Seeking Life.

“Peace be with you.”

“Let’s Pray. Father may your will be done, Jesus may your word be proclaimed, and Spirit may your work be accomplished in us we pray. Amen.”

Introduction

A. The Difficulty of Preaching.

The Gospel reading is one that is hard and difficult to navigate because so many of us have experienced brutal and rocky divorces in our lives. The way people often talk about divorce is filled with frustration and even regret. It becomes obvious that Divorce is a reality that no one should have to experience and yet it is prevalent in our culture. Today’s sermon is challenging to preach but the Word of God doesn’t leave us alone in the challenges of a fallen world. It speaks into it and if you can stomach its hard truths, it will lead you in the path of righteousness and blessing.

B. Buried in Death, but Resurrected to Life.

It is a tall order that I have to preach today on Divorce. Having studying this myself and having experienced a brutal Divorce myself, there are moments in my studying where I have felt burdened and buried by the guilt that the Word of God places upon me. However, I have experienced that when I feel buried by my own guilt and shame from not doing what is right, The Word of God comes along and gives me the Gospel and lifts me up from that grave. So on the outset of this sermon, some may feel buried by the law, but it is my hope that you will be revived by the Gospel.

II. Context.

Though we are given lessons on divorce and marriage, this gospel lesson is more about the pursuit of Jesus’ life by the Pharisees. There are several scriptural clues that inform our understanding of what is really taking place and creating a narrative that is meant to be understood.

Seeking an opportunity to put Jesus away.

There is several piece of scripture evidence that this “testing” by the Pharisees is intended to bring the similar end to Jesus that took the life of John the Baptist.

1. Remembering The death of John the Baptist.

If you remember in Chapter 6 of Mark, we are told that King Herod put John in Jail on account of his wife Herodias (Mark 6:17), who had Divorced Herod’s brother Philip and remarried Herod for political gain. We are told that Herodias had a grudge against John because John spoke openly against the divorce and remarriage saying,

Mark 6:18 NASB95

18 For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”

This created a murderous desire in Herodias who sought plans to put John the Baptist to death (Mark 6:19).

2. Location.

Mark 10:1 NASB95

1 Getting up, He went from there to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan; crowds gathered around Him again, and, according to His custom, He once more began to teach them.

Jesus is traveling and teaching in the same region that John the baptist was ministering in. This indicates that the community he found himself in knew of the beheading of John and the drama surrounding it.

3. Language.

Mark 10:2 NASB95

2 Some Pharisees came up to Jesus, testing Him, and began to question Him whether it was lawful for a man to divorce a wife.

The Mark writes the question that the Pharisees pose to Jesus with the same language that John the Baptist used with Herod and Herodias.

4. Law.

Mark 10:10–12 NASB95

10 In the house the disciples began questioning Him about this again. 11 And He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her; 12 and if she herself divorces her husband and marries another man, she is committing adultery.”

Jesus doesn’t respond directly to the question that the Pharisee’s ask, but instead speaks about the Law’s intent (Which we will look at here in second), but when the disciples questions Jesus further in the privacy of a home, Jesus gives a fuller response. What Jesus mentions in the response is further evidence that He is speaking into the specific situation of Herod and Heriodas with the reference to the wife who divorces her husband. Generally speaking, it was very rare for a Jewish woman to divorce her husband. Divorce was primarily initiated by men. There are very few instances and cases that a woman would initiate the divorce but here Jesus references that any woman who divorces her husband and marries another man is committing adultery. This statement casts judgement on Herodias just like John the Baptist did.

5. (seeking Jesus’) Life.

Theses scriptural evidences inform us of the context in which we are to understand this passage. The Pharisees are testing Jesus, and by testing him, seeking a way to bring an end to his ministry, a similar end like John the Baptist.

Mark 3:6 NASB95

6 The Pharisees went out and immediately began conspiring with the Herodians against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.

6. No one will take Jesus’ Life.

Another thing to take note of is that Jesus’ life will not be taken from him but He will lay it down freely.

John 10:18 NASB95

18 “No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”

Jesus and his disciples have been “on the way” to Jerusalem but they are not yet there. We will see Jesus entering into Jerusalem as a king in the next chapter but here we are encountering a moment where there is a threat upon the life of Jesus before he goes to give up his life and it is not successful.

