Let’s begin. Start with a prayer and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you what he wants to show you.

Read Mark 10:1-16 in your Bible. 

As you are reading, ask the questions of who, what, when, where, why, and how as well as any repeated words or phrases. We’ll go through these together. Look for a verse(s) that stand out to you the most. The one that grabs your attention.

Now let’s go through these questions together.

Who? Who is speaking, who is being mentioned?

Jesus, God, crowds, Pharisees, Moses, disciples, and little children

When?

Soon after the previous verses.

Where?

Region of Judea & beyond the Jordan 

What? What is happening in these verses?

Jesus was teaching a crowd when some Pharisees approach Jesus with a question. But they are trying to testing Jesus on the topic of divorce. There is more to going on with even just this question, but this is a devotional so I will move on. However, consider making a note of these scriptures and study it out for yourself what all of this meant at a later time.

The next passages tell us that the children are coming to Jesus, but the disciples stop them. Jesus rebukes them for doing so.

Why? Why is this being mentioned? Why is this/will be happening?

Divorce was a controversial topic during this time. The Pharisees were trying to trap Jesus by trying to get him to speak either against Moses or by the popular thought of that time.

Then we see Jesus rebuking the disciples because He loves the children, and they are just important to Him.

How does this happen/take place?

Jesus answers the Pharisees by asking another question.

He tell the children to come and then turns it into a lesson.

Repeated words or phrases?

Command(ments), adultery, kingdom of God

Before we continue any further, what verse(s) stood out to you? 

What does this mean?

There are two things going on in this passage. First, the Pharisees trying to trap Jesus in speaking on a controversial topic of divorce. They are trying to get him to speak against Moses or the popular thought of that time. John the Baptist was beheaded on this very same topic, since he said that Herod Antipa’s divorced to his wife to marry another was unlawful. But Jesus knowing what the Pharisees were up to, replies with a question instead. He then goes on to explain how God ordained marriages. 

So let me speak to this topic of divorce real quick. If we were to just look at this passage here, we could mistakenly say that one should NEVER get a divorce. Marriage is something that needs to be taken seriously, and every effort to reconcile differences should be made, including counseling if necessary. However, when studying the Bible there are other scriptures about divorce being permitted in the case of unfaithfulness as in Matthew 19:9, 5:32, as well as an unbeliever who deserts a marriage that Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians 7:15. I have not found any direct scripture about marital abuse, but if scripture says that divorce is permitted when there is unfaithfulness, I will say divorce is permitted when there is abuse taking place. If you are in a situation where a spouse is abusing you, please get out and seek help if you can.

Let’s move on. We have this second scene of the children coming to Jesus, but they were being stopped by the disciples which upsets Jesus because of His love for children. He tells them that they are to receive the kingdom of God and its blessing like a child. 

What does this mean to me?

The verse that stood out to me was verse 15, “I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” 

 I will start with the point that we should never stop anyone wanting to come to Jesus to be touched by Him. Jesus wants to bless everyone who desires to be touched by Him, and we should help them reach Jesus. 

What really spoke to me in verse 15 is that there is nothing we can say or do to earn the Kingdom of God and all of its blessings. It is has been given to us as a gift. Just like a child who has been given a gift at Christmas or their birthday would not reject it out of selfish pride, we too must be willing to accept this free gift like a child who receives a present, openly, willingly, and even joyfully….having a child-like faith. We tend to give gifts to those we love. We don’t give a gift to someone because they earned it. If they earned it that’s called a prize. A gift, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is “something voluntarily transferred by one person to another without compensation.” And this is how Jesus wants us to accept the Kingdom of God, as a gift like a child. There is nothing you can say or do that will earn your place in heaven, just accept it by believing in Jesus Christ. 

What verse spoke out to you and what is God trying to show you through it? Write it out in your journal. Then say a prayer and have a conversation with God about it.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for this free gift that you have given us. I willingly, openly and joyfully accept it. You paid the ultimate price on my behalf so that I can have a relationship with the Father. For that I am truly grateful. Holy Spirit please continue to help me recognize the areas like selfish pride that I need to continually to work on because I don’t ever want to reject this gift of eternal life. Thank you for everything that you are speaking to me and to those reading. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.