Mark

10:1-16

The journey to God's mountain, 6:1-10:52

3. The New Law, 9:14-10:52

iv] Ideals and principles, 10:1-16

The question on divorce and the visit of the little children are used by Mark to further establish the basis of salvation. The kingdom is "received" in the same way that Jesus was received (welcomed / accepted = believed) by those young children who came to him those many years ago, such that participation in God's righteous reign is by grace through faith and not by law-obedience.

The contextual relationship between the question on divorce and the visit of the little children, and also the following episode of the "rich young ruler", is often missed. As Jesus so often does when dealing with an issue of the law, he "fulfills" the law by extending its requirements such that no one can claim innocence before the law, ie. he uses the law to expose sin. Given that marriages do break down, the law of Moses regulated separation to bring some order and fairness to a complicated social problem. Jesus, on the other hand, reshapes the law on divorce into an ideal that for many will be impossible to keep. In fact, Matthew records the disciples startled reaction in the words: "if such is the case of a man and his wife, it is better not to marry", Matt.19:10, and this because marriages do fail. So again, Jesus has used the law to establish that righteousness in the sight of God / covenant compliance has never rested on obedience to the law, either now in the age of fulfilment, or in the age of historic Israel. Mark's placement of the visit of the little children serves to provide the way around this impasse. The divine recognition of covenant compliance and thus the inheritance of the Abrahamic promise of a kingdom, is attained by coming to Jesus for blessing as a child comes to Jesus for blessing. Salvation rests on covenant mercy, not on covenant obedience, ie. salvation is a gift of God's grace.

When Jesus "fulfills" the law, in the sense of completing it, he is not just reinforcing its difficulty, but is moving from the intent of the Mosaic law to the ideals that lay behind it, to "the revolutionary values of the Kingdom of God", France. The proclamation of such absolute values, of a righteousness that exceeds that of the Scribes and the Pharisees, witnesses that the kingdom of God is at hand. Luke brings this out nicely in 16:16-18. The Mosaic law is set in concrete, and that includes the law on divorce, but the values of the kingdom transcend the law of Moses. In the proclamation of these new values we witness the dawning of a new age - "the kingdom of God is at hand."

In the history of interpretation, Jesus' instructions on divorce have been applied literally in the Christian church. In the face of the inevitable failure of many marriages, the instructions have spawned numerous pharisaic "get out of jail free" cards, eg. annulment. In my church, the Anglican church, we spend our time trying to determine who is the innocent party (is there such a person?), extending leniency to those who should know better, namely believers. The "now" of the kingdom confronts us with a radical ethic written on the heart. The "not yet" of the kingdom confronts us with a radical ethic we can only but aim at. Kingdom ethics are not designed for the imperfection of this age; they belong to another age, to a brilliance that transcends this "shadow land". Given that our "hardness of heart" lives on ("the old Adam retains his power until he is deposited on the grave", Luther) we would do better to use the Mosaic law as our base standard while setting Jesus' absolute law as an ideal to aim at.

anastaV "Jesus then left" - having arisen [from there he went to the border of Judea across the Jordan]. The participle forms a temporal clause, as NIV.

ta oJria (on) "[into] the region [of Judea]" - the border, domain. Probably "region"; "into the district of Judea", Barclay.

peran "across [the Jordan]" - across, beyond. Probably "beyond", ie. he went into Peraea travelling from Galilee to Jerusalem skirting around Samaria; "on the far side of the Jordan", Cassirer.

sumporeuontai (sumporeuomai) pres. "came [to him]" - Possibly "crowds went along with him", but more likely "gathered around him", NJB.

eiwqei (eiwqa) pluperf. "[as] was his custom" - he was accustomed. eioqa is the perfect of eqw but takes the present tense "to be accustomed", so the pluperfect takes the imperfect "as he was accustomed", TH.

proselqonteV (prosercomai) aor. part. "[some Pharisees] came" - having come. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the verb "they were asking"; "Some Pharisees came up and asked him", Moffatt.

peirazoneV (peirazw) pres. part. "tested [him]" - testing, trying, tempting. The participle is adverbial forming a purpose clause, "in order to test"; "this was to tempt him", Moffatt. In simple terms, the Pharisees put a "test question" to him, Barclay.

ei "-" - if. Here introducing an indirect question although treated as direct by NIV, NRSV, ...; "asked him if a man was allowed to divorce his wife", Moffatt.

exestin "it is lawful" - it is right, proper, permissible.

andri (anhr androV) dat. "for a man" - Dative of advantage.

apolusai (apoluw) aor. inf. "to divorce [his wife]" - to release. The infinitive forms a noun clause subject of the verb "is lawful"; "[if] to divorce a wife is lawful [for a man]".

de "-" - but, and. Best viewed as adversative "highlighting the back-and-forth of ensuing dialogue, vv3, 4, 5", Gundry.

