Dear Brothers and Sisters,

 

Last fourteen Sundays, our Scripture readings called us to walk in faith, be men and women of hope, nurture a confident and trusting relationship with the Lord, have courage to face the challenges of following Jesus as his disciples, to listen to the voice of God, to go to a quiet place with the Lord, to show compassion in generous and sacrificial giving, to be strengthened by the bread of Life, to take Jesus in as our bread of life, to be disciples who are in a continuous process of transformation in Christ, to make wise choices, to choose God and God’s way in Jesus, to give witness to our commitment to Christ, to be confident and unafraid, to follow the Lord and not get in his way, to offer humble service,  to be tolerant and be respectful of differences, to separate ourselves from unhealthy and sinful situations… as we go about doing our daily chores and fulfilling our responsibilities.

 

Jesus returned to Judea, to Jewish territory, and resumed his public ministry . The first verse of chapter 10 of Mark’s Gospel tells us that crowds gathered around Jesus, and he taught them, as was his custom. Immediately, the Pharisees approach Jesus to test him (Mark 10:2-16, today’s Gospel reading). They questioned Jesus about the lawfulness of divorce. Under specific conditions, divorce was an accepted practice among the Jewish people during the time of Jesus. It was regulated by the Law of Moses, as found in Deuteronomy 24:1-5.

 

This law permits a husband to divorce his wife if he finds her to be indecent. This is the justification that the Pharisees referenced when Jesus inquired about the commandment of Moses.  Jesus responded by quoting the Book of Genesis and explaining to them that God’s original intention was that men and women would share the same dignity and worth and so, one is not less than the other. And that sharing of dignity and worth is what makes communion of persons in marriage possible – becoming one flesh possible. Jesus describes the teaching of Moses as a concession made to God's original intention because of human stubbornness.

 

In private, Jesus’ disciples questioned him further about this teaching on divorce. It is to his disciples that Jesus lays out the implications of his teaching by explaining that remarriage after divorce is adultery because of the nature of divorce at that time (different from what we know and experience today). Jesus’ teaching was more restrictive than the teaching of the Pharisees, which permitted remarriage. Jesus further distinguished his teaching from the cultural norms of his time by applying his words equally to men and women because they share the same dignity and worth, made in God’s image and likeness. Jewish culture permitted only that a husband may divorce his wife. Wives were not permitted to divorce their husband for any reason.

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