Mark 10:1-31

Some Pharisees came to Jesus and asked if it was lawful for a man to divorce his wife. Jesus told them that God ordained marriage and no one should separate what God put together. He also told them Moses had permitted divorce because of their hard hearts. Modern wedding vows usually include the phrase "'til death do us part" or "so long as we both shall live." This is the way that God intended it to be. Divorce breaks that part of the vows by dissolving the marriage prematurely. When we make our vows, we are promising not only our spouse, but also God to be committed for a lifetime.


Jesus told the disciples to let some children come to Him and that the kingdom of heaven belongs to "such as these." We need to be like children in many ways to come to Jesus. Children love and trust unconditionally. They are teachable and humble. These are the qualities Christ wants in us when we come to Him. If we come with an attitude of haughtiness or self-importance, we need to be emptied of those things before we can be filled up.


Jesus taught that it is difficult for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. We need to be ready to give up everything to follow Jesus and the richer we are, the more we have to give up. We can also begin to rely on our earthly possessions more than on God. If we feel all our needs are met, why would we feel a need for God? This doesn't mean that rich people can't have a relationship with Jesus, but it is more difficult. The more things between us and God, the harder it is to see Him.