Mark Week 23 Sermon Manu

The Setting

Mark 10:1 (CSB)

1 He set out from there and went to the region of Judea and across the Jordan. Then crowds converged on him again, and as was his custom he taught them again.

Jesus is enroute to Jerusalem

The Crowds come and he teaches — Kingdom Work

So do the pharisees.

The Pharisees

Mark 10:2 (CSB)

2 Some Pharisees came to test him, asking, “Is it lawful (authorized, permitted) for a man to divorce his wife?”

They are coming to test Jesus — to trap him.

The religious leaders try to get Jesus to incriminate himself through misinterpreting the law

Why Divorce?

Why do they ask about divorce?

It was as controversial then as it is today.

There were many different schools of thought and factions among the Jewish Leadership

The ESV Study Bible (Chapter 19)

There was a significant debate between Pharisaical parties on the correct interpretation of Moses’ divorce regulations (Deut. 24:1), as noted in this excerpt from the Mishnah, Gittin 9.10:

“The school of Shammai says: A man may not divorce his wife unless he has found unchastity in her.…

And the school of Hillel says: [He may divorce her] even if she spoiled a dish for him.…

Rabbi Akiba says, [he may divorce her] even if he found another fairer than she”

They are not actually interested in what position Jesus holds, they just hope he will say something incriminating.

something to discredit himself before the people

The closer he gets to Jerusalem, the Center for Jewish Leaders, the more he will be attacked.

Jesus Response

Mark 10:3–4 (CSB)

3 He replied to them, “What did Moses command you?”

4 They said, “Moses permitted us to write divorce papers and send her away.”

I love Jesus response

He points them to the Scriptures, to the Word of God.

they quote Deut 24:1-4.

Deuteronomy 24:1–4 (CSB)

1 “If a man marries a woman, but she becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, he may write her a divorce certificate, hand it to her, and send her away from his house.

2 If after leaving his house she goes and becomes another man’s wife, 3 and the second man hates her, writes her a divorce certificate, hands it to her, and sends her away from his house or if he dies,

4 the first husband who sent her away may not marry her again after she has been defiled, because that would be detestable to the Lord.

You must not bring guilt on the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.

Deut 24

The ESV Study Bible (Chapter 24)

24:1–4 This is a good example of “case law,” where vv. 1–3 present the situation (“When …”) and v. 4 is the actual law (“then …”).

The law forbids the first husband taking back the wife he found no favor with after she is subsequently divorced or widowed.

By charging his wife with some indecency, the first husband acquired her dowry—her father’s marriage present to her—when he divorced her.

Remarrying, she was given a second dowry. This example then implies that, when her second marriage ended (either through death or through more trivial grounds of divorce), she was able to keep her second dowry.

The first husband is forbidden to remarry her to acquire her second dowry.

This law protects the woman from exploitation by her first husband.

This is the only OT law about divorce.

Elsewhere divorce is presupposed (e.g., Lev. 21:7, 14; Num. 30:9).

See Jesus’ comments on this law in Matt. 5:31–32. In Matt. 19:7, Pharisees defend their position on divorce by appeal to this law; Jesus, however, appeals to the creation account (Gen. 1:27; 2:24) to show God’s ethical ideal.

This law is a concession to hardness of hearts, preserving a minimum level of civility for the theocracy.

Genesis

Mark 10:5–9 (CSB)

5 But Jesus told them, “He wrote this command for you because of the hardness of your hearts.

6 But from the beginning of creation God made them male and female.

7 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother 8 and the two will become one flesh.

So they are no longer two, but one flesh.

9 Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

They go back to Deut 24 — Moses

But Jesus goes back further to Gen 2 — which is also Moses

He says, Deut 24 was written b/c of the hardness of your hearts.

But God’s creational design, God’s intention is given in the beginning

Gen 1:27, Gen 2:22-25.

