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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 talk to the disciples about who would be greatest in the Kingdom. As those who will be charged with caring for His flock, He taught them to receive humble believers ("little ones") not only as if they were receiving Christ Himself, but even His Father. He continued, "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. 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." Under Mosiac Law, divorce was very easy -- for men. Under Roman Law both men and women could divorce. Jesus speaks against common practices of His time, and the misuse of divorce. This isn't the only time He condemns (in Matthew's Gospel, He speaks against it twice). Jesus' teachings are always about love and community. What He is against here is divorce because of "hardness of heart." Men simply had to write a certificate of dissatisfaction. But women were left without means and social standing. In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus allows divorce for grounds of "sexual immorality." For the early Church, this taught that marriage bonds could be destroyed by sin and abuse (divorce was permissible in cases of threat to child's or spouse's life and desertion), but this was always understood to be a spiritual tragedy. Marriage, as spiritual union given by God, has an eternal nature. Jesus' private teaching to His disciples emphasizes the seriousness Jesus gives to marriage, and is remarkably notable for its equal treatment of and responsibility conferred to husband and wife.
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. Once again, as in recent readings (Monday's and Tuesday's), little children (as symbol of "little ones") become central to His teaching. Earlier, He was teaching about the care that must be given by His disciples to the "little ones" of the flock, even the reverence with which they must be received. Here, He emphasizes their goodness and praises their understanding -- that all must come to faith with the kind of faith exemplified by a child. Jesus' blessing of the children can also be seen in context with His pronouncement of the sanctity and eternal character of marriage. It is an emphasis on the goodness of community, and the goodness essential need for inclusion of every single one of its members: men, women, and children. This is a great teaching on the Kingdom, and how it cherishes the life of all persons, all faithful. Consistent with His teachings taken together, there are no "little ones" in terms of care and love, no soul is diminished in its value and belonging by virtue of social stature.
Jesus' essential inclusion is always a great lesson to us. By that I mean that Jesus' notions of community are repeatedly given to us as both inclusion and needful of all those who approach Him. In His healing miracles, He repeatedly brings people into the community who have been excluded, such as in healing a leper or the woman with the twelve years blood flow. Restoring a withered hand or the capacity for a paralytic to walk is also restoring them to full participation in community. When He heals Peter's mother-in-law from a fever and she gets up to serve them, He has restored her to her rightful place in the home and even in His ministry - one in which she is needed and valued. (I hope I needn't mention the honor in serving Christ to my readers.) It is always a question of community. Here in today's reading, we have important lessons which cannot be lost upon us. The first is the eternal quality of marriage as a spiritual institution. This is the ultimate sense of community, that we are a part of something that goes far beyond what we know or understand, even what we know and understand of ourselves. Our bonds in Christ, and this outside of "father and mother," go much further than is imaginable; this is what it is for marriage to be a holy institution, a kind of spiritual mystery, a divine reality. This bond can be abused just as the bond between Creator and creature can be abused; it's something to care for and to cherish, not to take for granted -- and in this sense is also like the bond between Creator and creature. Our souls, it seems, depend on what we cherish, what we acknowledge as a gift, how we go about making the best of what we can. Marriage is no exception. Male and female, we are all included in this. Jesus' pronouncement on marriage is a firm affirmation of who and what constitute essential elements of community: there is nobody secondary or lesser in His statement. There is none who is not necessary, of great value. And this extends to children. I don't think we can minimize Jesus' praise of the faith of children. It's not only meant as an example or metaphor for all of us, although Jesus makes that clear too. This is real praise of children, a cherishing of the littlest ones. He invites us in to consider their value to Him, especially in their faith which serves as the greatest example to us. We can't minimize what that means in terms of a child's value to community in the sight of Christ, and particularly on spiritual terms. If faith becomes the measure of who we are, then children top us all, at least in the way Christ approaches them in today's reading. It tells us something dynamic about the nature of citizenship in the Kingdom, that truly the littlest ones must be welcomed, loved, and cherished just as if they were Christ Himself, or even God the Father (as He taught in Monday's reading). It teaches us about how truly essential each is, and how we may only strive to recover the innate understanding in the part of ourselves that remains a child.
