Then He arose from there and came to the region of Judea by the other side of the Jordan. And multitudes gathered to Him again, and as He was accustomed, He taught them again. 2 The Pharisees came and asked Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce [his] wife?” testing Him. 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 to dismiss [her].” 5 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. 6 “But from the beginning of the creation, God ‘made them male and female.’ 7 ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, 8 ‘and the two shall become one flesh’; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 “Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” 10 In the house His disciples also asked Him again about the same [matter]. 11 So He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her. 12 “And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”
– Mark 10:1-12 (NKJV)
One of the first institutions we read about in the bible is the institution of marriage and family. You don’t get far in the scripture before you hear about God’s design for life. When asked about divorce, Jesus goes back to Genesis to talk about marriage.
Some people mistakenly say this passage is about divorce. That is only partly true. The question that came from the Pharisees was about divorce, but the answer that Jesus gave was about marriage. Jesus reminded the Pharisees that in order to talk about divorce you must talk about the institution of marriage. Since marriage was God’s design, he has the final say in how we should treat it.
Jesus doesn’t set us up to examine the legitimacy for getting a divorce in this passage as much as he points us to the legitimacy of a biblical marriage. Notice a few of the things that Jesus states about marriage in this passage:
- God intentionally created only two sexes, male and female
- Marriage is between one Man (Male) and one Woman (Female)
- A Marriage constitutes a brand new family unit
- Marriage is a lifelong commitment
- Marriage is an institution designed by God and blessed by God
- It is a serious to break up a marriage
Jesus talks about marriage in such a clear and concise way that it not only answers the questions of the Pharisees but addresses issues our culture has in trying to redefine marriage today. Jesus doesn’t push some radical new agenda here. He argues for holding the biblical institution of marriage in high regard because it was created and ordained by God.
Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. Thank you for the wonderful institution of marriage. Thank you that you created us male and female and you created the intimacy of marriage. I pray that we honor you in our thoughts and actions regarding our marriages. Where there is sin, we ask for your forgiveness and grace. Where we have been sinned against we ask for the grace and ability to forgive. Where there is hurt we ask for healing. Where there is sorrow, we ask for hope. Give us discernment as we apply your word to our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.
The Hill House 