And the two shall become one flesh

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 after they were disputing who would be greatest in His kingdom:  "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."   The Pharisees come to challenge Jesus on questions of divorce, a contested topic of its time.  Under the Mosaic Law, divorce was easy, and therefore easily misused.  It required only a certificate of a complaint by a husband against a wife -- women could not obtain divorce.  Jesus condemns divorce, and instead emphasizes the eternal nature of marriage.  In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus includes the possibility of divorce on grounds of sexual immorality, leaving us to understand that marriage -- like other relationships -- can be destroyed by sin.  The early Church would expand certain grounds for divorce.  But Jesus' emphasis is on the relationship of man and woman, in contrast to the easy dismissal of a woman for failing to please.  He puts it to us clearly:  such easy divorce was given "because of the hardness of your hearts."  This is an entirely different footing for true relationship; that the two shall become one flesh is an even deeper understanding of the mystical reality of marriage than the word "relationship" can convey. 

 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.   Theophan comments on this passage that the disciples rebuked those who brought the little children to Jesus because their manner was "unruly" and also they thought that children "diminished the dignity of the Teacher and Master."  As in the recent readings of yesterday (Monday) and the reading before (Saturday), Jesus once again emphasizes the love and humility that must be present in the Church -- setting these little children as an example of those who inherit the kingdom of heaven.  My study bible says that therefore, children are invited (even as an example to adults) to participate in the Kingdom through prayer, worship, baptism, and other practices in the Church.

In recent readings Jesus has emphasized to the disciples the important nature of relationships in the Church.  It all began with His second declaration and prophecy of His suffering, death, and Resurrection (see Saturday's reading).   After this, the disciples responding with a dispute among one another as to who would be greatest in the establishment of the worldly kingdom they imagined would be imminently established by Christ as Messiah.  Not only must they learn about the Messiah and the nature of our salvation and how it will work, but they also must learn leadership in His Church.  The whole basis of our salvation is in an important respect based upon the nature of our relationships, as Jesus teaches all throughout this section of the Gospel, in various lessons for the disciples and for us.  If God is love, then it becomes the power of that love by which we are truly saved -- and that means that we become "like God."  Jesus explains what that means when He tells the disciples (after their dispute about who would be greatest) that the one who would be first among them must be last of all and servant of all.  In order to achieve this reality, even if it is necessary to cut off a "hand" or "foot" or "eye" one must do so, because it is better to be saved while missing one of these, than for the whole of the self to die.  He warns of the all-encompassing woe that will betide one who causes one of the "little ones" to stumble.   It's not by accident, it seems to me, that this is the time in the Gospel when we encounter the discussion on marriage and divorce, which must once more be seen in context of the type of relatedness in His Church and among His people.  Can women be discarded so easily?  Is a wife merely a thing that must please?  Jesus displays the true text of marriage by quoting Genesis, and sets the tone for relationship not merely as a bond between two people, but one incurring a mystical depth in which the two become one.  It is the marriage itself that becomes bigger than both partners.  As with the leadership in the Church, this entails sacrifice, and certainly a change in the notion of hierarchy and relationship as "useful."  Finally, He gives us the depth of love for the little children themselves, which runs the depth of love through all things, all structures, and all hierarchy.  The quality of love is not something strained or diminished by the stature of the person.  This is the basic reality that He teaches us, the footing He wishes to establish for the meaning of God as mediator, Christ as arbiter of our lives and our relationships with one another.  This is what His Church should look like.  It may be an ideal, but it is a heavenly reality; it is the gift He gives us.  Marriage as sacrament is all about the grace to change and adapt, to discard that which diminishes us and makes us incapable of the growth He's asking for.  It is the power to give up even things that are dear in exchange for what is better, richer, deeper, greater.  The entire notion of sacrifice must be understood on these terms, for this will also exemplify the sacrifice He will make for the love of the world.  We exchange what we give up or "sacrifice" for His way, His gifts which are so much greater than what we already know and have.  The icon called Christ the Bridegroom, above, is one of His suffering and humiliation, and His great love for His people, His Church, and for the life of the world.  The Greek lettering on the right tells us to "Behold the man."  This suffering servant, overwhelmed by love for the world in His sacrifice, is our judge.  The icon is traditionally viewed as an image of marriage.  We can see His crown of thorns given by the soldiers who mocked and spat on Him, and His scarlet robe, and the scepter made of a reed.  In the Orthodox Church, a crown is the symbol of marriage.  In nearly all the world, the ropes that bind Christ's hands together form another symbol of marriage.  The reed as a mock scepter is a sign of the one who does what Christ taught the disciples:  to bend in service to others in all ways possible.   This is the love He showed us and the love He gives as an example for us, of which we are also capable.  It is how "two become one flesh."  There are all kinds of ways, married or not, Christ calls us to to expressions of sacrificial love in our lives.  More fully beyond, by this image He gives us the true nature of our salvation.