Posts
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 continued His discourse on greatness in the Church (see also Monday's reading). He said, "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched -- where 'Their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.' And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched -- where 'Their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.' "And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire -- where 'Their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.' For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? 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. We note that Jesus is teaching in Judea, closer to the central authorities of the temple, in the territory more closely under their watch and control.
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." The Pharisees come testing Jesus. My study bible explains that "in contrast to the easy access to divorce under the Mosaic Law, and because of the misuse of divorce in that day, Jesus repeatedly condemns divorce." (See also Matthew 5:31-32, 19:8-9.) The emphasis here to the Pharisees is on the nature of marriage as eternal, something created by God -- and in that context, He attacks their hardness of heart. That is, the power of easy divorce (for men only, in the Jewish custom) meant that women could be easily discarded for almost any reason, losing not only social status but also means of support. In this point of view of marriage, women are not possessions but spiritually equal partners, part of "one flesh." Coming after yesterday's reading, in which Jesus taught about the use of power, and that those who wish to be greatest shall be servants of all, this teaching is extends our understanding of caring for "the little ones," the humble or poor in spirit.
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." Here "in the house" speaking to His disciples, this concept is clearly extended also to all those under Roman law (including Gentiles) and not only to Jews: Jewish women could not initiate divorce, but Roman women could.
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. My study bible notes here that according to Theophan, the disciples rebuked the mothers for bringing little children to Christ because their manner was "unruly" and because they thought children "diminished His integrity as Teacher and Master." Jesus rejects this idea and clearly uses the children instead as an example of those who inherit the kingdom of God. Therefore, in the Church, children are invited (even as an example to adults, says my study bible) to participate in the Kingdom through prayer, worship, baptism, chrismation and Communion. Clearly, we are still on the themes of Jesus' teaching about power, service, and greatness.
Over the past few readings, Jesus has elaborated on concepts of greatness, beginning with the statement, "If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all." We recall that He then set a little child in the midst of the disciples, and said, "Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me." In some sense, we've come full circle since then -- together with the disciples -- as He's extended His teachings to women in marriage and to the children in the flock who are brought to Him for a blessing. What this teaches us is that Jesus' understanding of how to use power, that is, a gracious understanding of what this means -- of the responsibility toward the "little ones," whoever they may be -- applies not just within the Church or within a cut-off portion of life that we set aside for special times, places, and purposes, but for all circumstances and all of our lives. If marriage is a spiritual institution (that is, it is something ordained and sanctified by God: "what God has joined together") then its inherent nature must be respected as such, and Jesus' notions of relationship must be honored in that place, under any and all circumstances. And if we find that even a child who is received in His name is equivalent to receiving Him, or that the children are example of such that is of the kingdom of God, then it becomes more difficult to understand hierarchy and the use of power outside of Jesus' teachings in our lives. There is a great sense here of duty and obligation, but more so of responsibility: that real greatness consists in the capacity to care for those who depend upon you, who are not those with a lot of power in any circumstance or situation or organization. Jesus gives us a sense of what it is to live His way, to use power in the ways that He uses power, and thereby a glimpse of the Kingdom and how we can work to make that real within our own lives, in the here and now. Therefore, when Jesus sent out the disciples on their first mission, teaching those to whom they went that "the kingdom of God has come near," it wasn't only a teaching about the holy power at work in casting out demons, healing, and teaching -- but that kingdom is also about the ways in which God's power works to teach us how to relate to one another. If greatness is really in the care and service of many others, then what we have is a picture of a system of power that is based on love, on the things of God, and we need to think about how we bring the kingdom near to others when we become more "like God." I think we could consider it a great sign of the fruit of the Spirit should we encounter in others or find in ourselves behavior that we consider gracious in this sense. Clearly, Jesus doesn't just teach that this endeavor is merely for those in monasteries, or those who will become hierarchs and leaders in the Church, but also for husbands and wives, and also extended to children. Thereby, these teaches touch all of our lives and apply to each one of us. If we are to consider aspects of modern life such as exposure of various abuses: in the family, in institutions like schools, or even over the internet, surely Christ's teachings on power and greatness apply to those of us who wish to be His disciples and to follow His way. We don't honor the family, nor marriage as a sacred institution by covering up or harboring abuse of power within any relationship, nor do we do so under any sort of circumstance. Therefore in the context of nominally secular discussions of such subjects, Jesus' teachings on the use of power and what constitutes greatness become and remain as essential as ever to each one of us, and they show us the way. Yesterday, Jesus taught that His disciples must have "salt in themselves." Let us remember that if we are to remain faithful to our covenant with Him, to truly remember His teachings and to have salt in ourselves, we're going to take His teachings and apply them to every circumstance in which we, too, wish to set an example and glorify God by doing so. Ultimately Jesus' teachings about about the power and value of humility, including the capacity to "receiving the kingdom of God" as a little child.