Jesus Logic

God made human beings male and female

I suppose he could have made the asexual — without need for another

Interesting given the gender debates today

But God made them interdependent

made them for community

made the equal but different

made them complementary — made for one another

This is the REASON for the covenant of marriage

The man and wife will leave their families and create a new family

a one-flesh union

The two become one

a new creation

God’s brilliance — they are to be considered as one unit — union.

His conclusion — THEREFORE

Let no human being separate one God has joined

Jesus is for monogamous, male-female, lifelong marital union

Why?

B/c that is God’s intention, his created design

And his desire is to ‘bless us’ not withhold joy / hinder us

Blessing is favor from God, joy!

Excursus: Marriage and the Kingdom of God

Marriage is at the very center of God’s plan to bring His kingdom to earth.

Family is at the very center of God’s plan to bring His kingdom to earth

The Disciples Questions

Now, Jesus has been pretty clear

but maybe you have questions

That’s ok, so did the disciples, look

Mark 10:10 (CSB)

10 When they were in the house again, the disciples questioned him about this matter.

they did the right thing, they come to Jesus, the Word of God with their questions

That is what a disciple/follower of Jesus does

Questions

From Matt 19:10-12

Matthew 19:10–12 (CSB)

10 His disciples said to him, “If the relationship of a man with his wife is like this, it’s better not to marry.”

The ESV Study Bible Chapter 19

19:10–12 After hearing Jesus nullify most of the currently popular grounds for divorce, the disciples overreact and say, it is better not to marry (than to run the risk of a lifelong unhappy marriage)

11 He responded, “Not everyone can accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given. 12 For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother’s womb, there are eunuchs who were made by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves that way because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who is able to accept it should accept it.”

Is divorce never ok ? If so, in what cases?

What about when abuse is present?

Can you re-marry? If so, when?

What if you marry an unbeliever?

What if your spouse turns away from God?

Jesus Response

Here is all that Jesus says in response to their questions:

Mark 10:11–12 (CSB)

11 He said to them,

“Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her.

12 Also, if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”

Notice what he says

If a man divorces his wife and marries another he commits adultery against his first wife

If a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery against her first husband

the only time in the Gospels where it is assumed that a woman also has a right to initiate a divorce (a right upheld by Roman law;

Why?

what God has joined let no human separate.

Jesus is an equal opportunist here:

whether you are the husband or wife, if you divorce your spouse and marry another you commit adultery against your first spouse.

Jesus reasserts this truth:

God created marriage and for sexual relations within marriage

anything outside of that is a sin, specifically adultery.

and adultery is a heart issue — Matt 5

Sexual Immorality

Mark doesn’t include what Matthew does here about sexual immorality.

The reason is:

The most likely reason is that there was no dispute or disagreement among Jews, or in Greek or Roman culture, that adultery was a legitimate ground for divorce, and Jesus is not addressing that issue here. The disputes were over the many other causes for divorce, so Jesus gave a blanket statement about all the other causes without explicitly specifying what everyone already agreed was true.

Adultery

Exodus 20:14 CSB

14 Do not commit adultery.

What is adultery?

having any form of sex with someone other than your spouse

So this is by definition, adultery.

He’s just defining it.

But Jesus has taught elsewhere on adultery, in the sermon on the mount.

Matthew 5:27–30 (CSB)

27 “You have heard that it was said, Do not commit adultery.

28 But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

29 If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away.

For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away.

For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

Jesus shows us that adultery begins far before you get in bed with someone

It begins in your heart.

And it was that hardness of heart — that caused Moses to permit divorce.

in our day, this describes almost everyone of us:

We live in such a sexualized culture

It is nearly impossible not to lust after another person.

Kids

Mark 10:13 (CSB)

13 People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them.

Is this while they are having this conversation?

The disciples hinder the kids, sent them away

but Jesus has a lesson for them

Mark 10:14–16 (CSB)

14 When Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me. Don’t stop them, because the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” 16 After taking them in his arms, he laid his hands on them and blessed them.

Let the kids come to me

Learn from them what it means to be a child of God, of the Kingdom

They way kids trust their parents, is the way God’s kids should trust Him

My kids:

not a care in the world

they trust mommy and daddy to provide for them