Sermon Tone Analysis
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*“Separation Issues”*
*Mark 10.1-12*
One of the “benefits” of expository preaching (which is simply preaching through an entire book like we are) is that the text determines your next sermon.
This is so preachers are faithful to preach the whole counsel of God and not just hobby horses or particular areas of interest.
And so this is where we find ourselves today.
If I were to handpick a sermon to preach this morning, it is pretty likely that it would not be a sermon on divorce.
And at the same time, I believe that it is absolutely critical for us to understand and apply.
You should also know that there is a great temptation that comes with preaching.
When you have the task of declaring the hard truths of God’s word, there is a temptation to somehow make the content more palatable to your hearers.
After all, you want to be liked and accepted.
Ha!
One thing we need to understand at the outset is that if we are going to live a faithful Christian life, it is going to be extremely counter-cultural.
This morning’s message will be no different.
In fact, this may strike at the center of count-culture.
And the more you strike at the heart, the more tempting it is to soften the blow of the Bible’s truth.
But, as you know, the preacher has no option but to declare God’s message faithfully.
So, here goes…
This morning we are dealing with a sensitive subject.
If I were to ask the question, “who here has been somehow /influenced/ by a divorce in their life?” it is likely that a majority of people could answer this with a “yes.”
It is possible that you yourself have been through a divorce.
Maybe your parents have been divorced.
Or maybe someone else in the family or close friends have been divorced.
And as you know, this is often a very painful experience.
And as I have noted with others, it is perhaps not the best-handled subject by the church.
And so we need to do our due diligence and continue to explore the truth of the matter so that we honor God more faithfully.
The sermon this morning will take a bit of a different form because of the topic of the passage.
We will explore and see what Mark records regarding divorce.
But we will also seek to gain a broader perspective by looking at other Scripture passages to help inform the text as well.
We want to ensure that we have a biblical perspective of divorce and remarriage.
Let’s begin by looking at the passage in Mark 10.1-12.
So we see that Jesus and the disciples are on the move.
They leave the Galilee region and press on toward Jerusalem.
Verse 1 indicates that they went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan – which is likely the area of Perea.
(Look at map).
And it is here that the crowds again begin to gather.
In typical fashion, Jesus looks at the crowds and teaches them.
They were more “sheep without a shepherd.”
And also in typical fashion, Jesus is challenged by the Pharisees.
We have seen all along that the Pharisees often engage Jesus with questions.
But we know that they were not looking for the correct answers, but only to trap him and produce evidence against him.
And so it is here.
Mark includes their purpose.
And so they ask Jesus, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?”
Now this is significant on a couple of levels.
First, if they are indeed in the area of Perea, this is the area under the jurisdiction of Herod Antipas.
“Why is this significant?”
you ask.
John the Baptist lost his head because of his opposition to Herod’s marriage to Herodias – his brother Philip’s wife.
So the implied question could pertain to the illegitimacy of Herod’s divorce to marry Herodias.
Perhaps they were hoping that the same fate would meet Jesus as met John the Baptist.
Also, we need to remember that Mark is writing to Christians in Rome.
In Rome, divorce had become extremely easy and frequent.
This sounds all too familiar to our situation today.
And just as it was tempting for Christians in the city of Rome to be caught up in the conventions of their society, so it is for us today.
And so this is a timely message for us as it was for them in their culture.
The Pharisees appear to have prepared a nice trap for Jesus.
And this is our first (and very brief) point: *Indictment Attempt.*
Like a good teacher, Jesus responds with a question.
He asks, “What did Moses command you?” It’s important to watch the words here.
The Pharisees would have prided themselves on their understanding of the Torah written by Moses.
They probably also had their reply on the tip of their tongue.
They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.”
And they quoted Deuteronomy 24.
Hard to argue with this, right?
Well, let’s look more closely at the words.
Jesus knew there was no command from Moses.
Apparently, so did the Pharisees as indicated in their reply.
So what do we make of this?
As you peruse the Old Testament, you will find a number of things that were tolerated and yet not God’s ideal.
We often are puzzled over tolerated polygamy or slavery.
At the time that Moses wrote this in Deuteronomy, divorce in Israel was running rampant.
And this was a way to manage the issue of divorce and ensure that the women were cared for.
In fact, it was so bad, Moses includes that divorces were happening because men did not find their wives “favourable.”
The Pharisees were not identifying the issue as limiting effects of divorce, but as a /pretext /for divorce.
Moses did not “command” but “allowed.”
And this was not part of God’s plan because verse 4 even indicates that at this point, the woman is defiled and is an abomination before the Lord.
And then Jesus includes that it was because of the hardness of heart of the people that Moses wrote the command.
And this was NOT part of God’s plan.
The second point is *Divine Design.
*Jesus does not concede that Deuteronomy is conclusive for permissible divorce.
What is the first word in verse 6 of Mark 10?? BUT… contrast.
The people were so sinful, so hard of heart, that Moses allowed this.
But… But this is not how it was supposed to be.
“Pharisees, you know the Torah.
Let’s back this argument up a little.
In fact, let’s go way back to creation.”
But from the beginning of creation… God… not Moses allowed… but God made…
I need to preface my remarks here and make a couple of things clear.
In my study of this topic over the last little while, my view on divorce and remarriage has been slightly altered.
We have a Divorce Statement here at SBC which was crafted by the elders here before I arrived.
And when I came here, it was a document that communicated the position I had on the issue.
Like I mentioned, my views have changed slightly as I continued to study.
In all churches, everyone does not agree on everything.
I know that this is earth shattering for you all!
But as leadership we agree to function on the things we can.
This is not a primary doctrine like the deity of Christ or justification by faith alone.
I hold what is referred to as a “permanence view” of marriage.
This is my best understanding of the text and I hope I can communicate it faithfully.
Here is the first ever marriage.
God made them male and female.
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