Image from agnusday.org
Some Pharisees came, and to test him they asked, ‘Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?’ He answered them, ‘What did Moses command you?’They said, ‘Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her.’ But Jesus said to them, ‘Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you. But from the beginning of 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 they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.’ Then in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. 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.’ People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. 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.Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.’ And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them. (Mark 10:2-16)
Happy Monday, said very few people ever! But it can be with God in the forefront of all we say, think, and do today and it will bless us the rest of the week! I pray this finds you, dear one, doing well; blessed, renewed and refreshed by the weekend. Nellie and I were awesomely blessed by a church family reunion as we call our 5th Sunday luncheon; we received so many nice wishes, cards, and gifts. I thank Pastor Matt Pennington for leading the charge and gifting me some really nice pens. It helps to train up the young! I also can't begin to list all who shared with us their love, but I will single out Dr. Commie Hisey and his lovely wife, Donna, for sharing with many church members ConCafe cups! Nellie and I were among the first to get those and we were so blessed. Not only are they loyal readers of this devotional, they also want to support this ministry and to God be the glory! Thank you, Donna and Commie! We were so blessed in worship as we saw Emily Currie present and back to her awesome self. I shared that Glory as it is found in the closing part (Doxology) of the Lord's Prayer, refers to the unexplainable, too wonderful-just-enjoy blessings that indicate the awesome, loving presence of God. The church prayed for Emily in worship last Sunday, and I had the privilege of visiting and praying with her after worship last week, and one week later, in spite of doctors thinking she was going to be in for a long time, she was in church! To God be the glory! I love to quote my sister, Rev. Harlene Sadler who in her last church would ask the congregation, "Church; why do we pray?" And the church answers back, "Because God answers prayer!" Indeed.
Okay, the title for todays' devotional may have you thinking; it's a deep philosophical quote from a comedian whose name I have long forgotten; but I should add that Marriage is the leading cause of some of the most wonderful, unexplainable blessings that one can list under Glory; love and finding the right one with whom to share and receive it. The birth of children. The marriage of children, the arrival of grandchildren, etc. But, it leads us to a serious topic for Jesus; divorce. The Pharisees thought the trap was set and that Jesus would fall right into it. "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" Jesus, the Master of all things, knew the history behind divorce in His culture. For many years, a man, tired of his wife, could take all her belongings and place them outside to their dwelling place. This became an accepted sign that the marriage was over. The woman, however, never really truly understood if indeed the marriage was over, and if so, why? It was during Moses' time as leader of the Exodus crowd, that some approached him and asked about this practice. Imagine being on this long journey in the wilderness; one day when you come back from drawing water there are your things outside your tent. "Huh? Why?" Moses decided it was time for divorce to be a legal matter with the husband writing out a certificate of dismissal and thus divorcing his wife. Jesus knew this and uses this to answer the Pharisees, but He also adds, "Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you." Then reminds them, "But from the beginning of creation, 'God made them male and female," and then quotes the Genesis passage, "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." Then the line from the traditional marriage ceremony, "Those whom God has joined together, let no one put asunder." Then Jesus addressed the truth behind many divorces, the desiring of a new partner usually for the wrong reasons; "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marriages another, she commits adultery." The sheep in the above cartoon, from the website www.angusday.org address this well: "Jesus is being so rigid!" says one, the other answers, "Divorce isn't God's will for our lives. Nor are lots of other things that happen among us." The adultery component of Jesus' answer stresses that; God desires 1) our marriages to be based on love and trust in God and each other. 2) Marriage should be an eternal commitment for both husband and wife, thus the vows including "for better, for worse; richer or poorer; in sickness and in health." Yet, we realize sometimes divorce is the only option for some couples. After prayer, counseling, and more prayer, some couples do divorce. This is not an easy decision nor is it necessarily an easy decision for either partner and especially their children.
Jesus takes advantage of the presence of children to talk about them; and I believe as a dramatic reinforcement of the seriousness of marriage and the consequences that follow divorce. Children will always belong to the Kingdom of God; and nothing nor no one should hinder their participation and entrance to that Kingdom. Adults should never forget they were once children, and they should lovingly bless children, even to the point of embracing the awe and wonder of a child when it comes to the things of God. That again, dear friends, is Glory. The one who loses all awe and wonder towards God becomes a sadder person and may quickly lose all hope. Love and pray for all whom you know who have gone through the heartbreak of divorce, praying especially hard for the children.
May our prayer and our commitment be to our relationships. For those who are married, you know that marriage is an enterprise that requires full participation; give and take, forgiving and forgetting; all pulling together in the same direction towards the goal of pleasing and serving God.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, bless all who read this devotional. Help us to be the partners to the ones Whom You have shared with us; bless and strengthen all marriages. Bless all members and children of marriages. We pray a special prayer for the children of divorce; bless and protect them, granting them wisdom beyond their years to see above to what can truly be in their lives and loves. Bless and protect those who have made the difficult decision to divorce. And, loving God, protect those in abusive relationships. This we all pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Live and Love as Christ Himself is with you, living in and loving, you!
Eradio Valverde
