THOSE WHOM GOD HAS JOINED TOGETHER Text: Mark 10: 2-9, 13-16 October 4, 2009 Faith J. Conklin Writer Michael Hargrove tells about what happened to him at an airport. He says it literally changed his life. He was picking up a friend. A man came toward him carrying two light bags. He stopped right next to Hargrove to greet his family. He motioned to his youngest son (maybe six years old) as he put down his bags. They hugged. Hargrove heard him say, It's so good to see you, son. I missed you so much! Me, too, Dad! said the son. An older boy (nine or ten) was next. You're already quite the young man. I love you very much, Zach! He turned to their little girl (about one or one-and-a-half). He kissed her and held her close. He gave her to his oldest son and declared, I've saved the best for last! He gave his wife a long, passionate kiss. I love you so much! he said softly. Hargrove interrupted. Wow! How long have you two been married? Been together fourteen years, married twelve, the man replied. How long were you away? The man smiled, Two whole days! Hargrove was stunned. I hope my marriage is still that passionate after twelve years! The man stopped smiling. He looked at Hargrove. Don't hope, friend decide! Don t hope decide! That s a powerful message. When it comes to relationships all our relationships marriage, children, family, friends, Church, community, work or world that s the key. It s not a matter of wishing or hoping it will happen. It s not about how we feel or what we want it s a matter of deciding. If we want our relationships to last and remain vital, we have to stay with them and work at them. Our text is from Mark. The first part is one of Jesus most difficult teachings. The second part contains one of his most familiar and favorite sayings. The Pharisees come to Jesus with a question. They ask him, Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife? Jesus answers their question by asking one of his own. What did Moses command you? They tell him, Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her. Jesus then reminds them of God s original desire and will. What God has joined together, let no one separate. Jesus second teaching is more comfortable. His disciples try to turn away those who are bringing children to him. He tells 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. Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it. 1
I read a lot of sermons on this passage these last two weeks. Generally they re two kinds. The first text is usually omitted or ignored. If it s used at all it becomes a way to preach on the sanctity of marriage and the sin of divorce with a commentary on society s attitude toward both. Most preachers skip directly to the second text. They use it to remind us of how we re to become like children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. We re to depend on God and to trust and be open. As Jesus made a place for these little ones, so God will make a place for us. There s a good deal to be said in favor of the truth in both those approaches. Here s the thing. Mark put the two teachings together. Matthew does also. So does our lectionary. I don t think that s an accident. Taken together they show us something about God and what that means for how we live with one another. Mark says the Pharisees came to Jesus with a question. They don t want information. They want to trick him. Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife? They knew the answer as well as he. They also knew it was one of the current debates and controversies of the day. The laws of the Old Testament had several provisions for divorce; all written in favor of the husband. In Jesus day there were two schools of thought about the legality of divorce. Rabbi Shammai taught that divorce was only permissible on the grounds of some sexual impropriety. His was the stricter view. Rabbi Hillel taught that a man could divorce his wife for any reason. If she burned his breakfast, put too much salt on his food, showed disrespect to him, spoke disrespectfully of her husband's parents in his presence, talked to a man on the street, or even let her hair down in public (he meant that literally). Rabbi Hillel s view was the most popular. Multiple marriages and divorces had become common. A divorced woman had little standing or protection in the community. The more she was set aside the less worth she had. Jesus reply seems to favor the stricter view. Divorce is contrary to God s will. Saying that he moves the discussion beyond legalism to faith. It s not about rules; it s about relationship. It s not just what s permissible. It s about what God wants for us. In that sense, he speaks against being hardhearted. Laws like these had no compassion, especially for the wives. Some scholars even suggest that Jesus teaching here is a protection for women as he rejects the patriarchal nature of the law. But he doesn t lessen the ideal. Divorce is the breaking of a relationship. Broken relationships of every kind of which divorce is only one and neither the worst nor an unforgivable one aren t what God wills for our lives. Jesus teaching here is both a prophetic call to be faithful in all our relationships and a pastoral word about a contemporary situation in the community s life. 2
