Mark 10:2-16
On World Communion Sunday, it seems odd to have a reading on divorce. But consider this: there are over 33,000 different denominations in the Christian tradition. Some are limited to members of a particular family; the largest contains well over a billion members. We acknowledge the hard work to overcome our differences. However, we acknowledge the splits. The infamous fights in which insults where hurled, people where excommunicated, battles were fought, blood spilt, people burnt at the stake. All in the name of Christ. All which reminds me of divorce. Acrimonious divorce, in fact.
At a divorce there is no casket. No floral arrangements. No sitting shiva, no Service of Resurrection to attend, no tombstone to order, no grave to tend, no ceremony, no lament to sing when a certificate of divorce arrives. Yet, psychologists tell us that divorce is the second highest cause of stress of all life events – right behind the number one cause of stress – the death of a spouse, or a long-time partner. Marriage only feebly cashes in at number 7 on the stress test lists.
As a divorced person myself, today’s passage from Mark makes me squirm. I have spent many hours on this text trying to coat some sort of solace from this passage, but in the end I couldn’t. Jesus flat out forbids divorce. Jesus calls remarriage adultery—for both a man and a woman.
Most divorced and separated people I know and have counseled did not marry with the intention of breaking up. They /we took our vows seriously. They / we have no problem acknowledging that divorce is evidence of a failure, a rupture, sin, that it is truly not God’s vision for humanity and that they have indeed fallen short. “When I married, I thought I married for life” is the mantra that is repeated over and over.
However, the Pharisees here ask an interesting questions: It’s not: is divorce lawful, but, is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife.
In Jesus’ time, divorce was exclusively a man’s prerogative. A wife could be dismissed by her husband by a written decree of “indecency” according to Deuteronomy 24. Strictly meant to be adultery, or immoral conduct, it was broadened to be interpreted that a husband could divorce his wife for any offense she gave him. She burnt his dinner. She raised her voice and the neighbor heard her. She left the house with her hair unbound. Men stood to gain everything while the spurned wife lost everything: her social standing, her right to raise and be with her children, her home and her future. So, the most common result for a divorced woman was destitution, poverty, and social isolation.
Jesus refuses to debate with the Pharisees on their ground. He challenges them to refocus on God’s vision and God’s intent: not on legalisms and loopholes.
In a society that where marriage has devolved to degrade women and where it is the only institution for women and children’s means of economic security, Jesus refuses to allow women to be cast off for the slightest excuse. Instead, Jesus insists on lifting up God’s holy purposes for relationship: union, relatedness, durability.
Jesus’ point to the Pharisees in its first century context is radical: women are not to be casually divorced. Jesus redirects their attention from Moses back to God in the act of creation of gender and relationship.
Our Brokenness is a reality. I am a divorced woman. I failed at my first marriage. Each one of us can name a breach in a relationship – from an infidelity to something abusive, to a sin of omission, a sharp word, a stingy attitude. We are a broken, here or there. According to Hebrews, however, Jesus, the perfect image of God, sustains all things for us, and made that purification of sins. Listen to this at v.11, it says that Jesus is not ashamed to call us brothers and sisters. Despite all we’ve done. Where we’ve been. Now to me, that gives me hope.
The passage from Mark doesn’t end with the Pharisees. It goes to Jesus’ disciples, who get in trouble again- what else is new-- for speaking sternly to people about bringing their children to Jesus to be blessed. Jesus is indignant. “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.
Our salvation lies in this. Jesus knows we are a broken people. We are a broken church. Yet he calls us to him nonetheless. Children, just want to be loved, to be close to for security and closeness. They don’t care about the endless debates on dogma, how many angels can dance on the head of a needle, what’s the right title of the hierarchy, and who’s trending and who’s not. Just be with Jesus, blessed and broken, that all that matters. That’s all Jesus wants us to know - we are loved: broken and blessed. That’s all we need to know and that’s all it takes.
The disciples see little worth in the children, as the Pharisees see little worth in their wives. We know even Children aren’t perfect. Yet Jesus takes them into his arms and blesses them. What other group of people does he do this with? With this gesture he gives us hope. Come to me like children, my little brothers and sisters, he says, and you are welcome in my house, at my table. You will have the father’s embrace of the prodigal. The brother’s loving hug which says, all is forgiven, you are love welcome home.
Today as we come to the table, each one of us has a heart that potentially be divided by a number of issues. As we examine our lives, we can think of what can separate us. As we review our actions of this week we can think of all that can drive us away. But for all that leaves us broken, that does not have the final say. Jesus says, come to me. Learn to enter the kingdom of Heaven like a little child, a favorite child, of a large, loving extended family. That is the blessing God has for us – despite our sin, our brokenness, our many divisions, Jesus embraces us all, loves us, and promises us the kingdom of heaven. And that unites us and reminds us – divisions and all – we are brothers and sisters in Christ indeed.
