B, Pentecost 19 Proper 22 - Mark 10:11-12, 14-15 "Jesus on Divorce and Children"
One might say, “But the
animals do the same, they have co-creative power too!” And they do but only to a certain
extent.
God brought forth animals
from the earth, whereas humans were created from the earth but are also created
in his image, and in his likeness.
A male and a female human
being have the co-creative power to make images of God in the likeness of
God. And further to that God has given humanity
dominion over all he has created from the earth.
The blessing of God fell on
Adam and Eve after he created them saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill
the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over
the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
(Genesis 1:28 ESV)
Jesus was conceived in Mary
by the Holy Spirit, without her cleaving to a man, without the effort of a man. Jesus was both the Son of Man but also the
Son of God in the one person.
Jesus is tested twice in
the Gospel reading for today. First by
the Pharisees when they tested him on divorce and then by the disciples when they
incensed him by rebuking those bringing children to him.
Jesus teaches his disciples
from these two testing events. First, he
says in response to the Pharisees, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries
another commits adultery against her, and if she divorces her husband and
marries another, she commits adultery.” (Mark 10:11–12 ESV)
Second, when he saw the
disciples rebuking those who were bringing children to him said, “Let the
children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of
God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does
not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” (Mark
10:14–15 ESV)
Divorce, adultery, and hindering
children; things have obviously changed somewhat since God placed Adam and Eve
together to be fruitful and multiply.
Yet Jesus is placed right in the thick of humanity’s destructive ways.
And in doing so brings the kingdom of God into the presence of these difficult
situations.
Anyone who has had anything
to do with divorce or relationship breakdown knows just how complex the issues
are that feed the collapse. At the heart
of a separation one deals with guilt, fear, grief, anger, betrayal, role
responsibilities, loss of trust, and insecurity.
When Jesus is tested by the
Pharisees, he tells the Pharisees it is because the hardness of heart that
Moses allowed a certificate of divorce to be written. He then takes his hearers back to the
beginning of creation, to the foundational function of being male and female.
When we are in a
relationship with another person, regardless of the type of relationship, we
are in a relationship with someone who bears the image of God.
We can ask God, “How am I
honouring you in my dealing with the other person who bears your image?” Then
we can think about our relationships with our spouse or our partner, and then
our children or our parents, and then our neighbours, who all bear the image of
God. But as you do, ask yourself, “What
is it that I want or need from that relationship?”
Now ask yourself, “What
does Jesus want or need from his relationship with me? Are my wants and needs from my relationships the same as his wants and needs with me? What were Jesus’ wants and needs from his
disciples and the Pharisees?”
Divorce, adultery, and the
hindering of children quickly bring to the fore all the messes in our families,
the church and society today, and with that judgementalism and egalitarianism
issues.
So determined has our
society become to provide a safe place for children and to stop gender
discrimination that in our zealousness we have forgotten we are blessed as men
by God and blessed as women by God, both being created in his image. And the children we’ve created in his image
have been indoctrinated and confused by the judgementalism of gender rights, identity,
and equality. And with that comes the
suppression of the blessedness of serving each other as men and women, and as children
and adults.
Through this self-centred mentality
of seeking our rights in sexuality, in gender equality, as autonomous children,
and as individualistic adults; divorce, adultery, and the hindering of
children, seems to be accepted as normal.
As divorce, adultery and the hindering of children becomes the norm we continue
to lose the blessedness of being fruitful and multiplying on this earth.
But Jesus comes to us right
in the heart of divorce, adultery, and the hindering of children. He shows us what it is to be blessed and
fruitful without being the son of a human father, without ever being married,
without having children and without hindering children.
How does he do it?
He comes as the Son of Man
and the Son of God. Jesus was sent as
the new Adam.
In these last days God has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the
heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and
the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his
power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the
Majesty on high. (Hebrews
1:1b–3 ESV)
Jesus came to be the
Saviour of us and our fallen relationships.
He does this through the forgiveness of sins. He can do this because he comes in the image
of God, without sin, but bearing all sin for the forgiveness of all sin.
He brings forgiveness
within marriages, he brings forgiveness where marriages have ended in divorce,
and he brings forgiveness in adultery.
Jesus also serves children who are caught up in divorces and
relationship breakdowns, and he seeks to reconnect with children who have been
hindered from coming to him.
God has put all things in
our messy world under his control.
Now in putting everything in subjection to him [Jesus], he [God] left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see
everything in subjection to him. But we
see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus,
crowned with glory and honour because of the suffering of death, so that by the
grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in
bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect
through suffering. For he who sanctifies
and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed
to call them brothers and sisters. (Hebrews 2:8–11)
We might not see that God
is in control of our broken families, church, and community, but we are called
to trust his word. God conquers all
broken marriages, all adultery, and all hinderances of his children created in
his image. He does it by teaching us in
his word how we get it wrong, by showing us the righteousness of Jesus’ life,
but gives us forgiveness and salvation through his death.
God calls us not to divorce
ourselves from him or his church by seeing and hearing he is making all things
new as he showed John, recorded in Revelation chapter twenty-one, “And I saw the holy
city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride
adorned for her husband. And I heard a
loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with
man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will
be with them as their God” (Revelation 21:2–3 ESV)
Adam and Eve ate from the
tree of knowledge of good and evil and from it came divorce, adultery, and the
hindering of children.
You and I are called to eat
from the tree of knowledge of sin and salvation, that is the cross, so you and
I are forgiven and saved from this adulterous and Fatherless generation.
Receive God’s invitation of
blessing and fruitfulness, “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage
supper of the Lamb… These are the true words of God.” (Revelation 19:9 ESV)
And, “May grace and peace be
multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” (2 Peter 1:2 ESV)
Amen.
