The purpose of the Pharisees’ question is to test Jesus. Their questions always have an angle. They ask Jesus about divorce, but Jesus answers with teaching about marriage.

Later, when the disciples ask about divorce, He answers them in private (10:10). This is significant. Jesus did not come to load guilt on people for their past failures. Remember how He spoke to the woman of Samaria who had gone through five divorces. Jesus did not condemn her. He spoke to her about becoming a true worshipper of God.

Jesus does not focus on past failures, but on present realities and future possibilities. The focus of our Lord’s teaching is on the dignity and value of marriage.

What is marriage? Here is Jesus’ answer to the Pharisees: “From the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.' So they are no longer two but one flesh" (10:6-8).

Notice God’s pattern for marriage:

A man: Singular. Marriage is an exclusive union between two people.

Will leave: Marriage is a public attachment, not a private arrangement.

And be united: Marriage is a lasting relationship characterised by love.

To his wife: It is a relationship between one man and one woman.

One flesh: The union of their hearts is sealed and strengthened by the union of their bodies.

Those God has joined together, let man not separate. Marriage is an exclusive, public, lasting, loving union of one man and one woman sealed by God.

What do you think about God’s pattern for marriage? What comfort do you find in Jesus' focus on the dignity and value of marriage?

Many people manage their lives by dividing them into compartments. There’s the work compartment, for business, budgets, and sales reports; the family compartment, for marriage, children, and home; and the spiritual compartment, for God, the church, prayer, and eternity.

If you divide your life like that, you will probably feel that God cares about your soul but not about the ups and downs of your marriage. You’ll feel that He is interested in your heart but not in the chaos of your children’s schedules.

Think about this for a moment: the incarnation was God entering the world of noisy kids and pushy parents and strained marriages and messy divorces. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (1:14). It does not say the Word became spirit. If it did, we would have to limit God’s interest in our lives to the things of the spirit, like prayer and Bible study. But God is interested in every aspect of your life in the flesh - your work, your marriage, and your children.

The incarnation blows apart the compartments you may use to manage your life. When the Word became flesh in Jesus Christ, God was invading the whole of our lives: marriage, chequebook, children, career, everything! When Jesus went to the cross, He died not only to save your soul but to redeem your life. Thank God for that!

What compartments have you divided your life into? Do you truly believe that God cares about each part?

Here are two more observations on the strong words of Jesus.

4. Hell is eternal, conscious punishment.

'Their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched' (9:48). Jesus speaks not about the worm, but their worm. It is personal. The worm destroys by eating away at the inside. The thing that eats away inside a person is conscience. A person in hell will live with the full knowledge of what they have done. This never diminishes and it never ends. Then Jesus says, "the fire is not quenched." A person in hell lives under the judgement of God, who is a consuming fire forever.

5. It is worth going to any length to avoid hell.

“If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell” (9:43). Jesus says it would be better to be blind than to have your eyes multiplying lust. It would be better to have no arms than to add to your sins by striking another person. It would be better to have no tongue than to rage in anger, destroying another person's confidence.

Hell is a reality so terrible that you should be ready to do anything to avoid it—accept any discipline or restriction, change any habit, flee any temptation. Jesus endured the wrath of God so that you might never know what it is like. Would He have done this if hell was no big deal?

Reflect on the specific and personal nature of hell. How does this impact your desire to live a holy life? How does it impact your motivation for sharing the gospel?

These are among the strongest words ever spoken by our Lord Jesus Christ. Here are three observations from them.

1. Your influence matters.

“Whoever causes one of these little ones… to sin” (9:42). You are responsible not only for your own sins, but for the sins that you lead others into. If you cause someone younger or weaker to sin, it would be better to be tossed in the sea with a millstone around your neck. We need to know that so we will be restrained from sin ourselves and be able to endure when others sin against us.

2. God's justice is perfect.

Terrible things are done in this world, especially to children. Many of them will never be brought to justice here. But God will bring them to justice. God will bring justice to rulers who persecute people for their faith, teachers who undermine the faith of students, religious leaders whose hypocrisy undermines the faith of many, and ordinary people who lead a friend away from living faith.

