Chapter Overview Key ideas, context & where Christ is 1 And he left there and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan , and crowds gathered to him again . And again , as was his custom , he taught them .
2 And Pharisees came up and in order to test him asked , “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife ?”
3 He answered them , “What did Moses command you ?”
4 They said , “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away .”
5 And 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 ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife ,
8 and the two shall become one flesh .’ So they are no longer two but one flesh .
9 What therefore God has joined together , let not man separate .”
10 And in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter .
11 And he said to them , “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her ,
12 and if she divorces her husband and marries another , she commits adultery .”
13 And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them , and the disciples rebuked them .
14 But when Jesus saw it , he was indignant and said to them , “Let the children come to me ; do not hinder them , for to such belongs the kingdom of God .
15 Truly , I say to you , whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it .”
16 And he took them in his arms and blessed them , laying his hands on them .
17 And as he was setting out on his journey , a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him , “Good Teacher , what must I do to inherit eternal life ?”
18 And 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 .’”
20 And he said to him , “Teacher , all these I have kept from my youth .”
21 And Jesus , looking at him , loved him , and said to him , “You lack one thing : go , sell all that you have and give to the poor , and you will have treasure in heaven ; and come , follow me .”
22 Disheartened by the saying , he went away sorrowful , for he had great possessions .
23 And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples , “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God !”
24 And the disciples were amazed at his words . But Jesus said to them again , “Children , how difficult 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 person to enter the kingdom of God .”
26 And they were exceedingly astonished , and said to him , “Then who can be saved ?”
27 Jesus looked at them and said , “With man it is impossible , but not with God . For all things are possible with God .”
28 Peter began to say to him , “See , we have left everything and followed you .”
29 Jesus 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 lands , for my sake and for the gospel ,
30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time , houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands , with persecutions , and in the age to come eternal life .
31 But many who are first will be last , and the last first .”
32 And they were on the road , going up to Jerusalem , and Jesus was walking ahead of them . And they were amazed , and those who followed were afraid . And taking the twelve again , he began to tell them what was to happen to him ,
33 saying , “See , we are going up to Jerusalem , and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes , and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles .
34 And they will mock him and spit on him , and flog him and kill him . And after three days he will rise .”
35 And James and John , the sons of Zebedee , came up to him and said to him , “Teacher , we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you .”
36 And he said to them , “What do you want me to do for you ?”
37 And they said to him , “Grant us to sit , one at your right hand and one at your left , in your glory .”
38 Jesus said to them , “You do not know what you are asking . Are you able to drink the cup that I drink , or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized ?”
39 And they said to him , “We are able .” And Jesus said to them , “The cup that I drink you will drink , and with the baptism with which I am baptized , you will be baptized ,
40 but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant , but it is for those for whom it has been prepared .”
41 And when the ten heard it , they began to be indignant at James and John .
42 And Jesus called them to him and said to them , “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them , and their great ones exercise authority over them .
43 But it shall not be so among you . But whoever would be great among you must be your servant ,
44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all .
45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve , and to give his life as a ransom for many .”
46 And they came to Jericho . And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd , Bartimaeus , a blind beggar , the son of Timaeus , was sitting by the roadside .
47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth , he began to cry out and say , “Jesus , Son of David , have mercy on me !”
48 And many rebuked him , telling him to be silent . But he cried out all the more , “Son of David , have mercy on me !”
49 And Jesus stopped and said , “Call him .” And they called the blind man , saying to him , “Take heart . Get up ; he is calling you .”
50 And throwing off his cloak , he sprang up and came to Jesus .
51 And Jesus said to him , “What do you want me to do for you ?” And the blind man said to him , “Rabbi , let me recover my sight .”
52 And Jesus said to him , “Go your way ; your faith has made you well .” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way .
Scripture quotations marked “ESV” are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved.