Gracious God help us keep us steadfast in your Word, Jesus Christ, and may we extend his love through the covenant relationships of our lives.
The Gospel lesson for this coming Sunday is from Mark 10. Within the lesson Jesus teaches an important lesson to his disciples about the realities of marriage and divorce. Some religious figures of the day seek to entrap Jesus in a question about divorce and he responds with a question about the teachings of Moses. They then note that Moses had stated that it was possible to issue a certificate of divorce. Jesus responds that Moses only did that because of the hardness of heart of the people. In other words divorce was not God's will for human relationships, especially, covenant relationships like marriage and, similarly, God's relationship with Israel.
Marriage is not an easy path but most of human life is filled with struggles so that should not be a surprise. Nor should we be surprised that in a world and marriages filled with sinners that struggle enters the most intimate of our relationships. To understand what Jesus says to the Pharisees one needs to understand Moses comment and the nature of marriage and divorce in Israel and the cultures surrounding her.
In many of the patriarchal cultures surrounding Israel all that was necessary for divorce was for a man to put a woman out of his home. There was no divorce she was just expelled. Worse yet because she was not "divorced" she was unable to remarry and so she was in limbo and had no protection in the society. Into this situation Moses spoke God's protection by requiring that a woman be given a writ of divorce and therefore have the possibility of remarrying. However, in Israel's history the cause for divorce by which a man could dispose of his wife was extremely broad to the point of almost anything he didn't like while a woman who was treated largely as property could take no equivalent action against a husband even if abused. He could write a letter of dismissal but she had no recourse. Women were still very vulnerable to the whims of men.
Out of this background the Pharisees put their question and answer to Jesus about divorce and Jesus responded noting that the only reason Moses offered divorce at all was because of the hardness of the human heart. That same hardness of heart with which the Pharisees were trying to entrap Jesus. Jesus is saying that human relationships and even covenant relationships fail because of our self will and self interest. The evidence of this is scattered through out proclamations of the prophets.
In contrast to this attitude Jesus acknowledges the divine intention of the marriage relationship that two people share a single life and move forward with a single will. They are to be as one flesh. That single will is expressed most intimately in the birth of a child and a new life that moves forward from the two. As anyone knows, however, by looking at the world around us just having a child or children is not a guarantee that sin and hardness of heart disappear. Most of the time, life becomes more complicated and the battle of self wills grows exponentially.
Not just marriages are impacted by this hardness of hearts. We can become divorced from each other in numerous ways putting away or parting paths and relationships, parents from children, brothers from sisters and brothers, friend from friend, neighbor from neighbor, nation from nation, race from race, religion from religion, management from labor, political right from political left, teacher from student, 99% from 1%, 47% from 53% and all of the reverse and more. All of these relationships broken and separated from one another by hardness of heart and sin without a love of neighbor.
In contrast, when the disciples object to little children being brought for blessings in the face of such an important discussion Jesus calls for a child and says that to be like these littlest (and most vulnerable) is what it is like to be in the kingdom of God. Learning to be a child of God is to be dependent upon God for everything just as the small child is dependent. The kingdom of God means to be held in Jesus embrace and in his love learning like him to love the neighbor, family member, and spouse from whom you have been separated in every broken covenant and relationship.
The hardness of our hearts means that sometimes it is less evil and sinful to divorce and end a marriage or another relationship than to continue together. When the enmity and anger and hardness of heart and harm within a marriage is greater than outside it then it is time to divorce. In God's Kingdom, however, that divorce and separation does not release us from our responsibility to love each other, even to love each other at great cost. Such is the story of the Gospel and Jesus Christ as expressed by Paul in Romans chapter 5.
7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! 10 For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
Even in ending a relationship Jesus teaches us that all of life is still found in the two great commandments. Love God like a child, and your neighbor like yourself. Such things are only possible in the kingdom with God's own Spirit.
The Gospel lesson for this coming Sunday is from Mark 10. Within the lesson Jesus teaches an important lesson to his disciples about the realities of marriage and divorce. Some religious figures of the day seek to entrap Jesus in a question about divorce and he responds with a question about the teachings of Moses. They then note that Moses had stated that it was possible to issue a certificate of divorce. Jesus responds that Moses only did that because of the hardness of heart of the people. In other words divorce was not God's will for human relationships, especially, covenant relationships like marriage and, similarly, God's relationship with Israel.
Marriage is not an easy path but most of human life is filled with struggles so that should not be a surprise. Nor should we be surprised that in a world and marriages filled with sinners that struggle enters the most intimate of our relationships. To understand what Jesus says to the Pharisees one needs to understand Moses comment and the nature of marriage and divorce in Israel and the cultures surrounding her.
In many of the patriarchal cultures surrounding Israel all that was necessary for divorce was for a man to put a woman out of his home. There was no divorce she was just expelled. Worse yet because she was not "divorced" she was unable to remarry and so she was in limbo and had no protection in the society. Into this situation Moses spoke God's protection by requiring that a woman be given a writ of divorce and therefore have the possibility of remarrying. However, in Israel's history the cause for divorce by which a man could dispose of his wife was extremely broad to the point of almost anything he didn't like while a woman who was treated largely as property could take no equivalent action against a husband even if abused. He could write a letter of dismissal but she had no recourse. Women were still very vulnerable to the whims of men.
Out of this background the Pharisees put their question and answer to Jesus about divorce and Jesus responded noting that the only reason Moses offered divorce at all was because of the hardness of the human heart. That same hardness of heart with which the Pharisees were trying to entrap Jesus. Jesus is saying that human relationships and even covenant relationships fail because of our self will and self interest. The evidence of this is scattered through out proclamations of the prophets.
In contrast to this attitude Jesus acknowledges the divine intention of the marriage relationship that two people share a single life and move forward with a single will. They are to be as one flesh. That single will is expressed most intimately in the birth of a child and a new life that moves forward from the two. As anyone knows, however, by looking at the world around us just having a child or children is not a guarantee that sin and hardness of heart disappear. Most of the time, life becomes more complicated and the battle of self wills grows exponentially.
Not just marriages are impacted by this hardness of hearts. We can become divorced from each other in numerous ways putting away or parting paths and relationships, parents from children, brothers from sisters and brothers, friend from friend, neighbor from neighbor, nation from nation, race from race, religion from religion, management from labor, political right from political left, teacher from student, 99% from 1%, 47% from 53% and all of the reverse and more. All of these relationships broken and separated from one another by hardness of heart and sin without a love of neighbor.
In contrast, when the disciples object to little children being brought for blessings in the face of such an important discussion Jesus calls for a child and says that to be like these littlest (and most vulnerable) is what it is like to be in the kingdom of God. Learning to be a child of God is to be dependent upon God for everything just as the small child is dependent. The kingdom of God means to be held in Jesus embrace and in his love learning like him to love the neighbor, family member, and spouse from whom you have been separated in every broken covenant and relationship.
The hardness of our hearts means that sometimes it is less evil and sinful to divorce and end a marriage or another relationship than to continue together. When the enmity and anger and hardness of heart and harm within a marriage is greater than outside it then it is time to divorce. In God's Kingdom, however, that divorce and separation does not release us from our responsibility to love each other, even to love each other at great cost. Such is the story of the Gospel and Jesus Christ as expressed by Paul in Romans chapter 5.
7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! 10 For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
Even in ending a relationship Jesus teaches us that all of life is still found in the two great commandments. Love God like a child, and your neighbor like yourself. Such things are only possible in the kingdom with God's own Spirit.
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