3. There are degrees of punishment in hell.

“It would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea” (9:42). Why would that be better? The punishment experienced by a person in hell will be a direct reflection of their particular sins. If the person had been drowned in the sea before he caused a little one to sin, he would have one less sin to deal with in hell.

How could knowing that you are responsible for sins you lead others into, help to restrain you from sin? How could it help you endure when others sin against you?

Jesus is giving an illustration here: a child represents the poorest, weakest, and most vulnerable people. In our society, the poorest, weakest, and most vulnerable are not just the young. In significant measure, they are defined by race, and Jesus has something to say about this.

As disciples of Jesus, what is to be our attitude towards the poorest, weakest, and most vulnerable? Jesus says we are to welcome them. And what happens when we do this? Christ says, “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me”! (9:37).

What are you to do if you want more of Jesus in your life? What are we to do if we want more of Jesus in our church? We are to open our doors, our hearts, and our budget to the poorest, weakest, and most vulnerable people, here and around the world. Then we will have more of Jesus.

So let’s ask God to deal with our pride, whether it comes from feelings of jealousy over what has been given to others and not to us or from feelings of superiority over what has been given to us and not to others.

Let’s ask God to grow within us a servant heart that rejoices in serving the poorest, weakest, and most vulnerable people.

In what ways could you be more welcoming to the poorest, weakest, and most vulnerable in your church and in your community?

When Jesus asks the disciples about their argument, they are embarrassed. Trying to impress others with how great we are really is foolish.

The timing of this argument is significant. Jesus has just taken Peter, James, and John up the mountain. How do you think the other nine felt? “Why are they in the inner circle and I’m not?”

When someone else is given a privilege that is not given to you, you will find a great impulse to criticise that person. A large part of our criticism of others flows from pride.

Pride shows up in two ways: either as jealousy over what has been given to others and not to you, or as superiority over what has been given to you and not to others. Peter, James, and John had seen the unveiled glory of the Lord. But the greatest danger in spiritual experience is spiritual pride.

Jesus uses the opportunity to teach His disciples about humility: "Whoever would be first among you must be slave of all” (10:44).

Jesus did not object to the disciples seeking greatness. He says, “You want to make your life count, and you should. Here’s how: You must be the servant of all.”

If you think that greatness is established by proving you are better than others, you will be driven by a relentless desire to be first. You will spend your life trampling on others. You will destroy yourself, and when you enter the presence of God, the angels will send you to the back of the line. You cannot achieve true greatness by trying to be the best.

Consider the two ways pride shows up: jealousy and superiority. Where have you seen evidence of these in your own life?

Jesus shows us two reasons for taking up our cross and following Him. The first reason is that we see Christ's glory. Here is the second reason:

We share Christ’s work

“Rabbi, it is good that we are here” (9:5).

Peter’s instinct is to try and hold onto the moment of the transfiguration. He doesn't want this glimpse of Christ's glory to end. That’s our natural instinct, but it’s not going to happen.

Jesus leads Peter, James, and John down the mountain, where they find the other disciples trying to help a young person whose life has been gripped by a demonic power. Jesus rebukes the evil spirit, and the boy is delivered.

Put these two stories together and we learn something important: Peter, James, and John are rejoicing in the glory of Jesus at the top of the mountain. But at the bottom of the mountain is a world of great need.

The greatest temptation is to sit around savouring the joy of our experience of Christ while the world convulses in torment and in desperate need of His saving power.

The disciples follow Him not only because they have seen His glory but also because they share His work. They have a calling. They have a trust. They have a ministry.

Christ did not endure the agonies of Golgotha to make us comfortable. If we are God’s people, we are called to His work. We are trusted with great responsibility.

Christ leads us up the mountain to show us His glory. Then He leads us down the mountain to send us out into the world.

If you have seen the brightness of Christ’s glory, what are you doing about the darkness that is all around you?