A Hard Fact. Mark 10:9-12.
“What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”And in the house, the disciples asked him again about this matter. And he said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, “and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”
Dear Pilgrims and Sojourners,
Jesus concludes his response to the Pharisees with a statement that has become the formal confirmation of the wedded state at weddings.
Institution (v. 9). What people see as a human institution, governed by the traditions and regulations of men, Jesus declares is divinely instituted. What God himself has put together, man should not purport to have the authority to put apart. This is part of the mysticism of the marriage bond. It may appear to us a social contract. In reality, it is a divine covenant.
Inquiry (v. 10). The disciples privately ask Jesus about his answer to the Pharisees. Mark does not tell us exactly what they asked. It is possible that they wanted further clarification, since what Jesus was saying went against the general teaching of the scribes and the rabbis. But it also could be an attempt to get Jesus to soften his stance. We all retain a little of the childhood habit of repeating a question, the answer to which we do not like, in the vain hope that we will get a different, more desirable answer.
Inflexible (Vv. 11-12). Jesus only makes things worse. Not only is divorce a consequence of the hardness of the heart, but remarriage is also adultery! In his account, Matthew includes an exception in the case of sexual unfaithfulness and we can assume that it applies here, as well. This is a difficult saying. But the word of God is not about what is comfortable. This statement is also the strongest circumstantial teaching against polygamy. If it is not okay to divorce a spouse and marry another, it follows that it is not okay to marry a second, or third. This argument is based on the mystique of the marital bond. There is no easy way out of it. If you are in such a situation, acknowledge that the “hardness of heart” is the cause. You cannot change your current status, since you are already remarried, but you can appeal to the grace of God. He is “abundantly able to save” and will forgive and restore. Just do not go about trying to justify your position.
Your Loving Pastor Chris.