What did Jesus have to say about divorce?

Discerning the Voice of Jesus

Old Testament Reading: Genesis 2:18-25

Epistle Reading: Hebrews 1:1-4 ; 2:5-12

Gospel Reading: Mark 10:1-16

Introduction

Long ago, says the writer of Hebrews, God spoke to our ancestors and in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days, God has spoken to us by a Son…who is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. God speaks to us today as he has always spoken to us in history. God was, is, and will be always interested in communicating with us human beings. It is this truth that gives us confidence to come before a rather sensitive passage in the gospel of Mark, chapter 10 where Jesus is questioned about divorce. In our reading today, we see two episodes from the life of Jesus that help us learn to discern the voice of Jesus. Jesus is now on a journey to Judea in the south, approaching his final confrontation with Jerusalem. Let us look at the first episode.

“What God has joined together, let no one separate”

Imagine Jesus walking among the crowds, surrounded by his many disciples and approaching new places where his reputation and fame have already preceded him. You can see people marveling at this person who has been healing the sick, calling people to a life of discipleship, interpreting the Scriptures in a new light and there amidst all of this, some Pharisees approach him with a question: “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” As Christians, we too have answers to this question. If you were keen, you would go look up every instance of “divorce” in the Bible and come up with one of the following answers. You’d find Malachi chapter 2 verse 16 which says, “For I hate divorce, says the Lord, the God of Israel.” Or you would stumble upon Matthew 19 which is the synoptic parallel of this Markan account and say that divorce is allowed only in the case of unfaithfulness in marriage. Or you could go find Paul’s take on the matter in 1 Corinthians 7:10f where divorce is certainly discouraged but in situations of divorce, remarriage is discouraged, and rather the couple getting back together is encouraged. But unlike us Jesus is not quick to respond. Instead, Jesus enters into a dialogue with the Pharisees and later with his disciples to flesh out an answer to this question. In doing so, his words come across as the voice of dissent, the voice of love, and the voice of truth.

The Voice of Dissent

The Voice of Jesus comes to us as a Voice of Dissent. What is dissent? Dissent, in simple terms, is taking a position of disagreement to an already prevailing idea or practice in society which is most often propagated and validated by people in power. Now, at the time of this incident in Mark, divorce was already being practiced in the community. The reason for this question being raised to Jesus therefore has at least two perspectives to it, both of which point to this being a trick question and not a crisis question. Firstly, Herod Antipas, the ruler at that time, had divorced his wife and married Herodias who was herself a divorcee. In this light, saying “No” to divorce could have been considered as sedition warranting immediate death. The second perspective is on the Jewish people’s own validation of divorce based on Deuteronomy 24:1-4. Jesus, responding in a Pharisaic way himself with a question to a question, asks the Pharisees, “What did Moses command you?” The Pharisees quote the Deuteronomy passage and say that Moses allowed (notice the word allowed and not commanded) a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her.” Now, it is said that in first century Judaism, there were two schools of thought in regard to divorce. While the somewhat conservative school of Shammai held that a man may only divorce his wife for a serious transgression such as infertility or unfaithfulness, the more liberal school of Hillel allowed divorce for even trivial offenses, such as even burning a meal in the kitchen or not being favorable to the husband. Jesus, being aware of all this immediately raises a voice of dissent and says, “It is because of your hardness of heart that he wrote this commandment for you!” Jesus was not afraid to disagree with the norm of his time. He in fact was radical in that he was able to dissent on many occasions especially in regard to the interpretation of Scriptures. Jesus then adds an alternate answer from Genesis 1 and 2. The voice of dissent that disagrees with the prevailing notion transitions into a voice of love.

The Voice of Love

The Voice of Jesus comes to us as a Voice of Love. Jesus points the Pharisees to Genesis 1:27 (v.6: But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’) And Genesis 2:24 (v.7,8,9: 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 they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”) Almost suddenly, this conversation has changed from the topic of divorce to marriage, from separation to togetherness and love. It is not a surprise that Jesus points to Genesis instead of any other passage in the Old Testament to respond to the Pharisees. By doing so, Jesus is reinstating his authority as the Son of God and Son of man in a way of, “You have heard it said…but I say unto you!” Jesus points to the larger picture of God’s very design for human life which is communion and not separation.

