And Pharisees came up and in order to test him [Jesus] asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away.” And Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. But 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. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” (Mark 10:2-9 ESV).
The painful reality of divorce is a challenge for the church today. But this was also true in Jesus’ day. To test him and try to get him into trouble with legal experts, some religious leaders wanted to debate with him on this subject. But notice that he turned the tables to explain the impact of marriage.
Jesus reminds us that marriage is not based on feelings. Marriage is the amazing and mysterious miracle in which two persons, a man and a woman with different backgrounds and families, become one unit. According to God, when two people come together in marriage, they create a new living thing: they become one flesh. So, when I promised, “I do,” to my wife nearly 55 years ago, life was no longer just about me; it was about us.
To hold this beautiful vision of marriage is tough in a world that is so focused on the individual. Messages bombard us from all sides to try to convince us that the self is most important. Others would have us believe it’s all about what we feel, what we want, what we need.
For those of us who are married, Jesus invites us to die to that selfish spirit and work to build up and bless our spouse.
And for those of us who know the pain of a broken marriage, God invites us to experience the forgiveness, grace, and healing that give renewed peace and joy.