apokriqeiV (apokrinomai) aor. pas. part. "-" - [he] answering [said to them]. Attendant circumstance participle virtually redundant.

eneteilato (entellomai) aor. "command" - command. "Command" in the sense of giving definite orders, implying authority, or official sanction*; "what was the regulation which Moses prescribed for you?", Barclay.

epetreyen (epitripw) aor. "[Moses] permitted" - permitted, allowed. "A man" functions as the assumed object of the verb. Mosaic law regulated divorce, but by his choice of the word "permitted" Jesus indicates that divorce is nothing more than a divine concession.

grayai (grafw) aor. inf. "to write" - The infinitive functions as an object complement making a statement about the assumed object "a man", but is also complementary, completing the sense of the verb "allowed".

biblion apastasiou "a certificate of divorce" - a scroll / letter (= certificate) of departure, separation. The document, or certificate of divorce, "provides some protection for the woman", Cranfield, cf. Deut.24:1-4.

proV "it was because" - to, toward. Here with the sense "because of / with reference to", BAGD.

thn sklhrokardian (a) "[your] hearts were hard" - the stubbornness, obstinacy [of you]. Probably "hard-heartedness", expressing an unwillingness (yes always, but inability is probably closer to the truth) to obey God's absolute will, which situation necessitates laws which "take account of men's actual sinfulness and are designed to limit and control its consequences", Cranfield.

Jesus supports his argument from two texts, i] Gen.1:27, ii] Gen.2:24, and draws a conclusion, v6-9. The argument being "if the intention of the creation of the male and female is for them to be united into "one flesh" "so that they are no longer two, then God's will simply cannot be that they divorce. Divorce is tantamount to an undoing of the created order", Evans.

ktisewV (iV ewV) "of creation" - "The sum total of everything created", BAGD. Not "at the beginning of Genesis", but "from the beginning of the creation"; "when we go back to the foundation of all created things it has been thus: i] ....., ii] ......", "therefore ......"

eneken "for this reason" - because of, for the sake of, in behalf of. Causal.

toutou "this reason" - this. "This" being the search for the missing rib!!!

kataleiyei (kataleipw) fut. "will leave" - will leave behind.

"and be untied to his wife" is a possibly assimilated to the fuller form of the text found in Mt.19:5 since it is omitted in some texts, cf. Metzger.

esontai ...... eiV "will become" - [and the two] will be into [one flesh]. This unusual use of the verb to-be with the preposition "into" derives from a literal translation in the LXX of the Hebrew, TH.

wJste "so" - so that. Introducing a consecutive clause expressing result, "with the result that ..." "And the two will become so completely one that they will no longer be two persons but one", Barclay.

Given the divine will for the integral unity of marriage, a will evident in the creation ordinances, Jesus issues an absolute decree on the matter of divorce.

oun "therefore" - therefore, thus, consequently, so then. Expressing result.

o} pro. "what" - Neuter relative pronoun.

sunezeuxen (suzeugnimi) aor. "has joined together" - yoked together.

mh + pres. imp. "[let man] not [separate]" - This construction commands the cessation of an action already in progress; "man (husbands) must stop continuing removing /separating from = divorcing [their wife/wives].

eiV thn oikian "when they were in the house" - into the house. "Back home again", Manson.

ephrwtwn (eperwtaw) "[the disciples] asked" - were asking. Possibly inceptive, "the disciples began asking him". "The disciples asked him a question about this matter", Cassirer.

The lack of the exception clause for divorce, "except for adultery / fornication / unchastity", Matt.19:9, properly expresses the absolute nature of this kingdom law. In fact, the exception clause in Matthew is rather difficult to explain in the terms of an absolute.

oJV an + subj. "anyone who" - if someone = whoever. Forming an indefinite relative clause establishing a hypothetical condition, 3rd class, "whoever, as may be the case, .... then [they commit adultery against her]".

epi + acc. "[commits adultery] against [her]" - Probably the spacial sense of "up against / against", as NIV, NRSV, NJB, NAB, REB, ..., but also possibly reference, "with regard / with respect", with respect to the wife's right to not have a third party intrude on the "one flesh" relationship she has with her husband. Mark's "against her" is virtually explanatory, "highlighting the explosive force of Jesus' pronouncement", Gundry. Under rabbinic law a man may commit adultery against another man by bedding that man's wife and a wife may commit adultery against her husband by bedding another man, but it was inconceivable that a man, by bedding another woman, has in this act committed adultery against his wife.

authn "her" - Presumably the wife, but the personal pronoun may refer to the other woman, so "commits adultery with her (the second woman)". Turner argues this case by noting that in Pss. Sol 8:10 moicasqai + acc. = "to commit adultery with" and so he suggests that moicatai ep means much the same. Marcus, following most commentators, argues that the wife is intended since epi is used frequently to express "against" and that this sense is supported by Matt.5:32 "which says that the divorcing man commits an offense against his first wife."

