Jesus and the disciples continue their journey southward to Jerusalem in this week’s chapter. Along the way, Jesus answers a question about divorce, welcomes little children into his arms, reveals the cost of following him, and reinforces the need for humility in all things. Here are a few things to consider as you read through chapter 10 this week.
• Marital strife is a painful reality in our culture, and the rate of divorce is high both inside and outside the church. The Pharisees ask Jesus about the lawfulness of divorce, and he gives them (and us) a very challenging answer. What do you think of Jesus’ words here? Are they hard to hear? What point do you think he is trying to make, and what truth does it hold for us in the modern world?
• There is a man who rushes up to Jesus and asks him what he must do to inherit eternal life? After acknowledging he keeps all the commandments, Jesus instructs him to go, sell everything he has, give it to the poor, and then follow him. This man is loved, but he also cannot handle the command to part with all of his possessions. What does this passage say to you? More times than not, we judge our wealth by comparing ourselves against those who have more. In reality, we are all rich compared to the rest of the world. What are we to do with these tough words?
• Jesus and the 12 disciples are getting closer to Jerusalem every week and will arrive at the beginning of next week’s readings. He tells them again about his impending death, but it doesn’t seem to register with the disciples. As a rule, we generally ignore this reality until we get to Holy Week. What can we discover about the cross over our 40-day Lenten journey?
• Jesus’ words from chapter nine about who is the greatest obviously didn’t register with James and John, and they ask to be seated on either side of him in glory. This causes great consternation with the other disciples, and Jesus uses this moment to remind them that greatness comes in service to others. Why do you think there are two similar stories so close to one another? What does this section say to you this week?
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