Mark 10:1-12
Lawful
- Unlawful. Permitted - Prohibited. These words have haunted people for
centuries. We are always trying to find the line between these pairs of words. We
want to stay as close to unlawful on the lawful side of the line. Our nature is
to try to push the boundaries. Most of us are edge-walkers, spending our lives
looking at the unlawful and prohibited, while standing in the lawful and
permitted. And for many of us, the other side is only one step away.
This
makes life a perilous journey. If we life on this moral edge, then we must be
careful with every step we make. Every next step could be over the line. Talk
about a tentative life, a life lived not knowing where our journey will take
us. We spend it looking back wondering where we went wrong, how we got off the path,
or we are so afraid of the next step that we hesitate constantly, wondering and
wandering to places we never expected to see in our journey.
I
had my 34th wedding anniversary a few days ago. If I had lived on
the edge of moral decisions, I probably would not have the marriage I do. If I
had chosen to try to get away with edge crossings, I am pretty sure my life
would have been pretty miserable. Edge walking is not where I want to spend my
life. I like solid ground in my relationship.
The
divorce and remarriage debate has been raging for millennia. I am not here to
bring judgment on anyone who has endured its devastations. The price paid by
the partners and the children has a definable cost. We see the costs in certain
segments of our society in very pronounced ways. In some parts of our society
there are almost no married fathers to help raise children and nurture mature
adult relationships. And for far too many, marriage never even happened. The
foundation of society has so fractured that marriage wasn’t even considered. I
just want a baby, so I will get one.
Jesus
has a way of cutting through all the pretense and excuses. He can state the
rule and violation consequences in very stark terms. The rule is simple. It has
been this way since the beginning. Stay married to the same person for life.
And if you don’t stay married, then stay single. The second marriage is
adultery.
Now
I know that there are a couple of clarifying statements other places in Scripture,
but I just want to stick with what Jesus says here. He has been questioned by
the religious leaders about the lawfulness of divorce. They are purposely
attempting to trip Jesus up in His answer. They want to be able to discredit
His message. They want to invalidate His claims.
In
answering their question Jesus gives a very straightforward answer, allowing no
wiggle room for the religious leaders to squirm out of. They ask about
lawfulness and Jesus refers to design specifications.
Male
and female were made as a matched set. And once they are paired in a set, they
are always a set. They are not bookends, but intertwining subplots of the same
story. If one is taken away, the story falls apart. There is no way to add a new
character to the book. The plot would be too disjointed, missing too many
essential pieces.