This gospel lesson is more about seeking Jesus’ life rather than learning about Marriage and Divorce. But that doesn’t stop Jesus from teaching the way we ought to think about Marriage and Divorce. To this we now turn.

III. Concerning Divorce.

Mark 10:3–5 NASB95

3 And He answered and said to them, “What did Moses command you?” 4 They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.” 5 But Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment.

1. Divorce is Permissible.

According to the Law of Moses, Divorce is permissible. We will not go into detail today in what ways Divorce was permissible according to the Law. I will reserve that for Wednesday Evening for those who want a Biblical framework concerning Divorce and Remarriage. But for now we must stick to the text and the text doesn’t expound upon Divorce other than one point:

2. Hardness of Hearts.

Jesus reveals why Divorce is permissible is because of the Hardness of Man’s heart. This points out that Divorce isn’t the intention of a marital relationship but a result of a heart made hard by sin.

Permissive vs. Intention.

Pointing this out, Jesus is teaching that the question posed to Him is focused on what the Law permits rather than what the Law intends.

Paul would say it this way,

1 Corinthians 10:23 NASB95

23 All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify.

In other words, seeking answers from warning labels isn’t the same as seeking answers from the owner’s manual.

Learning what is allowed isn’t the same of learning what ought to be done.

This is why Jesus turns the attention to Marriage rather than Divorce.

IV. Concerning Marriage.

Mark 10:6–12 NASB95

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, 8 and the two shall become one flesh; so they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 “What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.” 10 In the house the disciples began questioning Him about this again. 11 And He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her; 12 and if she herself divorces her husband and marries another man, she is committing adultery.”

Jesus points to Divorce Prevention rather than Divorce Permission by present a didactic on Marriage.

Lessons on Marriage.

1. The Standard of Marital Relationship.

Man & Female Covenant relationship imaging Christ and the Church.

2. The Supremacy of the Marital Relationship.

The Marriage supersedes all other relationships.

3. The Significance of the Marital Relationship.

Marriage unites two lives into one.

4. The Supervision of the Marital Relationship.

God establishes it and governs it.

In Marriage, God has a particular position and interest in the relationship. God oversees the Marital relationship. This is a relationship that God is very much a part of and if He is not leading it or executing his direction then divorce is probable.

Jesus’ answer is that Marriage never included divorce. Divorce is permited due to sin. Certificates of Divorce shouldn’t be given out like candy at a parade.

Jesus wants the intention of Marriage to be firmly established more than the permits of divorce. Jesus is guiding those listening to the way things were created to be rather than the way things have become. Jesus is establishing paths of righteousness not paths of responsiveness. His aim is to make paths straight not windy.

V. Contextual Transition.

Mark 10:13–16 NASB95

13 And they were bringing children to Him so that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked them. 14 But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, “Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 “Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” 16 And He took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them.

A. Context: Spouses, Children, and Family.

One final note about this Gospel lesson before to shut it down for the day. We need to pay attention to the context of this passage by asking the question, “Why does Mark insert a passage on Marriage/Divorce, with a passage about Children, and in the next passage that incorporates the whole family? That is the question we will be looking to answer next week as we zoom out on the passage to better understand the fuller picture of what Jesus is revealing.

VI. Closing: From Death to Life.

1. Divorce is deadly but Jesus brings life.

For those of us who maybe facing divorce or who have experienced divorce and feel confused or challenged by Jesus’ words, take heart in that Jesus doesn’t beat those who follow Him over the head with their failures but instead takes on the beating and piercing thorns on the heard so that we can be given new life. Divorce can be defeating and feel like death and its all because of the hardness that sin brings into life and relationships. But Jesus offers grace and mercy and second chances. So though we might feel buried in guilty or shame, Jesus offers redemption and new life through faith in Him. There is no life experience that we can encounter that the blood of Jesus can’t purchase and resurrect.

2. Marriage is a blessing and demonstration of our relationship with God.

For those who have not experienced Divorced and are blessed to be in a right relationship of Marriage, you are an encouragement to those who are single and those who desire to be remarried. You are the glimpse of God’s intention for relationships. Use your marriage to glorify God and to encourage others to engage in relationship with God almighty. Your marriage can be used by God to help others who are experiencing relationship trouble.

Divorce is a reality because of the sin that plagues this world and our hearts. It is not the desire of God but it is permitted by God according to the scriptures. Instead of wiping us out, God wipes away our sin and gives us new life to follow Him.