Gospel Mark 10:2-16
2 Some Pharisees came, and to test him they asked, ‘Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?’ 3 He answered them, ‘What did Moses command you?’ 4 They said, ‘Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her.’ 5 But Jesus said to them, ‘Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you. 6 But from the beginning of creation, “God made them male and female.” 7 “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife,* 8 and the two shall become one flesh.” So they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.’
10 Then in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. 11 He said to them, ‘Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; 12 and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.’
13 People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. 14 But 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. 15 Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.’ 16 And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.
God's Plan and Human Behavior
Here is again another attempt to test Jesus using biblical references.
One of the most debated questions, past and present, is about marriage and divorce. We remember that Matthew's Gospel justifies divorce in the case of sexual immorality, also known as adultery. In Mark's and Luke's Gospels, the question posed to Jesus was about divorce for any reason. Mark 10:2b, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” Jesus refers them to Moses' law and then gives His teaching.
Do the Pharisees really refer to the marriage of Herod Antipas to his sister-in-law? This was after he divorced his first wife Phasaeli, the daughter of Aretas of Nabatea IV, without accusing her of adultery and therefore against Jewish law. Do the Pharisees hope to create a serious conflict between Antipas and Jesus, expecting the former to get rid of the latter as he did with John the Baptist?Jesus, as always, goes to the very essential point without fear of traps, deception or treachery. He speaks about God's will to build a family life based upon mutual love that, according to the Old Testament, includes food, clothing and marital rights (Exodus 21:10).
We pay attention to the fact that the man, as the husband, has the right to divorce his wife. He is entitled to take action. However, the woman in this context has no evident right to divorce. She remains dependent upon her husband's satisfaction or his dismay.
They speak about the social behavior but Jesus speaks about God's plan for humans. Marriage should be the fruit of mutual love, based upon free will and mature reasoning to justify the choice of a certain life partner. This is why Jesus refers to God's creation of the man and the woman in verse 6.
Today, as yesterday, the different views about marriage remain more or less conflicting and depend upon cultures and spiritual insight. Most of the differences are the result of how to read what is written. Christian understanding of marriage has a four fold foundation of mutual love, perpetuity, mutual respect and shared co-responsibility. They form one body that keeps the unity, joy and happiness of a blessed and fruitful family life.
Happy are the couples who have built their matrimonial life on the Word of God. Happy are those who generously give of themselves to save their marriage. Happy are those who consider the bond of love to be the foundation of their marriage, and not just a contract with a legal frame. Blessed are those who keep the dignity of their marriage above pleasure and fun.
We are invited to pray for the sanctity of family life and happily married people, but more for those who experience some difficulties in their marital life. We pray for those tempted to sell their love and their dignity for pleasure, and for those who are attracted by the short-term ephemeral to the detriment of the essential. Let us pray for our families to be a model of love, perpetual commitment and shared responsibility.
May we think with Jesus, considering that a good marriage isn't something you find. It is something you make with God and the uniquely loved person, and you have to keep on making it!