Mark 10_1_12 Obs

Divorce (verb) (4x) vs. 2,4,11,12…. apoluō - to dismiss or to send away. It is used 63 times in the New Testament, Mark uses it 3 other times (6:36,45, 8:3) and it is translated “send away” (As in to send away a crowd.) I have found two words in the Old Testament that translates divorce, the first is gā·rǎš which is used 44 times and means to cast or to drive out. It is used in to imply a marriage separation 5 times (Lev, 21:7, 14, 22:13, Num. 30:9, and Ezek. 44:22). The second word is kerî·ṯûṯ, it means the act ending a marriage, it is used 4 times in the following verses Deut. 24:1, 3, Is. 50:1, and Jer. 3:8)

Command (verb) vs. 3…. Entellomai – to give orders or instructions.

Permitted (verb) vs. 4…. Epitrepō – to allow or let. Mark uses this word one other time (Mk. 5:13) as Jesus gave permission to the demons to enter the swine. In this context I don’t believe it means to give permission but that it was hesitantly (at best) allowed because of the rebellious nature of the Israelites (all mankind).

Cleave (KJV) (Verb … KJV) vs. 7…. Proskollaō – joined, be united too. This word is not in NASB but the idea certainly is. This is a quote from Gen. 2:24. The Hebrew verb dā·ḇǎq which is translated cleave (KJV) Joined (NASB) means to fasten oneself to an object (in the case a person) or to be stuck to. It’s the idea of sticking to you like glue.

Become (Verb) vs. 8…. Eimi – to be or to exist. Mark uses this term 188 times but interestingly it is used in Mark 3:11 as demons fell before Jesus declaring “you are the Son of God.” It that context it means to be identical.

Joined Together (Main Verb) vs. 9…. Syzeugnymi – joined together in marriage.

Separate (verb) vs. 9…. Chōrizō – to leave, to divide, this is the idea of divorce and in this text the word means divorce.

Contrasts between commanded and permitted…. But asking the Pharisees what The Law of Moses commanded Jesus forces them to recognize that Moses only “permitted” not “commanded” divorce, on any grounds.

Jesus points to a very clear text from the Hebrew Scriptures (Gen. 2:24) to argue against divorce. Jesus is against Divorce thus making it a sin!

Action Role of God…. Joining together

No longer two but 1

Verse 11-12 is Hyperbolic language to point out that even if a man divorces his wife and remarries and vice versa they are still married in God’s eyes. Human law does not negate what God has joined together.

O.T. divorce (Deut. 24:1)…. Before the Law permitting divorce a man could divorce his wife due to dissatisfaction with her, this mean s he could divorce her on any grounds what so ever… he didn’t need a reason, even if she just burned his food. Note the man divorces his wife the wife could not divorce the husband. After the Law was given he would have to have a “bill of divorcement” which meant a legal hearing in front of the body of elders in which testimony would be given. This Law was given to bring protection for the woman.

Be at peace (Harmony) with each other (Mark 9:50) seemingly many months separate mark 9:50 and Mark 10… many events had taken place (Matt. 18, John 7-11, Luke 9:57-18:14

Introduction: Howard Hendricks was speaking at a conference in Dallas, and asked the question of the audience of 2000, “Do you know someone who is perfect?” He was about to go on, when he noticed a lone hand raised in the back of the auditorium. Hendricks asked, “Are you perfect, or do you know someone who is?” The man replied, “Oh, no, I’m not perfect. But as far as I can tell, my wife’s first husband was.”

it is easier in these United States to walk away from a marriage than from a commitment to purchase a used car. Most contracts cannot be unilaterally abrogated; marriages in contemporary America can be terminated by practically anyone at any time, and without cause.

CPS: Marriage is divine, its continuance is permanent thus it is indissoluble (unable to be destroyed). It is not a contract of temporary convenience and not a union that me be dissolved at will. (Divorce is the breaking of a seal which has been engraven by the hand of God”)

Context: This text comes on the heels of Jesus’ teaching about true greatness and He appeals to the disciples to live at peace with each other. Several months have passed between 9:50 and 10:1, yet Mark records this just after the statements of greatness. Perhaps he is teaching the importance in humility, holiness, and harmony in marriage. I find it difficult to understand how two people who loved each other enough to pledged to live their lives with each other end up being such enemies while going through a divorce. The text that follows our passage is that of the dependency of Children, perhaps the secret to marriage is the total dependency on God.

