As Jesus was heading toward Jerusalem, knowing the suffering and death that was waiting for Him, the full impact of His mission was heavy on His heart, and He tried to share that with His disciples, but they weren’t hearing it. It was go-time for Jesus and the disciples, and now again in our time, I’d say it is again go-time for the disciples of Jesus. Are we ready? Will we answer the call?
Notice that Jesus loved this man. Jesus wasn’t trying to punish him, Jesus was offering him “treasure in heaven,” and nothing is worth more than that. The question now is whether this man’s wealth was a blessing or a curse. Everyone else would say, “This man is blessed, look at how much he has!” But as Jesus had already asked back in Mark 8:36, “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”
Jesus was greatly displeased that His disciples were blocking the blessing of these children, so He addressed their attitudes, and then, "He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them" (v. 16). Jesus refused to allow His disciples to stop the parents and their children from getting their blessing. Instead, Jesus did four things: He picked them up, He held them in His arms, He touched them, and then He blessed them.
A few things to consider here: First, marriage is defined as being between a man and a woman, yet people have been fired from their jobs for holding this biblical position. Second, it is between one man and one woman, meaning polygamy was never the plan of God. Third, while still honoring father and mother, the husband must make his marriage family his primary family and obligation. Last, the man and woman are now one flesh, each dependent upon the other as helpmates, or equal halves of one whole marriage.
As a parent, when my children were young and they were doing something that they should not have been doing, perhaps something disruptive or even dangerous for them to do, I would yell, "Cut it out!" In the text Jesus doesn't tell them to "cut it out," but He did say to "cut it off," which essentially meant the same thing, "Stop it, and stop it now or face the consequences." This is strong warning for everyone to think about their actions and their lifestyles.
Jesus had been teaching His disciples for over a year at this point, and by all accounts, they were zealous for Him. Yet, surprisingly, even after all their time with Jesus they still had much to learn. Even Jesus seemed shocked at times that they were so slow to understand (Mk 8:17). For example, in our text, we see that they were quick to condemn those who were not members of their cadre of disciples. However, Jesus pointed out that they should not dismiss or condemn others that are ministering in His name.
I’ve found that there are times in my life when I know God is trying to teach me something, but at the time nothing makes sense to me. What I thought I knew about God does not fit within the framework of what is happening to me, in me, or around me. I examine myself, I question my motives, my thoughts, my actions, and still can’t comprehend why I’m going through a situation, or why circumstances are unfolding as they are. The truth is that sometimes our preconceived paradigms have to be shattered, or at the very least radically shifted before we are ready to hear God or to learn the lessons God is trying to teach us.
Many churches only want positive confessions and testimonies of all the good things God has done. But sometimes we need to cry from the miry clay because some needs are noisy and ugly, punctuating our programs with opportunities to let the light of Jesus shine through us. Sometimes we try to quietly usher the need out of the sanctuary lest it disrupt our preplanned church service. But these are needs on display—a broken heart, a broken home, a broken spirit, a broken mind—and they must not be ignored.
The disciples had previously failed to hear Jesus speak of His coming sacrifice, but now the Father said, “Hear Him,” and then as they walked down the mountain Jesus revisited this topic, because, after all, how could they refuse to hear Him now? Jesus told them again, “the Son of Man … must suffer many things and be treated with contempt” (v. 12b).
Jesus was on the mount quoting Law and then adding, “But I say unto you ….” Some may have thought that Jesus was negating or nullifying the Law, but nothing could have been farther from the truth. There has always been a struggle by many to understand the relationship between the old and new covenants, but in our passage, Jesus is pretty clear about that relationship.
