So then, they are no longer two but one flesh

 

 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these sayings, that He departed from Galilee and came to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan.  And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them there.  The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?"  And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' and said, '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."  They said to Him, "Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?"  He said to them, "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.  And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery."  

 

His disciples said to Him, "If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry."  But He said to them, "All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given:  For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother's womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake.  He who is able to accept it, let him accept it."

 

- Matthew 19:1–12 

 

Yesterday we read that after Jesus gave to the disciples a system for mutual correction and forgiveness in the Church (Matthew 18:15-17), Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?  Up to seven times?"  Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.  Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.  And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.  But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made.  The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'  Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.  But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!'  So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'  And he would not, but went and threw him into prison will he should pay the debt.  So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done.  Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant!  I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.  Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?  And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.  So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses."

 

Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these sayings, that He departed and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' and said, '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."  They said to Him, "Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?"  He said to them, "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.  And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery."  My study Bible explains that the basis for the Pharisees' test of Christ here is Deuteronomy 24:1-4.  It says that God's condescension, or allowance, for human weakness, does not override the original principle of permanent monogamous marriage as revealed in Genesis 1; 2.  With authority, Jesus adds His own clear prohibition against divorce twice here (verses 6; 9).  In the ancient Church, the permissible reasons for divorce were expanded to include threat to a spouse's or child's life and desertion.  But in all cases, acknowledging the spiritual tragedy of such a situation. 

 

His disciples said to Him, "If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry."  But He said to them, "All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given:  For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother's womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake.  He who is able to accept it, let him accept it."  My study Bible comments that here Christ is steering the disciples toward understanding the holiness of virginity.  This is not a rejection of marriage, but rather evoked as a special calling for those to whom it has been given.  Eunuchs were men who had been castrated, whether by birth defect, disease, or mutilation.  They were often employed to guard women of nobility.  Here Jesus is using this term figuratively for those who freely choose lifelong celibacy for the sake of the kingdom of heaven.  This is a consecrated virginity.  It's not to be confused with self-mutilation, which was condemned at the First Ecumenical Council (AD 325).  See also 1 Corinthians 7:7; 25-38.

 

 Jesus speaks of marriage as an eternal state, a union of two people so strong that "the two become one flesh."  In Holy Matrimony we have a hope and spiritual help for us to realize and grow into such a relationship.  In a modern world in which so much emphasis is placed on what we are able to gather to ourselves, the nature of sacrifice as mutually beneficial is not often counseled or understood.  But to give up some things for our lives is often the best thing we can do.  This is obvious in the case of bad habits, such as over-consumption of foods which are not healthy for us, or the intake of drugs or other chemicals and substances (such as tobacco, for instance) which also are not healthy for us.  But in marriage (as is the case also in child-rearing), mutual sacrifice is asked of us for a truly monogamous state.  This is not simply forsaking all others.  This refers to the personal things we give up for marriage, as an institution or perhaps we should say living organism that needs our commitment and our nurturing.  This is true in the sense that if we are well-nourished, we're not just consuming everything in sight, but also restricting amounts and substances to be beneficial for our health.  And so it is with marriage.  Selfishness and self-centeredness within marriage leads to problems because both are foundations of sin.  And, importantly, relationships can be broken by sin, by abuse.  Just as we read recently of Christ's teaching for mutual correction and forgiveness in the Church, so it is with a marriage.  This includes both a need for honesty about abuse or sinful behavior that hurts another, as well as the practice of forgiveness.  Both together are needed, and both ask of us a kind of sacrifice in one way and another.  Marriage is not a fairy tale, it's not a meal-ticket, it's not meant for mere transactional behavior or orientation toward another person.  We are meant to grow toward one another, and to grow together.  With the Church as foundational to marriage, we have spiritual help and mercy to guide us in this endeavor, for marriage is an adventure of life, full of responsibilities, difficulties, dangers, joys, and most of all, love.  For we learn love in this way.  And love may be asked of us in all kinds of ways, from care and consideration for one another, to care for children, for elderly dependent parents, and a host of circumstances which may seem "unfair" but in reality are challenges to meet within that framework of give and take and growth together in love.  Let us note that Jesus also takes great care to address the unmarried, those who are celibate, and to assure all of us through His teaching that, particularly in the Church, there is a place for those persons too. All are necessary and beloved to Christ.  Let us give thanks for it all, and for the promises of love and growth, in Christ's way.

 

 

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 (following upon His teaching in this 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 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 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 basis for the Pharisees' question is Deuteronomy 24:1-4.  My study Bible comments that, in contrast to the easy access to divorce under the Mosaic Law, and because of the misuse of divorce in His day, Jesus repeatedly condemns divorce (in St. Matthew's Gospel, He does so both in the Sermon on the Mount, and later in a setting similar to this one; see Matthew 5:31-32; Matthew 19:1-12).  He emphasizes the eternal nature of marriage.  Jesus quotes from Genesis 1:27; 2:24.  My study Bible comments also that God's condescension, or allowance for human weakness, does not override the original principle of monogamous marriage as revealed in Genesis 1 and 2.  With authority, He adds His own clear prohibition against divorce.  See also Malachi 2:15-16.

 

 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 cites Theophylact, who comments that the disciples rebuked the mothers for bringing little children to Christ both because their manner was "unruly" and because they thought children "diminished His dignity as Teacher and Master."  But Christ rejects this thinking, and even sets little children as an example of those who inherit the kingdom of God.  Therefore, in the tradition of the Orthodox, children are invited (even as an example to adults) to participate in the Kingdom through prayer, worship, baptism, chrismation, and Communion.  In Christ's context here, little children are the standard of faith by which adults receive the kingdom of God, and not the other way around.  Theophylact writes, "A little child is not arrogant, he does not despise anyone, he is innocent and guileless.  He does not inflate himself in the presence of important people, nor withdraw from those in sorrows.  Instead, he lives in complete simplicity."

 

 If we think about the sacrament of marriage as a holy institution (Holy Matrimony), then we begin to understand the perspective here.  What is holy is eternal, and that touches upon not simply our material lives, but our souls -- the deepest part of who we are as creatures of God.  It seems clear that we must see things from Christ's perspective and knowledge of the things that are eternal in order to understand what this union making "one flesh" really means, and what His teaching implies to us.  This eternal nature of marriage also extends to His illuminating statement in response to a question by the Sadducees regarding the life of resurrection, which we'll read later on in Mark's Gospel (Mark 12:18-27).  They test Jesus, posing a scenario of a woman married successively to seven brothers, and asking whose wife she is in the resurrection.  There Christ responds to describe this eternal life of the resurrection as one in which "they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven."  From this illuminating glimpse of eternal life, it seems that we might infer that marriage itself extends to life even in this entirely different context and reality, and it gives a perspective on who we are in terms of the possibilities that God extends to us beyond our lives in this world.  Therefore we might consider the eternal quality conferred by holy sacrament as that which changes and transforms even the nature of human beings, making the seemingly impossible possible -- such as two becoming one flesh.  There is further commentary on divorce in my study Bible regarding it as a concession to our imperfect worldly life.  In St. Matthew's Gospel, Jesus cites the possibility of divorce based on sexual immorality (Matthew 19:9).  My study Bible adds that the permissible reasons for divorce were expanded in the ancient Church to include threat to a spouse's or child's life and desertion, in all cases acknowledging the spiritual tragedy of such a situation.  Importantly, it shows us that like so many other things, marriage can be destroyed by sin.  The quality of the little children praised by Christ in today's reading adds a poignant note to our consideration of issues of divorce, especially its impact on children and their importance and precious value in God's sight.  It may be surprising to learn that the Pharisees actually viewed divorce more closely to Jesus' perspective than their counterparts did, due to the abuses of divorce for financial gain in their time.  But any way that we look at today's reading, this eternal sense of the preciousness of life and the soul, and our own possibilities for resurrection and salvation, add to a deep sense of the transcendent nature of relationships and the depth of love brought to us by Jesus Christ.  For He is the true icon of marriage in His role as Bridegroom wedded to His Church, and this is particularly true in the sacrifices He will undergo for union with all of us.  What He considered to be worthy of every sacrifice we should take as microcosm for how love and marriage work, how relationship in its deepest sense is worthy of the mutual sacrifices we are prepared to make for what is precious -- and perhaps even priceless. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So then they are no longer two, but 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 

 

Yesterday, we read Jesus' continuation of His discussion with the disciples regarding future leadership in His Church, and the treatment of the "little ones."  This discussion began when the disciples disputed about which of them would be the greatest.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus 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.  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."  In Jesus' time, divorce was a hotly debated topic.  The Pharisees generally agreed with Christ's viewpoint.  There were controversies over how money and dowry could be used which also determined legal guidelines regarding marriage, divorce, and subsequent remarriage.  My study Bible comments here that, in contrast to the easy access to divorce under the Mosaic Law, and because of the misuse of divorce in His time, Jesus repeatedly condemns divorce (He does so twice in St. Mathew's Gospel), and emphasizes the eternal nature of marriage.  The possibility of divorce on the ground of sexual immorality as mentioned in Matthew 5:32 shows that marriage, like other relationships, can be destroyed by sin.  Jesus quotes from Genesis 1:27 and 2:24.

 

 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 explains that, according to Theophylact, the disciples rebuked the mothers for bringing little children to Jesus both because their manner was "unruly" and they also thought that children "diminished His dignity as Teacher and Master."  Jesus rejects this thinking, however, and sets little children as an example of those who inherit the kingdom of God.  So, therefore, in Church children are invited -- even as example -- to participate in the Kingdom through prayer, worship, baptism, chrismation, and Communion.  My study Bible comments that children can be models of the virtues necessary for entrance into the Kingdom:  humility, dependence, lowliness, simplicity, obedience, and a willingness to love and be loved.

 

 The nature of marriage has possibly changed in a certain sense since Christ's time, at least for most in the West. For the great majority of human history, marriage was a matter for family arrangement.  Of course, customs have varied from culture to culture.  For those of us used to a more modern notion of mutual attraction prior to marriage, the history of arranged marriage might seem strange or alien.  But the most common thing that we can understand about marriage is a kind of mutual dependence within a relationship which Jesus describes with a powerful image of communion, quoting from Genesis 1:27 and 2:24.  This emphasis on the nature of marriage as a bond deep enough so that the two "become one flesh" becomes in the perspective of Christ something more than merely contractual.  The "easy divorce" my study Bible comments on under the Mosaic Law is something that Jesus says was given because of the "hardness of their hearts."  We must note that in this answer, He is speaking to men, for men had the power to divorce.  It's important to consider why Jesus would call easy divorce a product of the hardness of men's hearts, if we're going to put into perspective Christ's views on marriage.  As in today's reading this topic is coupled with another passage on "little ones" (this time literally meaning little children), perhaps we need to take a broader view in the context of the things we've been reading over the past several days in Mark's Gospel.  If we recall, recent passages began with a discussion among the disciples as to who would be greatest, and Jesus spoke to them of service, that the greatest among them should be the servant of all.  He strictly warned them in yesterday's reading about the abuse of those with less power in the Church, the "little ones."  Taken together, all of these teachings form foundational precepts about the nature of community and relationships through the eyes of Christ, and marriage is no exception. He emphasizes love and care.  In the case of marriage, if two become "one flesh" then it stands to reason that husbands and wives ought to care for each another as they care for themselves, in a sense that asks for the deepest consideration.  Today's reading is also followed by yet another passage on the "little ones," this time regarding children themselves, and Christ's fond love for them, "for of such is the kingdom of God."  Through all of these teachings we read recently, Christ's emphasis is ultimately on love, relationships which are more than transactional but are rooted in the understanding of God's work and purpose behind all things.  If we (as inheritors of the traditions of the disciples) are meant to receive "little ones" as if we are receiving Christ, then how must we live in accordance with the teaching that "two become one flesh?"   This sense of interdependence, then, becomes one in which our hearts open to the other in the deepest way, an acceptance of love and care as a foundation for marriage, which in turn becomes a part of the fabric of a society.  If easy divorce is permitted because of "hardness of heart," then it stands to reason that Christ's prescription of marriage as eternal in nature is one that emphasizes the opposite, the mutual care and consideration of those with whom we share our lives.  Perhaps the word "share" is most important, as in the tradition of the Church (at least in Orthodox teaching), marriage is seen as the layperson's way to holiness, precisely because of the nature of mutual giving that constitutes marriage.   In mutual sacrifice for one another, we are meant to grow beyond our own self-centeredness.  Of course, Holy Matrimony in the Church is itself a sacrament, and so all becomes couched and mediated in the embrace of God, as well as part of the mysteries of the Church.  Thus we have the help of the Spirit, and the love of Christ, also involved in marriage, and helping to enable the kind of growth that is possible in such relationship.  Let us consider the power of love which is of God, for God is love (1 John 4:8), and how this forms a basis for marriage and the blessings that may come from marriage.  In a modern context of hyper-consumer orientation, it may be difficult to consider, but Christ asks us to see mutual sacrifice as part of this blessing, also something which spreads to community.  Let us consider the nature of love, and the bonds that love creates through mutual giving, especially where the two may become one flesh.  In this our faith can guide us and strengthen us, building us up so that we may in turn give to others.

 

 

 

 

For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh

 

Icon of Christ the Bridegroom, courtesy Wikimedia Commons

 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these sayings, that He departed from Galilee and came to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan.  And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them there.  The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?"  And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' said, '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."  They said to Him, "Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?"  He said to them, "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.  And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery."  His disciples said to Him, "If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry."   But He said to them, "All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given:  For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother's womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake.  He who is able to accept it, let him accept it."

 

- Matthew 19:1–12 

 

On Saturday we read that, after Christ gave the disciples a formula for Church discipline and mutual correction, Peter then came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?"  Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.  Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted  to settle accounts with his servants.  And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.  But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made.  The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'  Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.  But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!'  So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'  And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt.  So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done.  Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant!  I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.  Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?'  And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.  So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses."

 

  Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these sayings, that He departed from Galilee and came to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan.  And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them there.  The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?"  And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' said, '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."  They said to Him, "Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?"  He said to them, "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.  And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery."  Here the Pharisees come to test Christ, and choose to test Him on the subject of divorce.  This was a hotly contested subject in this time, with debates between the Pharisees and other groups of the temple leadership, often focusing on abuses such as those with financial or economic incentives.  The basis of their test is Deuteronomy 24:1-4. My study Bible comments here that God's condescension, or allowance for human weakness, does not override the original principle of permanent monogamous marriage which is revealed in Genesis 1 and 2.  With authority, it says, Christ adds His own clear prohibition against divorce.  Essentially, He does so twice.  First, when He says, "Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate," and second, when He says, "And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery."   My study Bible tells us that the possibility of divorce on the basis of sexual immorality shows that marriage, however, can be destroyed by sin.  On that basis divorce and a second marriage have historically been seen (according to the Orthodox Church) as a concession to human weakness and corrective measure of compassion when a marriage has been broken.  In the ancient Church, permissible reasons for divorce were expanded to include threat to a spouse's or child's life and desertion, but in all cases with acknowledgment to the spiritual tragedy of such a situation. 