On World Communion Sunday, it seems odd to have a reading on divorce. But consider this: there are over 33,000 different denominations in the Christian tradition. Some are limited to members of a particular family; the largest contains well over a billion members. We acknowledge the hard work to overcome our differences. However, we acknowledge the splits. The infamous fights in which insults where hurled, people where excommunicated, battles were fought, blood spilt, people burnt at the stake. All in the name of Christ. All which reminds me of divorce. Acrimonious divorce, in fact.
At a divorce there is no casket. No floral arrangements. No sitting shiva, no Service of Resurrection to attend, no tombstone to order, no grave to tend, no ceremony, no lament to sing when a certificate of divorce arrives. Yet, psychologists tell us that divorce is the second highest cause of stress of all life events – right behind the number one cause of stress – the death of a spouse, or a long-time partner. Marriage only feebly cashes in at number 7 on the stress test lists.
As a divorced person myself, today’s passage from Mark makes me squirm. I have spent many hours on this text trying to coat some sort of solace from this passage, but in the end I couldn’t. Jesus flat out forbids divorce. Jesus calls remarriage adultery—for both a man and a woman.
Most divorced and separated people I know and have counseled did not marry with the intention of breaking up. They /we took our vows seriously. They / we have no problem acknowledging that divorce is evidence of a failure, a rupture, sin, that it is truly not God’s vision for humanity and that they have indeed fallen short. “When I married, I thought I married for life” is the mantra that is repeated over and over.
However, the Pharisees here ask an interesting questions: It’s not: is divorce lawful, but, is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife.
In Jesus’ time, divorce was exclusively a man’s prerogative. A wife could be dismissed by her husband by a written decree of “indecency” according to Deuteronomy 24. Strictly meant to be adultery, or immoral conduct, it was broadened to be interpreted that a husband could divorce his wife for any offense she gave him. She burnt his dinner. She raised her voice and the neighbor heard her. She left the house with her hair unbound. Men stood to gain everything while the spurned wife lost everything: her social standing, her right to raise and be with her children, her home and her future. So, the most common result for a divorced woman was destitution, poverty, and social isolation.
Jesus refuses to debate with the Pharisees on their ground. He challenges them to refocus on God’s vision and God’s intent: not on legalisms and loopholes.
In a society that where marriage has devolved to degrade women and where it is the only institution for women and children’s means of economic security, Jesus refuses to allow women to be cast off for the slightest excuse. Instead, Jesus insists on lifting up God’s holy purposes for relationship: union, relatedness, durability.
Jesus’ point to the Pharisees in its first century context is radical: women are not to be casually divorced. Jesus redirects their attention from Moses back to God in the act of creation of gender and relationship.
Our Brokenness is a reality. I am a divorced woman. I failed at my first marriage. Each one of us can name a breach in a relationship – from an infidelity to something abusive, to a sin of omission, a sharp word, a stingy attitude. We are a broken, here or there. According to Hebrews, however, Jesus, the perfect image of God, sustains all things for us, and made that purification of sins. Listen to this at v.11, it says that Jesus is not ashamed to call us brothers and sisters. Despite all we’ve done. Where we’ve been. Now to me, that gives me hope.
The passage from Mark doesn’t end with the Pharisees. It goes to Jesus’ disciples, who get in trouble again- what else is new-- for speaking sternly to people about bringing their children to Jesus to be blessed. Jesus is indignant. “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.
Our salvation lies in this. Jesus knows we are a broken people. We are a broken church. Yet he calls us to him nonetheless. Children, just want to be loved, to be close to for security and closeness. They don’t care about the endless debates on dogma, how many angels can dance on the head of a needle, what’s the right title of the hierarchy, and who’s trending and who’s not. Just be with Jesus, blessed and broken, that all that matters. That’s all Jesus wants us to know - we are loved: broken and blessed. That’s all we need to know and that’s all it takes.
The disciples see little worth in the children, as the Pharisees see little worth in their wives. We know even Children aren’t perfect. Yet Jesus takes them into his arms and blesses them. What other group of people does he do this with? With this gesture he gives us hope. Come to me like children, my little brothers and sisters, he says, and you are welcome in my house, at my table. You will have the father’s embrace of the prodigal. The brother’s loving hug which says, all is forgiven, you are love welcome home.
Today as we come to the table, each one of us has a heart that potentially be divided by a number of issues. As we examine our lives, we can think of what can separate us. As we review our actions of this week we can think of all that can drive us away. But for all that leaves us broken, that does not have the final say. Jesus says, come to me. Learn to enter the kingdom of Heaven like a little child, a favorite child, of a large, loving extended family. That is the blessing God has for us – despite our sin, our brokenness, our many divisions, Jesus embraces us all, loves us, and promises us the kingdom of heaven. And that unites us and reminds us – divisions and all – we are brothers and sisters in Christ indeed.
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