Content: While heading to Jerusalem (in Perea) Jesus is tested by the Pharisees concerning divorce, they believed a man could divorce his wife on any grounds and that Jesus would oppose this view. Their motive was to infuriate Herod Antipas and his wife Herodias with the hopes that they would put Jesus to death just as they did to John the Baptist.

When the Pharisees’ tested Jesus He responded as was His custom by asking them a question, “what did Moses command.” Jesus put the Law to work as it reveals how far we fall short of God’s standard. The Law that Jesus refers to is Deuteronomy 24:1-5 and they responded correctly that Moses only permitted divorce (cast/send away). Jesus responds by saying this was because of the hard hearts of your ancestors because they would send a wife away for any fault even she simply burnt his food. Jesus begin to tell of God’s design for marriage pointing the Pharisee’s to the first marriage that took place by the hand of God in the perfect Garden which He had planted. Before we can move forward and talk about God permitting divorce we must first look at His design for Marriage.

God’s Design for Marriage6-9

God is the God of order; He has a purpose for all that He does. This purpose brings glory to Him and good for us. Jesus instructs the Pharisees back to creation and invites them to look at the first marriage on earth, that of Adam and Eve as He quotes Gen 2:24. But the first marriage is fully seen in Gen. 2:18, 22-25. Though the world has fallen to sin that does not change God’s purpose. There are a few things to take note of in the first chapters of the Bible that will do our generation well to understand too.

Marriage is designed for Pleasure

When God created the world as recorded in the first two chapter of Genesis we read the phrase over and again “God saw that it was good.” But in Genesis 2:18 God said. “it is not good for a man to be alone.” This is the first time that God saw something that was not good. Unless God calls you to a life of singleness and celibacy, He desires that we know the wonderful pleasure of marriage. God created us male in female that we could come together in intimacy sharing our lives with each other. “When you share your joys, you will experience double the joy. When you share your sorrows, you will only experience half the sorrow.” God designed marriage for pleasure!

Marriage is designed for Partnership

Jesus tells us that two come together create one. Marriage is a partnership between one man and one woman. Genesis 2:18 continues by saying, “I will make him a helper comparable to him.” God created woman to be a “helper” for the man. The Hebrew literally means, “one who assists the other in reaching complete fulfillment.” That same word “helper” is used elsewhere in the Bible of rescuing somebody. Man has a gnawing need that could only be met by a woman. She provides the missing pieces to the puzzle of his existence.

ILL: Augustine was right when he said, “God created woman from the side of the man – not from his head to rule over him, not from his feet to be trampled under him, but from his side, under his arm, to be protected by him and next to his heart, to be loved by him.”

Marriage is to be a partnership where husband and wife walk side-by-side complementing and completing each other. The woman is not to be the domineering force in the home and neither is the man to be the dictator. Marriage is a partnership that was designed by God!

Marriage is designed for Permanency

God said to Adam and Eve in Genesis 2:24, “Therfore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife.” The term “join” means to glue or to be welded together. Marriage is for life, there is no back door or contingency plan! Most likely when you got married (or when you do marry) your wedding vows included the phrase “till death do us part.” But for many it is “till debt do us part” or “till disagreement do us part.”

To be joined “together” indicates there is an adhesive that causes you to stick to each other. Jesus Christ is the glue that holds tighter. You see, a perfect marriage is a union of three: Christ, a man, and a woman. Therefore, let it be said that what God has joined together, let no man separate.

ILL; A pastor was teaching about the permanency of marriage and asked an eledelry couple in the pews that had been married for over 70 years what the secret to the longevity of their marriage was. The lady answered our relationship with God. The man added “on our wedding day the first thing we did as a married couple was purchase or burial plots.” Marriage is designed for Permanency!

Marriage is determined by God

God brought into Adam’s life the woman whom he had specifically designed for him. When God created Eve, He made her with Adam in mind. He made her for the purpose of being joined together with Adam to correspond to what he needed. Literally, there was only one woman in the whole world for Adam it was Eve!

Though the world has tumbled into sin nothing has changed in regards to God’s purpose for marriage, the only thing that has changed is man’s sin. Marriage is a union that is designed and determined by God. A union consisting of three, Jesus, husband, and wife; it was designed to bring pleasure into life, and is a covenant that spans literally a life time!

Transition: Now that we have looked at God’s design for marriage now we can look at God’s permittance of divorce.

God’s Permittance of Divorce 2-5,10-12

Notice the contrast between the words command and suffered (permit), as the Pharisees recalled God’s Law they recognized that it was not a command but that it was something God allowed. Jesus follows the statement with the reason for it being allowed; It was due to their hard hearts! We see in Scripture the hardness of sinful man, the open rebellion that Israel demonstrated as they grumbled in the wilderness and built golden calves as Moses was on the Mountain receiving the Law from the very hand of God. Since the time of the fall man has been in sin.