 

 His disciples said to Him, "If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry."   But He said to them, "All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given:  For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother's womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake.  He who is able to accept it, let him accept it."  My study Bible says here that Christ steers the disciples toward understanding the holiness of virginity, not as a rejection of marriage, but in particular as a special calling for those to whom it has been given.  Eunuchs, extremely common in the ancient world, were men who had been castrated -- either by birth defect, disease, or mutilation.  They were often employed to guard women of nobility, and in many empires played extremely powerful roles.  Here, Jesus is using this term figuratively for those who freely choose committed celibacy for the kingdom of heaven.  My study Bible adds that this consecrated virginity is not to be confused with self-mutilation, which was condemned at the First Ecumenical Council of the Church (AD 325).  See also 1 Corinthians 7:7, 25-38.  

At first glance, one might consider that the two topics of Christ's discourse today -- marriage and virginity -- have nothing to do with one another.  Perhaps we might say they are opposites if our focus is on sexuality alone.  We might construe a choice for lifelong celibacy as a deliberate decision not to have a life partner, but rather to remain an individual without such a dedicated relationship.  But if we think about it, the two topics in today's do share something important and even essential.  In both cases of the person who chooses monogamous, and hopefully, lifelong -- even eternal -- marriage as well as the person choosing celibacy as one of the "eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake" actually share a very important common characteristic.  In both cases, we are speaking of the dedication of one's energy and purpose in life to something beyond oneself.  In the first case to a marriage partner, in the second to serving the Church.  Each case will involve sacrifice and devotion and loyalty, and in each case one must choose that devotion of self to another, to a purpose that has to do with something other than selfish interest.  There is an important icon of Christ in the Eastern Orthodox tradition that is called Christ the Bridegroom; in Greek ὁ Νυμφίος.  It is sometimes called after Pilate's words to the crowd about the prisoner Jesus, "Behold the Man!"  (John 19:5), or in Latin, "Ecce homo."   Clearly Christ is the Bridegroom of the Church.  But in the Church that icon of Christ the Bridegroom, prisoner dressed in mocking garb, with a crown of thorns upon His head, and hands bound, is a symbol for marriage.  This is not the symbol of the modern romantic ideal, or sweet hearts and flowers, and grand moments of soaring emotion.  It is the symbol of what it means to make a marriage work:  it's an engagement in mutual sacrifice, in giving of oneself for something beyond only oneself and only one's own happiness or joy.  It is the symbol of what it is for two to become one flesh (Genesis 2:24), something forged through mutual love and self-giving.  It is a type of heroism upon which human beings and human flourishing relies.   In the context of Christ's teaching about eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven, we should understand that the sacrament of marriage has often been called the layperson's way to holiness.  Just as a monastic will become a eunuch for the kingdom of heaven, in devotion to serving the Church and seeking theosis or union with God as one's highest calling, so marriage also calls us to grapple with and learn the rigors of self-giving.  Both in the case of marriage and in the case of the eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven whom Christ describes, He is speaking of what it means to be devoted in a kind of selfless love that asks of us sacrifices, giving, and eventual personal transformation for the sake of something greater.    This spirit of mutual giving is really an image of love.  Even a willingness to suffer for those whom we love, as did Christ, is something that calls us out of ourselves, and toward what it means to truly love.  So let us understand the image of Christ the Prisoner, the One who suffers for love.  For it is not to a romantic fantasy, but to the reality of what it really takes to know and live love, of how we might be called by God, both in marriage and in the Church, that we are called.  And it is indeed love that calls us there (1 John 4:8).

Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it

 

 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 Monday's reading, we were told that Jesus and the disciples departed from the area of the Mount of Transfiguration and passed through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know it.  For He taught His disciples and said to them, "The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him.  And after He is killed, He will rise the third day."  But they did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him.  Then He came to Capernaum.  And when He was in the house He asked them "What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?"  But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest.  And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all."  Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them.  And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, "Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me."   Now John answered Him, saying, "Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us."  But Jesus said, "Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me.  For he who is not against us is on our side.  For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward. 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."   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 His time, Jesus repeatedly condemns divorce (see also Matthew 5:31-32; 19:8-9), and here emphasizes the eternal nature of marriage.  In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus makes an exception for divorce on the grounds of sexual immorality, which my study Bible says shows us that marriage can be destroyed by sin.  In the tradition of the Orthodox Church, divorce is recognized as a serious sin (in the sense of "missing the mark" of perfection), but allows divorce and a second marriage as a concession to human weakness and corrective measure of compassion when a marriage has been broken.  Under specific circumstances, tradition holds that a third marriage is permissible.  But we should note Christ's strong words here, and that God's condescension or allowance for human weakness does not override the original principle of permanent monogamous marriage as revealed in Genesis 1; 2.  Regarding Jesus' quotations see Genesis 1:27; 2:24; 5:2.  Let us note also how the disciples ask Jesus in private about the same matter.  It is not the first time nor the last that private explanations, even personal admonition, is given to the disciples. To be a follower of Christ it is not necessary to first have all the answers right, but to desire to follow in faith.

