Loving God, you have created us for relationships with you and with others, and sometimes our brokenness gets in the way.  Heal us in heart, mind, and spirit by the power of your love, teaching us the way of salvation, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

            When you heard today’s gospel, my guess would be that some of you heard the word “divorce,” and your mind went somewhere else.  Some of you might have hearkened back to previous sermons that you’ve heard.  Some of you thought immediately about divorced people that you know.  And some of you thought about your own experience with divorce.  I don’t know any of this for sure, but I have my suspicions.  And then, potentially, your attention drifted back to Jesus as he welcomed the children into his arms and blessed them. Aah… What a comforting scene!

         It almost seems like two different gospels all rolled up into one – two unrelated topics that somehow ended up together in the Gospel of Mark.  However, once we delve into the first century context, the entire gospel is about those who are vulnerable, with very few protections.  At that time, both women and children were considered to be property, and could be discarded by men with impunity.

         For many years, one verse out of this gospel was quoted in order to tell people that divorce is simply not allowed.  The same verse is part of the marriage service: “what God has joined together, let no one separate” (Mk. 10:9).  It is, after all, a holy covenant.  However, when we read today’s gospel carefully, Jesus is addressing a very specific situation – divorcing your spouse in order to marry somebody else.

         Lurking in behind this whole conversation is the situation with King Herod that had resulted in the death of John the Baptist.  John had told Herod that it was “not lawful” for him to have his brother’s wife (Mk. 6:18).  While we are not told exactly who divorced who, and some say that Philip divorced Herodias (or perhaps the other way around), it seems that King Herod had divorced his wife in order to marry his sister-in-law, Herodias.  Under Roman law, a woman could initiate divorce, but under Jewish law, only a man could divorce his wife.  

         Some Jewish rabbis (from the School of Shammai) taught that only adultery was grounds for divorce.  Other rabbis (from the School of Hillel) taught that anything that offended the man was grounds for divorce.  In either case, the man could write on a piece of paper: “She is not my wife and I am not her husband.”  This was considered to be a certificate of divorce.  He could hand the paper to his wife, kick her out of the house, and that was it.  They were divorced (Stoffregen).

         When Jesus gives his response to the Pharisees, he is speaking up for the women who had no recourse if their husband divorced them.  They were essentially out on the street, as no honourable man would want them, and they would not be welcome in their parents’ home.  Jesus is speaking in a time and a place where both women and children had no status, importance, or even the necessities of life without the protection of either their father or their husband.

         This reality puts the idea of receiving “the kingdom of God as a little child” in a whole different light (Mk. 10:15).  We are asked to give up any notion of our own power or status or importance, and become wholly reliant upon God (our heavenly Father) for those things.  We are radically dependent on God’s grace, and on God’s provision, and it is God who provides life itself.  However, lest we misunderstand, this is not to say that we have no value in God’s sight.  On the contrary, Jesus shows that even those who are considered of little value in society as a whole are worthy of his time and attention and love.

         Over the past couple of weeks, we have heard plenty about the little ones and welcoming children and disciples who just don’t understand.  In spite of the things that Jesus has already taught them, the disciples continue to discount the value of children in today’s gospel.  In doing so, they are reflecting the first century attitudes that surrounded them.

         Children were not viewed as cute or sweet or innocent.  Rather, they were seen as foolish, strong-willed, and inclined to naughtiness.  Scholars were advised not to waste their time with children, and men were to avoid spending time chatting with children.  Children were seen as spoiled and undisciplined brats (Stoffregen) – and undoubtedly were seen as a burden until they could contribute to the family business.

         However, to Jesus, these little children are the ones to whom the kingdom of God belongs (Mk. 10:14).  They are precious.  Both men and women are precious.  And when two become one in body and heart and spirit, there are so many blessings to be found!  However, given our sinful nature, there is also the potential for untold heartache and hurt and betrayal – and in some cases, divorce is the lesser of several possible evils.

         Jesus – better than anybody else – knows that relationships can be messy.  He also treats us with grace and mercy and love, and invites us to treat others in the same way.  And – particularly when we are feeling vulnerable and powerless – he takes us in his arms and blesses us, healing us where we are broken, and offering us forgiveness and salvation.  Thanks be to God!  Amen.

Lectionary 27(B)                              Mark 10:2-16

October 6, 2024

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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