Mark 10:2-16 (NRSV)
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Verse 2Some Pharisees came, and to test him they asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" Verse 3He answered them, "What did Moses command you?" Verse 4They said, "Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her." Verse 5But Jesus said to them, "Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you. Verse 6But from the beginning of creation, 'God made them male and female.' Verse 7'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, Verse 8and the two shall become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Verse 9Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate."
Verse 10Then in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. Verse 11He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; Verse 12and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."
Verse 13People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. Verse 14But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, "Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Verse 15Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it." Verse 16And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.
Devotion
Every action has a cost and a consequence. Even good actions take energy and time. Here the action of divorce speaks to broken relationships. Jesus declares that Moses approved divorce because people were determined not to live exposed — in the light — to God and one’s spouse. People insisted on being hard-hearted. My life would be smaller and more manageable if I hadn’t traveled to Myanmar in July. I could have insulated myself with a hard-hearted shell. By breaking my heart open and giving myself away (cost), I gained friends and family in Christ (consequence). Living an exposed life can be perceived as painful and vulnerable. Yet in a hard-hearted fortress, what is more painful than isolation? It is God’s design and Jesus’ call for humans to live lives exposed in light. Yes, living with the struggles of my Myanmar friends hurts, but I am also a vessel of God’s healing light in their darkness.
Prayer
Healer of brokenness, create wholeness where we are in pieces. Bring light to the darkness. Give us courage and strength not to fear living exposed lives in our relationships. Remind us that the nicks and scrapes we give and receive do not go unnoticed by you. Refine us to forgive as we have been forgiven through Jesus. Amen.