The kingdom of heaven is the same way - God calls us all. We don't answer because of what we will get. We answer because we know it's the truth. Anything after that is just a bonus. Some may become Chrsitians when they are very young, some may not believe until their death bed, but regardless of how long you have been a believer, we all have the same reward coming - eternal life. Once again, it's about the relationship, not the rewards.
Matthew 20:20-28 - This event is also found in Luke. We discussed it a few days ago. Matthew lets us know that James & John's mother was with them. Once again, Jesus tells them it's not about the reward, it's about the relationship.
Vs. 46-52 - Mark tells us the name of the blind man - Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus. A name means a witness. A person to go back to & confirm his story. Jesus heals him - not because he yelled the loudest, but because he believed. Yesterday we read about not giving up in prayer. It's not because we can annoy God enough that He will finally give us what we want so we'll shut up. It's because it shows faith. If you believe, you will seek, you will knock, you will ask.
Matthew 20:29-34 - Matthew tells us there were two men. Why do the gospels differ? It's all about personality. What is important and recalled by one man, may be unimportant and not worth mentioning to another. Mark knew the name of one of the men, so he focused on that man. Matthew focused on both men. Some think that these discrepancies proof that the Bible cannot be true. However, those that work in evidence and interview witnesses will tell you that a true accounting will have discrepencies. If you interview two witnesses & they give the exact same details - well then - they rehearsed their tale. They worked together to make it up. Isn't it awesome that even these little details actually proof the validity of the Bible? God is so good.
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