NAS - Mark 10:1-31

10 Jesus' Teaching about Divorce

¹Getting up, He *went from there to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan; crowds *gathered around Him again, and, according to His custom, He once more began to teach them.

²Some Pharisees came up to Jesus, testing Him, and began to question Him whether it was lawful for a man to divorce a wife. ³And He answered and said to them, "What did Moses command you?"⁴They said, "Moses permitted a man TO WRITE A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE AND SEND her AWAY." ⁵But Jesus said to them, "Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment.⁶"But from the beginning of creation, God MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE.⁷"FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER,⁸AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH; so they are no longer two, but one flesh.⁹"What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate."

¹⁰In the house the disciples began questioning Him about this again. ¹¹And He *said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her;¹²and if she herself divorces her husband and marries another man, she is committing adultery."

Jesus Blesses Little Children

¹³And they were bringing children to Him so that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked them. ¹⁴But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, "Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.¹⁵"Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all."¹⁶And He took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them.

The Rich Young Ruler

¹⁷As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" ¹⁸And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.¹⁹"You know the commandments, `DO NOT MURDER, DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, DO NOT STEAL, DO NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS, Do not defraud, HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER.'"²⁰And he said to Him, "Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth up." ²¹Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, "One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."²²But at these words he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property.

²³And Jesus, looking around, *said to His disciples, "How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!"²⁴The disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus *answered again and *said to them, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!²⁵"It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."²⁶They were even more astonished and said to Him, "Then who can be saved?" ²⁷Looking at them, Jesus *said, "With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God."

²⁸Peter began to say to Him, "Behold, we have left everything and followed You." ²⁹Jesus said, "Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel's sake,³⁰but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.³¹"But many who are first will be last, and the last, first."