Women were made vulnerable by the practices of the time. It was even worse for children. They had no status. In times of famine they were fed last after the adults. They were utterly dependent on the good will of others to provide for their needs. They were truly among the least. No wonder the disciples wanted to send them away. They saw little value in including them. Jesus refuses. These, he says, reveal the kingdom to us. He receives and blesses them. As he s done so many times before, he reaches out to include those that are excluded. He makes a place for those whose place is denied to them. Seen together both texts thus remind us of what God intends. God created us for relationship. God joined us all together. God doesn t want divorce. God doesn t want domestic violence or unfaithful spouses either. God doesn t want abused children, alienated friends, or dysfunctional families. God doesn t want anyone left out, neglected, or unloved. God doesn t want persons living in poverty, disease and hunger. God s will is health, wholeness and holiness in all our relationships. God wants those relationships to be committed, caring and expansive. God is always working and wants us to work toward that end. In a world where we continually gravitate toward disposable relationships and broken promises Jesus words call us back to faithfulness. In both texts Jesus also takes a stand. He stands on behalf of the weak, the exploited, the powerless and the set aside. If Jesus stands with these, shouldn t his followers also? The glimpse of God we get in these texts is a God who cares about our relationships. For God faithfulness isn t optional. God takes the connections between his children seriously. God expects us to also. Maybe that s the best word these texts offer us. They remind us that we re not free to use, abuse or disregard one another. When we make a promise we re to keep it. And when we have an opportunity to pay attention to the little ones the overlooked, the least, the lost and the needy we re to take it. As Megan McKenna put it: Jesus is calling his followers to a relationship of trust and dependence on God that affords us the opportunity and the courage to depend on one another and be responsible for one another. 1 Jesus sets before us an ideal and a most high standard. He refuses to waver from it or allow it to be diluted. He also knows the reality in which we live. Whether we re talking about marriage, parenting, families, Church, friendship or our common human life, we often fall short of what God intends. We fail to recognize the connections between us. We forget how much we need one another. We live as though how we lived didn t have consequences for others. We let differences divide and separate us. God has joined us together. In the Church God has made us one body 1 Megan McKenna, On Your Mark, p.138 3
in Christ. What God has joined together is often torn apart. It s called sin. Jesus speaks a word of judgment against it. What Jesus himself shows us is how far God will go to redeem and restore our relationships. God won t give up on us despite our sin. We may fail to live up to God s intention and to our own dreams and expectations. God continues to love us. God forgives us. God won t let those failures become the last word. God remains limitlessly loving and always faithful. The word for that is grace. That s a word we all need to hear. Jim Harnish in his book, Strength for the Broken Places writes: The sad news of our battered lives and our broken world is that we are all broken. We have all sinned and grown old. The good news is that our Father is younger than we are. The God who has an infinite appetite of childhood is always ready to do it again, to turn tears into laughter, sorrow into joy, and death into new life. He then shares this story from Episcopal priest and writer, Barbara Brown Taylor. Taylor writes that early in her ministry, one of her least favorite pastoral tasks was taking Communion to the local nursing home on the poor side of town. Most of the residents spent the day strapped into their wheelchairs staring unresponsively at the television. Half of them slept through the entire twentyminute service she would lead. When she tried to serve the bread and cup, some looked at her as if she were a burglar. On a particular day, one woman sang, Row, row, row your boat out loud while she was reciting the liturgy. Taylor said that with her arms raised over the bread and wine, she felt as if she might as well be flying a kite. In an attempt to get their attention, she clapped her hands and shouted, What shall I read from the Bible today? What would you like to hear? The commotion settled down just long enough for one frail voice to be heard through the noise: Tell us a resurrection story. Suddenly, the fitful congregation became silent. Like a grandchild pleading with her grandparents to Do it again, another patient and then another repeated the request, Yes, tell us a resurrection story. Harnish concludes, God's grace is always available to strengthen us in the broken places. And so our broken hearts cry out, Do it again! Do it again! 2 2 James A. Harnish, Strength for the Broken Places, p.154 4
That s what we do today at this table. That s what Christians are doing with us around the world. We tell the resurrection story. In the midst of brokenness we share good news. We remember what God did in Jesus to bring healing out of hurt, good out of evil, hope out of despair and life out of death. God who did it then will do it again. It s a gift of grace. All God s children however broken we are and whatever our age may be made whole. In that hope and with that trust we come. Amen. 5