Mark 10:1-9 - The One-Flesh Union

Mark 10:1-9
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.
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. 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. 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.”

Message: The One-Flesh Union

Time: Mark's personal connection with Peter gave him the source material for this book. This book was composed probably between AD 57 and AD 59. It's a book that is on the move, leading to the cross. 39 times is the word 'immediately' used. Mark reveals Jesus as God's servant, reaching into the lives of people and effecting physical and circumstantial change.

What the Lord is Saying: 

Preface -  Jesus continues to speak to his disciples about how they are to relate to others. After coming down from the mountain and being transfigured before Peter, James and John with Moses and Elijah Jesus delivers a demon-possessed man and speaks of his death and resurrection.He heads to Capernaum, on his way to Jerusalem. 

Jesus continues to teach and crowds are gathering to hear. Preaching is Jesus' constant practice. according to His custom, He once more began to teach them. The Pharisees, as is often the case, come to him to question him, this time about whether it is lawful for a man to divorce his wife. Jesus, in answering, immediately appeals to Moses, the lawgiver, someone they had much reverence for:
What did Moses command you? 

They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.” Deuteronomy 24:1 states, "When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out from his house." 

But then Jesus does what Jesus often does, he explains the "why." Moses allowed this for a reason. Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. Moses did this because if he did not these Jewish men would have dealt very harshly with their wives, punishing them with words or even physical force. Jesus goes on to explain the creation story purpose of marriage, between a man and woman and and the two shall become one flesh. Marriage is an institution that God ordains and so we are to take it seriously. This means that even when we reach a state of it not feeling great or doesn't feel like something we want to continue, we press on, we continue. We keep trying harder. 

I was speaking to someone yesterday that was brought up in the Catholic Church and she said that when a person got divorced they were ostracized from the church, made to feel like they couldn't enjoy the gifts, like communion because of getting a divorce. Yes, Jesus points out it is important, but that doesn't mean we levy consequences or takes things away from a person. If two parties cannot be reconciled then a divorce results. 

Today, I see people not even getting married. Living together has become the norm. It was preached on the sitcoms in the 90s and now it is the lifestyle of people. Divorce is common over many different issues, some serious, some not so much. Jesus is reminding people of the importance of the Word of God. He is not nullifying the Law here, but instead upholding it and adding fuel to it. 


Summary - Jesus preaches to many and teaches, as is His custom. He answers the Pharisees question on divorce and reminds them that marriage is an institution God ordains and we don't abandon it just when our feelings don't align with it. For God has joined a husband and wife together.

Promise: Divorce is not acceptable in trivial circumstances.

Prayer: Lord, your Words are true. They are right. They are written and commanded to me for my protection. I pray that myself, my family, the church, would not take relationships lightly. I pray that they would realize that what you have joined together is a serious matter and needs to be taken seriously. Help us all, even when things don't go the way we want them to, to stick it out, to work on differences. Lord, when mistakes have been made and people can't do this, help the church to not ostracize people for getting a divorce. Lord, you are the judge, not man. Help me and others to be supporting and loving towards people.