The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament (61 page)

10:6 from the beginning:
God alone is the Creator of marriage and the laws that govern it. • Jesus demonstrates this by citing Gen 1:27 and 2:24, passages that describe God's design for marriage as a lifelong union between one man and one woman. This marital bond is spiritual, exclusive, and indissoluble. Since it is forged by God himself (10:9), it cannot be broken by any civil or religious authority (CCC 1603, 1640). 
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10:11-12
Divorce and remarriage are prohibited in the New Covenant (Lk 16:18; 1 Cor 7:10-11; CCC 2382-86). To divorce and remarry is to commit
adultery.
According to Mark's account, Jesus warns both spouses of this danger. This speaks directly to Mark's readers in ancient Rome, where men and women shared the right to initiate divorce. This double warning may also evoke the well-known story of Herod Antipas' illicit union with Herodias, since
both
of them abandoned their respective spouses before unlawfully remarrying.
See note on Mt 14:4
and
19:9
. 
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10:14 Let the children come:
When Jesus blesses the kilkJ children, he attaches great practical importance to his teaching on the indissolubility of marriage (10:11-12). Children are, after all, the fruit of married love and the ones who stand most affected by the tragedy of divorce. God intends them to be raised and blessed in the security of a healthy family. • Jesus welcomes children into the kingdom of God and so lays a foundation for the Church's practice of Infant Baptism (CCC 1250-52).
See note on Lk 18:16
. 
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10:19 the commandments
: Jesus reaffirms the necessity of keeping God's moral laws in the New Covenant (12:28-34; Rom 13:8-10; 1 Cor 7:19). The Ten Commandments forever lead God's children to moral maturity and remain integral to our pursuit of "eternal life" (10:17; CCC 2068, 2072). Jesus cites five precepts of the Decalogue that command us to love our neighbors and parents (Ex 20:2-17; Deut 5:6-21). Do not defraud: Not an ordinance from the Decalogue but here included with them. It may refer to Deut 24:14. 
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10:25 easier for a camel
: A parable that depicts wealth as a formidable obstacle to entering God's kingdom (1 Tim 6:9-10; Heb 13:5). This difficulty is sorely demonstrated by the young man's refusal to part with his riches and embrace the gospel (10:22).
See note on Mt 19:24
. 
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10:27 it is impossible
: We are completely incapable of reaching salvation on our own. The human family descended from Adam suffers from a wounded nature and is unable to obey God completely or consistently without divine assistance (Rom 7:21-25). Only by cooperating with God and his grace can we fulfill the righteous requirements of his Law (Rom 8:4). By ourselves we can do nothing (Jn 15:5), but with the Lord's help
all things are possible
(Jer 32:17; Lk 1:37; CCC 2082). 
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10:33-34
Jesus' third and final prediction of his Passion and Resurrection (8:31-33; 9:30-32). It is the most detailed of the three, specifying that his death will result from a conspiracy of Jewish
(chief priests, scribes)
and Roman
(Gentiles)
authorities. 
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10:38 drink the chalice:
A reference to Jesus' forthcoming suffering (10:45; 14:36). • The OT uses this image to depict the misery that God compels the unfaithful to drink (Ps 75:8; Is 51:17; Jer 25:15). Although Jesus is innocent and pure, he consumes the cup that was filled for sinners.
with the baptism:
Symbolic for immersion in trial and suffering. James and John will share in Jesus' cup and baptism as they encounter persecution in the early Church. The NT recounts the martyrdom of James in Acts 12:2 and the exile of John in Rev 1:9. 
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10:42-45
The ambitions voiced by James and John lead Jesus to clarify the true nature of Christian leadership (10:37). His disciples are not to imitate the pomp and tyranny of Gentile rulers (10:42) but the humility and service he has been modeling for them during his ministry (10:45; Jn 13:14-15; CCC 1551). 
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10:45 for many:
The expression is used idiomatically to mean "for all". It indicates that Jesus will die, not just for some, but for the sins of the entire world (2 Cor 5:14; 1 Jn 2:2). • Here and elsewhere Jesus interprets his Passion as the fulfillment of the Isaian prophecy about the Suffering Servant (Is 52:13-53:12; Lk 22:37). Pouring out his life "for many" recalls how the messianic Servant will make "many" righteous and remit the sins of "many" by bearing their afflictions (Is 53:11-12; Rom 5:19). 
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10:46 Jericho:
Six miles north of the Dead Sea in the Jordan Valley. Jesus' brief stay in the city was spent with Zacchaeus (Lk 19:1-10). 
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10:47 Son of David:
Refers to the Messiah, who was expected to be a descendant of King David and the rightful heir to his throne (Is 9:7; Ezek 34:23-24). Many hoped he would possess the power to heal sickness and exorcize demons (Mt 15:22), much like the original son of David, King Solomon (Wis 7:20). Here the confession of Bartimaeus is ironic: this blind man sees Jesus' messianic identity more clearly than most people in Mark's Gospel. •
Allegorically
(St. Bede,
In Marcum):
Bartimaeus signifies the Gentile nations saved by Christ. Jesus bids them to rise up from their spiritual blindness, throw aside the mantle of their sinful habits, and follow him down the road to glory.
See note on Mt 12:23
. 
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Word Study

Ransom
(
Mk 10:45
)

Lytron
(Gk.): a "redemption price" paid for the release of captives. The word occurs only two times in

the NT (Mt 20:28; Mk 10:45) but is related to other biblical concepts with a similar meaning (Eph 1:7; 1 Tim 2:5-6). In the OT, kinship relations gave rise to the obligation of protecting one's parents, brothers, sisters, and cousins. Family members thus took responsibility for paying the ransom price for other family members who were taken captive or sold into slavery (Lev 25:47-49). As a divine Father, God became the "Redeemer" of Israel (Is 41:14; 54:5), who ransomed his beloved son from Egypt (Ex 4:2223; Deut 7:8). In the NT, God purchases his people from slavery in sin (Rom 6:16-18) by the price of Christ's own life (1 Pet 1:18-19). His saving death thus ransomed us for freedom and fellowship in the family of God (1 Cor 6:20; Col 1:11-14; Rev 5:9).

11:1-15:47
Mark devotes over one-third of his Gospel to Passion Week, the final days of Jesus' life. His emphasis on these events reflects their importance for the Church, which annually celebrates them from Palm Sunday to Holy Saturday. 
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11:1 Jerusalem:
Jesus journeys to the Holy City amid thousands of pilgrims arriving for the annual feast of Passover (Ex 12:1-13; CCC 583). It is this OT feast that Jesus transforms at the Last Supper and through his death on the Cross (14:22-25; 1 Cor 5:7).
Bethphage:
Hebrew for "house of figs". Its exact location is uncertain but presumably near
Bethany,
about two miles east of Jerusalem (Jn 11:18).
Mount of Olives:
The mountain directly east of Jerusalem. Its western slope faces the Temple Mount (13:3). 
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11:7 the colt:
Recalls the messianic prophecy of Zech 9:9. • The colt in this oracle symbolizes the king's humility as he comes to Israel in "peace", not mounted on a "war horse" to lead a military strike against Rome (Zech 9:10). Jesus' entry into the city also recalls Solomon's procession into Jerusalem at his coronation as the King of Israel (1 Kings 1:32-40; CCC 559-60).
See note on Mt 21:1-11
. 
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