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.  According to Theophylact, the disciples rebuked the mothers for bringing little children to Christ both because their manner was "unruly" and because they thought children "diminished His dignity as Teacher and Master."  But Christ rejects their thinking, and sets little children as an example of those who inherit the kingdom of heaven.   Children are therefore invited -- even as an example to adults -- to participate in the Kingdom through prayer, worship, baptism, chrismation, and Communion.  Elsewhere, in a commentary on Luke 18:15-17, my study Bible quotes Theophylact as saying, "A little child is not arrogant, he does not despise anyone, he is innocent and guileless.  He does not inflate himself in the presence of important people, nor withdraw from those in sorrows.  Instead, he lives in complete simplicity." 

It's interesting to note the details in today's reading.  As written above, this isn't the first time that Jesus has taught privately to His disciples, on basically the same or very similar issue, after speaking in public.  But in the first case, His public teaching is a scathing kind of criticism.  In private to the disciples, they may have similar objections or at least doubts regarding the subject -- and yet they are worthy of His private teaching as well as their status as disciples and apostles.  We'll see something similar in tomorrow's reading, regarding wealth and salvation.  In today's reading, the disciples ask in private about divorce, while in public Jesus says something harsh to the Pharisees, who come only to test Him ("Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept").  In fact, in Matthew's reporting of this, the disciples are so stunned by His teaching in private that they say, "If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry" (see Matthew 19:8-10).  We read a similar pattern in the recent case wherein Jesus returned from the Mount of Transfiguration to meet a crowd which included scribes who were disputing with the disciples.  This was because they could not cast out an unclean spirit.  In public, Jesus chastised the suffering boy's father for his lack of faith.  But in private, He told His disciples, teaching them about building their own faith, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting."  (See Saturday's reading.)  In each of these cases, we may observe that although the disciples themselves are not completely clear on the concept that Jesus is teaching, or perhaps also have their doubts, Christ has taken them out of the crowds for discipleship and a future with the Church, while the Pharisees, scribes, and others remain in this sense outsiders.  We have to ask ourselves why, when there is such a great emphasis on faith, He has chosen one set for instruction and teaching, nurturing in discipleship, and the others remain outside, a part of the public, even criticized harshly by Jesus.  This is important, not only because it seems to occur repeatedly in the Gospels, but also because we must pause to ask what Christ means by having faith.  Does faith mean we ascribe to a set of beliefs or teachings?  A moral code?  Or is it something more than that?  If even the disciples lack faith, if even they have doubts or uncertainties about what Jesus is actually teaching -- such as on divorce -- what are we to make of our own understanding of what faith is?  We need to recall that the word for faith in the Greek of the Gospels means "trust" at its heart and root.  Our faith in Christ is the same thing that happens in a deep relationship between two people when they trust one another.  Sometimes we will have an automatic reaction to a person, we just feel in our hearts we can trust them.    Such experiences can truly be "few and far between," as the saying goes.  But if we have ever experienced that, a kind of meeting of hearts, we know how rare and precious it is, and what it means, then, to have faith in this sense.  Faith does not mean we automatically know everything, or think everything correctly, or have all the answers at our disposal.  If the disciples are anything to go by, it must be something else.  And we might imagine that this trust goes two ways:  Jesus has chosen them for a reason, because He recognized something in them.  That is, not something on the surface, not some proof about something, not a test, but rather a reading of the heart.  Yet even Jesus will say (speaking of Judas who would betray Him), "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?" (John 6:70).  Faith does not mean we have all the moral answers and it cannot be boiled down to a set of ethics and abstractions.  This is not what the Gospels teach us.  The disciples make plenty of mistakes, they argue among themselves, they are full of human flaws.  In Monday's reading, they disputed among themselves who would be greatest, when Jesus had just given them a warning about His Passion to come -- and that was the occasion for these strict teachings about the littlest and most humble who would be in their care, and about the image of a little child which they should seek to emulate if they wish to be a part of the kingdom of God.  Faith is all about the kind of connection in us that is teachable, and a willingness to love and be loved (as Theophan comments on Monday's passage); it is all about trust.  Jesus wants those who can follow Him, for He takes us on a road somewhere, and we don't have to already be perfect to be on that journey.  The whole purpose of the journey is to, in effect, perfect us, to take us somewhere, a long road of learning -- for that is what discipleship means.  He wants those who have salt within themselves, who can stay the long haul, with a loyalty that comes from that rare thing, trust.   He wants those of us who know we have something to learn from Him.  If we think about it, we can relate trust to all relationships, and especially and in particular to marriage.  Let us consider, then, the importance that Jesus gives to marriage, and why marriage is important.  It is, in the historic mind of the Church, another road to holiness -- in which we learn to sacrifice for one another, and the difficult and rewarding road of trust for the long haul.  Let us ponder His words and teachings, as well as His love for the little children.