To understand divorce better we need to look at the Law that Jesus speaks of and the context of divorce in its original setting. Deut. 24:1 reads When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house.

The verb divorce means to dismiss or to send away. In ancient times a man would cast out his wife as he pleases for no reason at all. It could be that he was bored with her, mad at her because she burnt his food, she could be sent away for any reason at all. Her casting away was justified by him not finding favor with her any longer. When God gave this Law for marriage it was not meant as an exit strategy to get out of a marriage but for protection for the wife. Often when a wife was sent away it was with nothing and there was nothing she could do about it. But when the Law came the man had to go before the elders in a legal hearing and testimony would be given from both sides making it harder for the man to cast his wife away.

Divorce was not intended to cause martial separation but to protect it. But sinful man turned divorce into an easy out which is against God’s plan and will for man. Divorce is a nasty hurtful sin that has many victims and is justified with the statement that God wants ME to be happy. God cares about your happiness but not over personal holiness and you will never find true happiness outside of God’s plan. Finding happiness in divorce is a fool’s errand.

I underhand that some marriages are abusive and if God’s permits divorce as a form of protection than perhaps it used to protect the innocent victims but the Bible also teaches that a woman can win her unbelieving husband over for the Lord and he be saved (1. Cor. 7:16). But what was meant for protection has become an enticement to sin.

ILL: While driving down the road I read a bill board advertising $99 divorces.

We have turned God’s purpose of protection into a cheap and unfulfilling sin! Let me tell you who the victims are…. Everyone around you! You, your parents, your siblings, your friends, and most of all your children, your sin has long reaching effects. Then there is remarriage and most of the time this effects everyone more.

ILL: Fifty years ago parents were apt to have a lot of kids. Nowadays kids are apt to have a lot of parents. There are no winners in divorce, the only people who profit are the lawyers and the toy manufactures. Did you know that 75% of divorcees remarry, that means kids go from having 2 parents to 4 parents and from 4 grandparents to eight grandparents who tend to compete for the children's affections by buying them toys. But all the toys in the world will not give the Children their hearts desire, that is to have the shattered pieces which was once their family put back together.

God may have permitted divorce but He stands opposed to it, we can see this in the verse 11-12, as the disciples are alone with Jesus they ask Him again about divorce because they had the same understanding as the Jew’s did but in a nut shell Jesus tells the though a man and woman may divorce and each and remarries they are still married in God’s eyes. Human law does not negate what God has joined together!

Application: I’m not here today to bring judgment only to expound God’s holy word. Jesus opposes sin yet He became our sin that we may become God’s righteousness in Him. By grace through faith any and all sin can be forgiven. Today I want to exalt God’s will and His purpose for marriage, if you are divorced I encourage you to ask God for forgiveness and He is always just to forgive and cleanse us from all our unrighteousness.

The emphasis this text is not sin but what is right in God’s eyes so how can we ensure that our marriage is lasting and please to God. It is interesting that though as many as 6 months has passed since Jesus told the disciples about true greatness (Mark 9:30-50)yet this is where Mark picks up, I cant help but seeing that lesson as personal application in having a great marriage. There must be humility, the Bible tells wives to submit to their husbands and husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the church laying down His life for it (Eph 5:22-27). That is a call to submission and service one to another. There must also be holiness in marriage, so remove the sin plagues you and live a life devoted to God’s word, do not let the sun go down on your anger (Eph. 4:26) but be quick and ready to forgive. Don’t withhold physical intimacy from your spouse expect for a time that is mutually agreed upon to be devoted to prayer (1 Cor. 7:5). Control your tongue because contrary to beliefs words do hurt, here is an acronym that my Father in Law taught me. H.A.L.T. Do or say nothing when you are Hungry Angry Lonely and/or Tired because what will come out will not be edifying nor extend grace (Eph. 4:29). There must also be harmony strive for peace, this doesn’t mean you will never have disagreements but its how you handle disagreements that matters. Finally we find application in the text that follows, as Jesus blesses the little Children saying the “Kingdom of God belongs to such as these” He calls His followers to total dependency on God (Mk. 10:13-16). The secret to marriage is not found in independence but in dependence upon God at all times!

Conclussion: Henry Ford's sage advice when asked on his 50th wedding anniversary for his rule for marital bliss and longevity. He replied, "Just the same as in the automobile business, stick to one model."

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