Given that a Jewish wife could not divorce her husband it is argued that this is an explanatory inclusion for Gentile readers, given that under Roman law a wife could divorce her husband, cf. Schweizer. There is though some second century documentary evidence that in some Jewish circles a women did have the right to divorce her husband. Either way, the statement reinforces the absolute nature of Jesus' words. See "divorces" below.

ean + subj. "if" - if [.... marries]. Forming a conditional clause 3rd class, where the condition is assumed a possibility, "if, as may be the case, .... then ...."

apolusasa (apoluw) "divorces [her husband]" - having put away. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the verb "marries"; "divorces and marries". Manson suggests that this active participle is the consequence of wrongly reading an Aramaic passive participle giving a translation in agreement with Luke 16:18b; "and if she who has been divorced by her husband marries another, he commits adultery", Torrey.

Jesus welcomes little children, v13-16. Confronted by the absolute demands of the law we are reminded that there has only ever been one way to secure covenant compliance and that is through the mercy of God. Jesus uses the coming of the children for blessing to teach this truth.

paidia (on) "little children" - Infants up to 12 years old, Lagrange.

iJna + subj. "to [have him touch them]" - that [he might touch them]. Introducing a purpose clause, "in order that ...."

autwn gen. "[touch] them" - Genitive following a verb of touching. "Touching" obviously in the sense of laying hands upon for the conferring of a blessing, BAGD.

epetimhsan (epitimaw) aor. "rebuked [them]" - rebuked. "But the disciples told the people to stop bothering him", CEV.

de "-" - but, and. Adversative, "but when Jesus saw ....."

idwn (eidon) aor. part. "when [Jesus] saw this" - [Jesus] having seen. The participle is adverbial forming a temporal clause, as NIV.

hganakthsen (aganaktew) aor. "he was indignant" - angry, indignant, aroused. Indignant against what is judged to be wrong*.

ercesqai (ercomai) aor. inf. "[let the little children] come [to me]" - [(you) are to allow, permit, let the children] to come [to me]. "Children" is the object of the verb "allow" + inf., "you" (understood) being the subject, while the infinitive is complementary in that it completes the sense of the verb "allow", "allow to come the children to me".

mh + pres. "[do] not [hinder them]" - The negation with the pres. imp. commands the secession of action in progress; "stop forbidding them."

gar "for" - for. Causal, "because".

hJ basileian tou qeou "the kingdom of God" - "The dominion of God", but better "the righteous reign of God."

twn .. toioutwn estin "belongs to such as these" - of these ones are. "The proper force of the correlative demonstrative pronoun of quality should be observed", TH, ie. "such ones", not "these ones". Turner suggests that the genitive is epexegetic (Cranfield, Gundry, Taylor, Edwards, Evans, "belongs to such people as children", France, "not so much exclusive ownership, but having a rightful share in", .... all argue for a possessive genitive). "Children are the very nature of the kingdom", Turner, so "of such as these", rather than "belongs to such as these." Probably "is of such as these" in their child-like coming to and accepting of, Jesus, cf. v15. "The statement is not an item in a doctrinal discussion on the innocence of children and the age of accountability, but a proclamation on the nature of the kingdom - being included is a matter of God's sovereign grace", Boring.

oJV an + subj. "anyone" - if someone = whoever. See above for this conditional clause.

mh dexhtai (decomai) aor. subj. "does not receive" - does not receive, welcome, accept = believe. Children, in their "coming" and their "receiving" of Jesus, exegetes the nature of God's reign. Those who do not come and receive as these children came and received will have no part in God's righteous reign.

wJV "as [a child]" - as, like. Establishing a comparison. "To receive the kingdom as a child is to allow oneself to be given it", Cranfield.

ou mh + subj. "[will] never [enter it]" - [may] by no means [enter into it]. Subjunctive of emphatic negation. "He will certainly not get into it", Barclay.

enagkalisamenoV (enagkalizomai) aor. part. "he took [the children] into his arms" - having taken into his arms [them]. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the main verb "he blesses"; "he took them in his arms and blessed them".

kateulogei (kateulogew) imperf. "blessed" - Hapax legomenon, only use in NT. The imperfect may be expressing durative action while the prefix is probably intensifying, "he kept on fervently blessing them", Wuest. "Tenderly / warmly / lovingly", TH, are other possible intensifiers. France suggests "a thorough blessing", but muses that it may be overexegesis.

tiqeiV (tiqhmi) pres. part. "put [his hands on them]" - placing. The participle is adverbial, probably modal expressing the manner of blessing, or possibly instrumental expressing the means, "by laying ..." The use of hands in a blessing has OT precedence, cf. Gen.48:14-18.

Mark Introduction

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