For of such is the kingdom of God

Then He arose from there and came to the region of Judea by the other side of the Jordan. And multitudes gathered to Him again, and as He was accustomed He taught them again.

The Pharisees came and asked Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" testing Him. And He answered and said to them, "What did Moses command you?" They said, "Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to dismiss her." And Jesus answered and said to them, "Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. But from the beginning of the creation, God 'made them male and female.' For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, 'and the two shall become one flesh'; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."

In the house His disciples also asked Him again about the same matter. So He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her. And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."

Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it." And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them.

- Mark 10:1-16

In yesterday's reading, Jesus explored the themes of leadership, service and humility. He outlined in the strongest possible terms the charge which His apostles must fulfill as leaders in His church: they are to welcome the "little ones" as if they were welcoming Christ Himself, and with Christ is also the Father. He warns what will befall those who cause the little ones to stumble - and it is a continuation of His powerful warning about humility and service in leadership. It is His strongest warning possible, summoning the reality of Judgment, and teaching in a powerful metaphor that it is better to lose a limb or one's sight than perish altogether. He means that each will be tried and tested, and may be called upon to give up cherished notions of rank in order to truly serve. Using the metaphor of salt as that essence He wishes them to retain, He taught, "Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another."

Then He arose from there and came to the region of Judea by the other side of the Jordan. And multitudes gathered to Him again, and as He was accustomed He taught them again. Jesus has come to Jerusalem to teach. My study bible says, "Having completed His Galilean ministry, Jesus begins His Judean ministry, the focus of which is Jerusalem. Jesus taught regularly. Teaching is not all people need, but it is indispensable for effective Christian living."

The Pharisees came and asked Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" testing Him. And He answered and said to them, "What did Moses command you?" They said, "Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to dismiss her." And Jesus answered and said to them, "Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept." In Jesus' time, it was easy for a man to divorce his wife (but for Jews, a woman could not divorce her husband). It simply required a certificate written by a dissatisfied husband. But Jesus makes a case even against Moses' command. He says this was written "because of the hardness of your heart." I think it's important to understand the conditions for women, and to consider what this meant in terms of hardship. In this society, how would she support herself? Where would she go? What would she do? What social group could she then be a part of? But there is even more to it than this.

"But from the beginning of the creation, God 'made them male and female.' For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, 'and the two shall become one flesh'; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate." Jesus reminds them of the essence of relationship - of love and care for one another. God creates bonds between human beings, the sacrament of marriage being perhaps the most significant. "The two shall become one flesh" teaches us of this powerful union before God. Over and over again, Jesus has taught about relationship and relatedness -- whether it is to teach about the "little child" in whom we are also to see Jesus Himself and the Father as well, or this passage on marriage, it is relationship and love that He emphasizes. Marriage is not only a sense of gaining a wife, something added to one's estate - which can be gotten rid of if for any reason it is not satisfactory - but marriage is a state in which two are joined in the fullness of what it is to possess a soul, and the capacity to love, and what it truly means to be a creation of God. It is such a strong bond that it, in fact, replaces the bonds to parents and family of origin. To become one flesh is a sort of metaphor that teaches the substitution of the early stages of life, in which mother and child are joined as one flesh. For this reason, Jesus invokes the very act of creation itself. He always teaches us about what we can be, uplifting humanity to the fullest image in which we are made. In some way, He is raising the question, "What about love?"

In the house His disciples also asked Him again about the same matter. So He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her. And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery." As has happened so often, His disciples ask Him in private to speak to them further about His public teaching. And in private, He takes the teaching further. Divorce and remarriage are a form of adultery. The case of a woman divorcing her husband would apply only to a Gentile woman, as this was not permitted among Jews in Jesus' time. The ancient Church, it should be noted, did recognize conditions in which divorce was permissible, including a threat to one's partner's life, desertion, forced prostitution and sexual immorality. Jesus' teaching is about love and the bonds of love as created by God. His teachings are against abuse, not a merciless sanctioning of any and all cruelty in a slavish bond. Divorce was regarded as a spiritual tragedy in the sense that the bonds of love in a sacrament of God can be destroyed by abuse. My study bible says that among the stricter school of the Pharisees, this perspective on the destruction of a marriage (for example, through sexual immorality) was also taught. Again, the emphasis here is on love and relationship.

Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it." And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them. Again, we have a reading where "little children" are mentioned, as has been the case for the readings of the previous two days (here and here). We recall that Jesus has taught His disciples that when they receive a little child, they should see it as if they are receiving Him, and therefore also the Father. But in this context, we see something added to this teaching: He is once again teaching about love and relationship. It is an extension of the teachings on marriage -- the children belong to Him, and hence to the disciples also. There is no "least of these" in this kingdom. The very attitude of the children themselves is one which adults need to adopt in order to accept and receive the kingdom, in order to enter.

Divorce and the children -- we see Jesus creating an understanding of the bonds of union and love on many levels, and elevating the capacities for human beings to exercise and live that love. In marriage, a union becomes "one flesh" in the sacrament of God, joined together in love by the God who is love, and this is the image for which we strive to understand relatedness between equals: two different beings, of one flesh. One gender in this picture of marriage that Jesus presents is not inferior or superior to the other. And the receiving of a little child in the midst of the Church, by Jesus Himself, is elevated to the standard with which the disciples must receive all, "for of such is the kingdom of God." It is again a teaching on humility - it is the perspective of the child with which we must receive God, and enter the kingdom. Two teachings on love, but both reflecting the bonds created by God, Who is love. Can we live that love? Two thousand years later, have we learned something more of that love and this radical vision He brings of its bonds? Let us consider the love of God and its permeation throughout our lives. Where does humility come in for each of us, and its status as a basic requirement for loving relationships? In my opinion, "hardness of heart" is always related to arrogance, and humility is where we truly recognize who we are. Just as He has taught the apostles about this requirement for their ministry of service, so He is also teaching this about marriage, and extending its relation to the bonds that are in the Church. Can we see this? Can we hope for this humility that helps us to see as God sees? perhaps even to love as God loves?