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Read Mark 10:1-12
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1 And he left there and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan, and crowds gathered to him again. And again, as was his custom, he taught them. 2 And Pharisees came up and in order to test him asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" 3 He answered them, "What did Moses command you?" 4 They said, "Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away." 5 And Jesus said to them, "Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. 6 But from the beginning of creation, 'God made them male and female.' 7 'Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, 8 and the two shall become one flesh.' So they are no longer two but one flesh. 9 What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate." 10 And in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. 11 And he said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, 12 and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."
You would be hard pressed to find someone who is not affected by a divorce in the family. The Christian church is just as affected as the secular world. It is hard to know at times what to do or say about divorce. Jesus speaks such strong words against it, seeming to give no pardon and no excuse, and yet we know so many people who are children of divorce or have gotten a divorce: reasonable people with reasonable explanations. Maybe it hits close to home because you have been affected by divorce.
This struggle may lead us to ask, “When is it permitted? When is it ok?” It leads us to attempt to shed positive light on divorce by contrasting “successful” divorces with “destructive” or “dead” marriages. It leads us to search for tools to help us or others do this “well,” making the best out of a tough situation. But Jesus’ words in today’s reading would have us recognize that divorce never pleases God. In every situation, divorce breaks his heart because it means that what God intended and gave to us as a gift of his blessing is broken. He grieves with those hurt and wronged by what is intended as a uniquely wonderful relationship.
God’s desire is that husband and wife would love and honor each other. When preparing for marriage, we should keep his desire in mind. If we are married, we should give thanks for the gift of our spouse and honor and cherish them. We should all pray for those who are married that God would daily bind them together, united as husband and wife.
Our God is a God of reconciliation. We see that in Jesus, who reconciled us with the Father. In him, God forgives all who repent of any sin. He more than anyone knows what reconciliation costs. As a God of reconciliation, he desires his people to be a people of reconciliation. He would have us be reconciled in all relationships, even as we are reconciled to him in Christ.
Prayer
Gracious Lord, I give thanks for the joy and blessing that you grant to husbands and wives. Assist them always by your grace that with steadfast love they may honor and keep their marriage vows, and grow in love toward you and for each other. Amen.