 

 

 

 

 

Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it

 

 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 teaching to the disciples regarding treatment of the "little ones" or "little children" in the Church.  He taught them, "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 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 into 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."  My study Bible comments 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 (for example, in Matthew 5:31-32 and 19:8-9), and emphasizes the eternal nature of marriage.  In Matthew's Gospel, Christ mentions the possibility for divorce on the grounds of sexual immorality, which shows that marriage can be destroyed by sin, which includes abuse.  In the ancient Church, my study Bible adds,  the possible reasons for divorce were expanded to include threat to a spouse's or child's life, and desertion, in all cases acknowledging the spiritual tragedy of such a situation.  Jesus' quotations are from Genesis 1:27, 5:2; 2:24.

 

 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 Monday's reading) Jesus uses little children as examples of those who will be in His Church.  My study Bible Theophan's commentary, who says that the disciples rebuked the mothers for bringing little children to Christ both because their manner was "unruly" and because they thought that children "diminished His dignity as Teacher and Master."  But Christ rejects this thinking, and sets little children as an example of those who inherit the kingdom of God.  Therefore, children are invited -- even as an example to adults -- to participate in the Kingdom through prayer, worship, baptism, chrismation, and Communion in the Orthodox Church.  My study Bible further cites Theophan, who comments on a similar passage at Luke 18:15-17, "A little child is not arrogant, he does not despise anyone, he is innocent and guileless.  He does not inflate himself in the presence of important people, nor withdraw from those in sorrows.  Instead, he lives in complete simplicity."

In thinking about the model of a little child as one who expresses the character of a follower of Christ, one has to ponder what are these qualities that Jesus says belong to the Kingdom of God?   One may try to think back to one's own childhood, but that is not a simple nor easy thing to do -- there's not much objectivity in looking at oneself from the inside out.  The children around me are often fully exuberant:  that is, whatever it is they are doing, they fully feel it in every fiber of their being.  There is very little duplicity of thought, but rather simplicity in terms of sheer focus on whatever it is they're taken by at the moment.  When they greet a friend they recognize, it's without much inhibition of feeling or expression, no matter what their surroundings.  If a child wants you to go away, they will be very blunt about that too!   Purity of heart can be linked to a type of directness that is not related to immaturity but rather to the capacity for simplicity:  for being the same on the inside as on the outside.  Whatever is expressed to another is done without manipulation, double-talk, or intervening "smoke and mirrors," so to speak.  When Jesus sends the disciples out on their first apostolic mission, He tells them, "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves" (Matthew 10:16).  In point of fact, when we look at the Greek of the text, this word translated as "harmless" (or often as "innocent") really means "pure."  It is literally "unmixed" -- meaning a heart that is not conflicted, nor tainted with ulterior motives or flaws.  It is akin to the purity of a perfect natural pearl, made purely of nacre alone.  This quality of the Kingdom of God is one of the purity to give oneself fully to God, nothing held back.  For those of us who seek this path of faith, all too often it seems it is par for the course to discover yet more within the heart that must be dealt with and reconciled to God, often requiring of us a sense of sacrifice (see especially yesterday's reading for the subject of this type of sacrifice).  There is always more that needs refining, as life's experiences, stored away deep within ourselves, will come up again for re-examination, and for giving up to Christ, laying our own assumptions and responses at the foot of the Cross.  To be like a little child is also possibly to have the humility to accept correction, that there really is an authority that knows better than we do, and especially the capacity to trust in God who holds that authority.  To have that trusting nature is the mark of a child, and to be able to have that kind of trust is linked to the real nature of faith.  In the Greek of the Scriptures, when Christ speaks of faith, it is a word whose root means "trust."  As adults, we might not meet many people in life we fully trust, but the heart we bear within us from childhood may reveal that trust to Christ, for that is the true root of faith, the face we can turn toward God.

 

 

 

Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate

 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these sayings, that He departed from Galilee and came to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan.  And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them there.  The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?"  And he answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' and said, '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."  They said to Him, "Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?"  He said to them, "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.  And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery."

His disciples said to Him, "If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry."   But He said to them, "All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given:  For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother's womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake.  He who is able to accept it, let him accept it."

- Matthew 19:1-12

In recent readings, Jesus has been instructing the disciples regarding conduct and leadership in the future Church (see readings from Wednesday and Thursday).  In yesterday's reading, we were told that Peter came to Jesus and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?  Up to seven times?"  Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.  Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.  And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.  But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made.  The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'  Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.  But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!'  So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'  And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt.  So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done.  Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant!  I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.  Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?'  And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.  So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses."