I am reading now to you a separation note shared by a popular celebrity couple in India just last night, announcing their divorce. “To all our well-wishers, After much thought, we have decided to part ways as husband and wife to pursue or own paths.” You and I may have come across many stories in our own lives of couples moving towards divorce for various reasons. There seems to be a culture of individuality affecting marriages in our times today in newer ways than before that divorce seems like a very simple solution. We can either quickly jump to conclusions and blame the individuals responsible or take sides and be the ones encouraging them to file for separation. Jesus speaks into our culture today as he did then to remind us of the beauty of love and marriage and togetherness. But what about marriages in which there is no love, you may ask? What about marriages in which there is abuse? Surely, divorce ought to be allowed? Here is where we come to hear Jesus’s Voice of Truth.

The Voice of Truth

The Voice of Jesus comes to us as a Voice of Truth. After this incident, “in the house”, the Bible says, the disciples asked him again about this matter. Biblical scholars think that this is perhaps the “Messianic Secret,” something about the Messiah which was revealed specially only to the disciples. Imagine the disciples who are still puzzled by this matter especially after Jesus’s answer to the Pharisees. Jesus gives a final verdict on the matter that remains one of the most profound verses in the entire Bible. In Mark 10:11 and 12, Jesus says to his disciples, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.” What did Jesus just say? Did Jesus profoundly just bring to light the woman’s will and choice in this matter? Absolutely! If you observed keenly, this whole conversation between the Pharisees and Jesus, including the back stories and the debates and the Old Testament passages in contention were all referring to a man divorcing his wife and not the other way around. An unequal order of things. Jesus turns the issue on its head and tells the people and in effect to us that if anybody is to be concerned about divorce it has to be the couple themselves as they are accountable to God and to each other. This is the reason why a ‘man’ leaves his father and mother and becomes one flesh with his wife. We must also remember that even in cases of divorce in the Bible, God always provided a way for dignity and security, especially to the women. The “certificate of divorce” was precisely that. It ensured that the wife who was divorced along with her possessions could not be snatched back by a husband who had already divorced her. Jesus here in one sentence addresses all of divorce, adultery, and remarriage in one go bringing back the focus to the people who matter, the couple themselves.

Here is the truth in the Old English. “What God has joined together, let no one put asunder.” God has made us for love and communion and not for hate and separation. Personally, I know of a few stories of divorce and how it has really affected the very being of friends and family. One friend who went through divorce is so broken that she is on a quest for her own identity. Another friend who went through divorce has to give up custody of his child because the court said he couldn’t afford it. We all know stories as such. They are disheartening. But the good news is that, we need to trust in God’s design of love for us, because ultimately we are his bride and he is the bridegroom. He is the bridegroom that will stand at the end of the aisle, near the altar welcoming us with open arms, saying, “Come to me all you who are weak and heavy laden and I will give you rest!” The Voice of Truth always tells us a different story.

“Whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it”

From this heated matter of divorce, we move to children in the next episode. Imagine Jesus explaining these things to the disciples in the house while people were bringing little children to him to be blessed. Remember, children were considered the lowest strata as well as the most insignificant in Jewish society. The disciples stop them. Listen now to the Voice of Jesus.

Can you hear the voice of dissent? “Jesus was indignant. Do not stop them from coming to me!”

Can you hear the voice of love? “Let the little children come to me!”

Can you hear the voice of truth? “Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.”

Conclusion

Dear friends, the voice of Jesus is the voice of God because Jesus is the Word of God. We ought to become like little children and come running to listen to Jesus’ voice. Like little children, let us come before this wonderful mystery of God, not with preconceived notions but to be renewed in our minds and spirits so that when we do come across difficult situations in our lives our ears will be able to listen keenly to voice of Jesus. The voice that comes to us as a voice of dissent, of love, and of truth, a voice that always embraces and a voice that always puts love above anything else. We need to be courageous like Jesus in our own situations to prefer communion over separation, but at the same time to look for details, to prefer dialogue, to defend the vulnerable, and to show tough love to the powerful for doing so would have meant that we have discerned the voice of God. Amen.