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

Yesterday we read that Jesus taught, continuing His teachings given in Monday's reading:   "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 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."   This test comes from the Pharisees at a time when divorce was a widely debated issue among the circles of the religious authorities, a point of dispute between the Pharisees and other members of the ruling body of the temple, with the Pharisees taking the stricter view.  My study bible comments that in contrast to the easy access to divorce under the Mosaic Law, and also because of the misuse of divorce in Christ's time, Jesus repeatedly condemns divorce and emphasizes the eternal nature of marriage.  In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus' teaching includes the possibility of divorce on the grounds of sexual immorality (Matthew 5:31-32, 19:8-9).  My study bible says that this shows that marriage can be destroyed by sin, even as it destroys other relationships as well.  In the ancient Church, permissible reasons for divorce were expanded to include threat to a spouse's or child's life and desertion, in all cases, however, clearly acknowledging such a situation as a spiritual tragedy.  The Mosaic Law is found at Deuteronomy 24:1-4.  Jesus cites the original principle of permanent monogamous marriage revealed in Genesis 1; 2.

 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 says that the disciples rebuked the mothers for bringing little children to Christ both because their manner was "unruly" and because they thought, according to Theophan, that children "diminished His dignity as Teacher and Master."  But Jesus rejects this thinking, and once again sets little children as an example of those who inherit the kingdom of God.  Therefore, my study bible notes, children are invited (even as an example to adults) to participate in the Kingdom through prayer, worship baptism, christmation, and Communion.

It's interesting that so soon after Christ's teaching regarding receiving the "little ones" in His name (Monday's reading), we once again find Jesus emphasizing treatment of the "little ones."  We recall that in yesterday's reading, His warnings were dire regarding the consequences of abuse of power and authority upon such little ones.  My study bible gave us an understanding of "little ones" to include all those who are humble in the Church, and we must consider that Jesus was responding to the disciples disputing among themselves regarding who would have the greatest places in the kingdom they believe in coming.  Today's reading extends our understanding of gracious conduct with regard to those less powerful, and expands the teaching regarding conduct within the Church to conduct within the society, by speaking about the abuse of divorce and also illuminating the preciousness of children.  With the incidence of divorce, we have to remember that the original Mosaic Laws stemmed out of a culture in which wives were widely regarded as property.  In that sense, the Law sought to regulate, in some sense, treatment of wives.  But we must think about social structures and dependency, and the abuse of this law.  In the context of Jesus' teachings from our readings of Monday and Tuesday, we must consider the social status of "little ones" as extending to women and children within the society, where the family unit and family ties were the one sure social structure upon which these less powerful could rely for protection and welfare.  Even today, despite progressive advances in our modern laws and protections, recognition of the rights of all people, including children (and even animals), it is the family structure that largely remains the preferable haven of protection and care, despite social structure that seeks to ensure the welfare of all.  We know of abuses that continue to happen within the child welfare system, and the difficulties of single mothers.  Jesus' words -- directed toward the men of the community, both the Pharisees who test Him and also to His disciples in private -- emphatically prohibit abuses due to the hardness of heart expressed in the abuse of divorce in His time.  He challenges the more powerful members of the society to consider the less powerful, those who are dependent upon them.  He invites all to refrain from thinking of those with less status as objects, and emphasizes God's perspective on each:  it is this consideration which is contained in the purpose of monogamous marriage which is absolute union of two as one flesh, and which is contained in the perspective on little children that "of such is the kingdom of God."   If there is one thing that we take from Jesus today, it is the teaching of absolute equality of value among all who are beloved of God.  Moreover, Jesus upholds children as examples of His Kingdom.  In short, we must consider God's love in all of our relationships, for marriage is sacred through God's love and blessing.  It is indeed a sacrament filled with mystery if we are to understand it correctly, for how do "two become one flesh" except with divine help and grace?  The Gospels do not minimize the difficulties of monogamous marriage.  In fact, in Matthew's Gospel, the disciples reply, "If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry" (Matthew 19:10).  But in all things, we are meant to rely upon God's grace for the things which build up our society, for that which creates right-relatedness among us. Jesus sets firmly into place the notion of God's love as regulatory mechanism for our own understanding of relationships.  In contrast to the love of God, sin destroys relationships through abuse, exploitation, selfishness.  So, in today's teachings, we must come to the profound conclusion that Jesus is teaching us about the vision of God for our world and for us as creatures.  He offers us the Kingdom, in which the love of God grows in us and we grow in it, and thereby set a pattern meant for the entire well-being of persons as individuals and within communities.  We must consider, then, all of our relationships in this light, and understand where Jesus leads us.  First He teaches the disciples against love of power for its own sake, warning them strictly about the consequences of abuse to the little ones.  In today's reading, He is tested on divorce -- referring to the hardness of heart which Moses sought to address -- and also rebukes those who would keep the little children from coming to Him.  We must take the fullness of His teachings to understand that He goes beyond the Law to create community -- the Kingdom -- out of God's profound love in which we might share and grow.  He teaches us not only to love but to cherish, and to recognize the good we not only have, but which we can build through His gospel.  Let us call upon the grace of God for the gifts of the Spirit which create and build the community He desires:  love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).  Let the powerful consider the consequences of the sins of abuse.  That applies to us all, for each has others within the realm of contact who are less powerful than we are, and could be subject to harm.  At this time of sheltering in place for many in the world, some social service agencies are warning us about abuse in the home, which may take place more easily under such circumstances.  Let us today consider Christ's word, and think about the practices of Lent in this context.  We are meant to be taking time to better shore up our spiritual practices of faith, taking time to pray, to read Scripture, to consider what God wants of us.  In this light, it may be most important to make time and space for solitude in prayer, to study the things that uplift, to participate in God's grace and taste God's love and peace as we may.  Consider how these practices may help maintain peace and harmony in a household, how they may contribute to our personal equilibrium in response to stress and pressures, and how we may talk to one another about our needs for such time for prayer (both collective and in solitude).  Such practices build up strength and equanimity in faith -- a sure resource for all of us who might be losing patience.