Mark 10:2-16 (NRSV)
Read Mark 10:2-16 on biblegateway.com
Verse 2Some Pharisees came, and to test him they asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" Verse 3He answered them, "What did Moses command you?" Verse 4They said, "Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her." Verse 5But Jesus said to them, "Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you. Verse 6But from the beginning of creation, 'God made them male and female.' Verse 7'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, Verse 8and the two shall become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Verse 9Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate."
Verse 10Then in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. Verse 11He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; Verse 12and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."
Verse 13People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. Verse 14But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, "Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Verse 15Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it." Verse 16And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.
Devotion
I love to preside at weddings and celebrate them as a sign of the love of God shining through. Joseph Sittler wrote, “The heart of marriage is a promise”—the couple’s promises are surrounded by God’s promise to bless and be with them in their new life together.
The gospel story recognizes that even in Bible times marriages that are part of human community can morph into times of weariness. Vows are broken. Divorce happens.
Yet marriage is a blessing. For the couple, yes, but also for any children which may come. And in addition, the friends and community of the married couple. As a relationship lived out in community, there is no “perfect” marriage. Even where promises have been broken, God’s promises remain sure. Neither married, divorced, or single people are greater, or less in the realm of God. And children, no matter if their parents are married, divorced, or being raised by a single parent, or someone else, are just as loved by God as anyone else.
Prayer
O God, we want to be glad to celebrate weddings. And we also want to celebrate the lives in community of those who may no longer be married. Help us to invite people and children of any family background into our faith communities. Thank you for giving us worth and loving us as we are. Amen.
Interested in digging deeper into today’s text?
Read more here.