 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these sayings, that He departed from Galilee and came to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan.  And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them there.  The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?"  And he answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' and said, '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."  They said to Him, "Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?"  He said to them, "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.  And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery."   My study bible says here that the basis of the Pharisees' test is Deuteronomy 24:1-4.  God's condescension -- God's allowance for human weakness -- does not override the original principle of permanent monogamous marriage as revealed in Genesis 1 and 2.  Jesus speaks with authority, and adds His own clear prohibition against divorce (see also Malachi 2:15-16).  In the ancient Church, the permissible reasons for divorce were expanded to include threat to a spouse's or child's life, and desertion.  But in all cases, the spiritual tragedy of such a situation was clearly acknowledged.

His disciples said to Him, "If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry."   But He said to them, "All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given:  For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother's womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake.  He who is able to accept it, let him accept it."  My study bible notes here that Christ steers the disciples toward an understanding of the holiness of virginity.   This isn't a rejection of marriage, but rather a special calling for those to whom it has been given.  Eunuchs were men who had been castrated, either by birth defect, disease, or mutilation.  They were often employed until quite recent times to guard women of nobility.  But Jesus uses this term figuratively for those who freely choose celibacy for the sake of the kingdom of heaven.  (Consecrated virginity is not to be confused with self-mutilation, which was condemned at the First Ecumenical Council in 325.)  See also 1 Corinthians 7:7, 25-38.

We are given what is still difficult advice regarding marriage:  monogamy is preferable and the intention of marriage in the sight of God.  Divorce is an allowance for our own fallibility and, yes, sinfulness.   But marriage, in the traditional sight of the Church, is also a way to grow toward God-likeness, specially-made for our human imperfection.  In growing in love, in learning to love, we give of ourselves, we make sacrifices, we give up things our selfishness might rather hold onto -- and we grow in likeness to the graciousness of God.  This is a picture of marriage as sacrament, part of a holy mystery of the Church.  It allows for our imperfections, and a grace-permeated marriage is one in which love -- as something we are always growing into -- becomes the point.  If we look at the characteristic fruit of the Spirit given to us by St. Paul:  love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control -- we see that although he lists love first, they are all aspects of love.  We can learn kindness in a marriage and its importance in the ways in which we treat a partner.  Goodness becomes important in terms of what we cherish in one another, and what we bring to the union.  Joy is possible for us in realizing the blessings of love.  Peace can be what we find in a partner who loves us and wants what is best for us -- and in our own capacity for love of our partner.  Faithfulness is possible even where we acknowledge our imperfections, as love rejoins even brokenness when we make a mutual effort.  Gentleness and self-control are indispensable to learning how to make a marriage work.  Let us note that Jesus is speaking in a context where initiating divorce was only possible for men, and He is mainly addressing men here.  Therefore, what He calls hard-heartedness is an ill-consideration for women and their position in the context of His time; any way one looks at it, women were of lower social stature than men in a number of ways.  But this isn't a political speech:  it is a spiritual teaching, and it is all about love that transcends everything else and is given by God.  That the two shall become one flesh is a statement of total union.  Historically, the Church (especially in the Eastern Tradition) has come to see both marriage and celibacy in devotion to God as two ways to union and faith.  In both cases, a devotion to God, a growing likeness to our Creator, is the point, for love is of God (1 John 4:7).  Faith gives to marriage a particular dimension that works in mysterious ways to help us find those fruit noted by St. Paul, to overcome hardship, to share those difficulties, to sacrifice for love and all its blessings.  In all cases, it is Christ we turn to for help and guidance, and to create meaning and value for all.  Let us keep in mind St. Paul's word:  All things are lawful, but not all things are helpful (1 Corinthians 6:12, 10:23).  There is no condemnation here, but there is what is best for us.  Abuse can destroy what God puts together, a spiritual tragedy.  Let us understand what God gives to us.

What God has joined together, let not man separate

 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these sayings, that He departed from Galilee and came to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan.  And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them there.   The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?"  And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' and said, '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."  They said to Him, "Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?"  He said to them, "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.  And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery."

His disciples said to Him, "If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry."  But He said to them, "All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given:  For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother's womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake.  He who is able to accept it, let him accept it."

- Matthew 19:1-12

On Saturday, we read that Peter came to Jesus (after Jesus had given a system of mutual correction for the Church, in Friday's reading) and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?  Up to seven times?"  Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.  Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.  And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.  But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made.  The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'  Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.  But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!'  So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'  And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt.  So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done.  Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant!  I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.  Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?'  And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.  So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses."

 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these sayings, that He departed from Galilee and came to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan.  And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them there.   The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?"  And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' and said, '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."  They said to Him, "Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?"  He said to them, "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.  And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery."    Jesus is now in the region just beyond the Jordan; He's come closer to Jerusalem and is in Judea.  We note that great multitudes followed Him.  The Pharisees come from Jerusalem to test Him.  Divorce was an important and contested question at this time, with the Pharisees even divided among themselves on the question of reasons for (easy) divorce.  The basis for the Pharisees' test is Deuteronomy 24:1-4.  God's condescension, my study bible says, or allowance for human weakness, does not override the original principle of permanent monogamous marriage as revealed in Genesis 1 & 2.  It is with this original understanding that Jesus begins His response.  As always, His emphasis is on the true aim and purpose of the Law.  He adds His own clear prohibitions here against divorce.   Jesus gives possible ground for divorce as "sexual immorality."  The permissible reasons for divorce were expanded in the ancient Church to include threat to a spouse's or child's life and desertion.  But in all cases, my study bible emphasizes, acknowledging the spiritual tragedy of such a situation.

His disciples said to Him, "If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry."  But He said to them, "All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given:  For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother's womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake.  He who is able to accept it, let him accept it."   My study bible says that Christ steers the disciples here toward an understanding of the holiness of virginity -- not as a rejection of marriage but rather as a special calling for those to whom it has been given.  Eunuchs were men who had been castrated, perhaps by birth defect, disease, or mutilation.  They were often employed to guard women of nobility.  This was a centuries-old custom in many cultures until rather recently in human history.  Here, Jesus also uses the term "eunuch" figuratively, as metaphor for those who choose freely to live in lifelong celibacy for the sake of the kingdom of heaven.  This is a kind of consecrated virginity, which is not to be confused with self-mutilation (which was condemned at the First Ecumenical Council in 325).  See also 1 Corinthians 7:7, 25-38.

As is typical, when Jesus is challenged by those seeking an answer from Him, He does not reply in the same vein as the question demands.  In other words, if the Pharisees are asking Him for His perspective on a contested question of the time, Jesus does not simply reply as if their grounds for the question were reasonable.  Here, He doesn't really answer the question about divorce in the same perspective as the question is asked.  They ask Him about permissible reasons for divorce.  But Jesus instead emphasizes the nature of marriage itself; that is, its intended nature as a sacrament given by God in the first place.  Rather than answering the question with a list of permissible reasons for divorce, Jesus instead chooses to emphasize the essential importance of marriage as union intended by God in our very creation in the first place.  It is the purpose of physical gender, in the terms in which Jesus phrases His answer.   Even the concept of family takes on particular ramifications in Jesus' answer.  In the ancient world (and all over the world, even in the West until quite recently in historical perspective) marriage was arranged by parents.  The reverence for parents is built into the Law in the Ten Commandments.  But Jesus emphasizes what is written in Genesis:  "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh."   And He concludes,  "So then, they are no longer two but one flesh."  In other words, the marriage bond to wife is meant to surpass the bond with father and mother.  We should keep in mind as we think about this passage that it wasn't possible for a Jewish woman to initiate divorce; Jesus is asked here about the divorce prerogatives of men.  He elevates the status of wife to one that is not simply somewhat higher than property to do with as one wills, but which is greater than the bond with father and mother, and is in fact inseparable from that of her husband, as "the two shall become one flesh" as commanded by God.   Moreover, the emphasis in both discussions with the Pharisees and with His disciples is on the bonds of commitment in a holy context.  First there is this supreme commitment that marriage calls from us, that "the two shall become one flesh."  But secondly, there is the commitment of celibacy for "those to whom it has been given . . . for the kingdom of heaven's sake."  Both are bonds of "marriage" that are given by God and consecrated as holy, unifying not simply by the power of human commitment but by the power of God.   What is not stated here, but which is evident in Jesus' teaching, is the hidden ground of love that forms the basis not only for the Law but for the type of bond which exists in a spiritual context.  As would become so clear for the early Church, "God is love" (1 John 4:8).  Ultimately, these teachings are related to the new commandment He will give (twice for emphasis) at the Last Supper:  "Love one another as I have loved you" (John 13:34, 15:12).  Love is the basis for all the teachings Jesus gives, and most certainly it is so here, when He speaks of the bond of marriage -- so deep that "the two shall become one flesh" -- and also the bond of celibacy given by God to specific persons for the sake of the kingdom of heaven.   Rather than giving a list of reasons for divorce, Jesus instead emphasizes the purpose of the Law which is ultimately love, in many forms.   For this reason, Jesus isn't merely a lawgiver like Moses.  He fulfills the Law, but He leaves us with love as His command.   How we live that love is the mission of our faith and the way we fulfill its purpose, even -- in the historical view of the Church -- the way that we fulfill the mission of holiness.  One thing we know:  it always requires self-giving, a way of going out of ourselves as mediated by faith.   Such bonds ask of us humility, self-emptying, a foregoing of selfishness and self-centeredness and a practice of service, even on the most personal level.  But, as Jesus also indicates, sins against love, forms of abuse of relationships, can break those bonds.  Where is love and its work in you and in your life?  Let us consider the ways in which we are stretched to be more "like" our Creator, in whose "image" we are made.