And They Lived Happily Ever After...

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SCRIPTURE

Mark 10:2-16 (NRSV)

Teaching on marriage

Some Pharisees came, and to test him they asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" He answered them, "What did Moses command you?" They said, "Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her." But Jesus said to them, "Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you. But from the beginning of creation, 'God made them male and female.' 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate."

Then in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."

People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But 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. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it." And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

 
SERMON

As the daughter of parents who got divorced when I was very young this scripture reading hits me right in the gut. I must confess that I was tempted to preach from another scripture--and topic--simply because I knew that I did not know what to say regarding this matter.

Furthermore, I knew that whenever a preacher talks about divorce, the people in the pews begin to squirm. I think that this is particularly true in the United States where 1:2 marriages end in divorce. Is there any amongst us who has not been burned by the sting of a marriage which has fallen apart?

I am affected because my own parents separated. My husband—whose parents have been married 40 years—still deals with the consequences of divorce because he now visits two homes on Thanksgiving when we visit my family in St. Louis. My children—who enjoy parents who are very happily married—are still impacted by the reality of divorce because unlike some of their friends they have three grandmothers, rather than two…

I am sharing my story with you so that you will understand that I do not come to this text as someone who is able to stand on the outside pointing fingers of judgment and condemnation at people who have experienced the heart-wrenching pain of a marriage torn asunder. Instead, I come as an insider, broken like many of you, in need of good news from this text.

So, what is Jesus’ word to us regarding divorce on this day? How are we to find good news in this message when so many of us are divorced, impacted by divorce, or will be divorced during our lifetimes.

In today’s pericope, Jesus’ enemies come to him attempting to trick him into saying something that is unlawful or that will turn the people away from him. They ask him, “"Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?"

Now some people in the crowd believe that it is perfectly fine for a man to issue a woman a certificate of divorce if he finds something wrong with her. Others believe that it is only okay to divorce your wife in the case of adultery.

Jesus counters their question, with a question, by asking what Moses taught and then helping the people to understand that Moses allowed for a certificate of divorce because he understood that human beings are “hard-hearted” toward one another.

Jesus then goes on to say that God’s best intention for us is that we would choose a life-long partner, with whom we are totally united, and that we would never allow anything to come between that blessed union.

WOW!

Isn’t our God wonderful?! Doesn’t God have a beautiful hope and vision for our lives? I mean, who amongst us doesn’t dream of the happily ever after ending? Isn’t that why we tell our children fairy tales? Isn’t it why the movie and publishing industries make billions of dollars churning out stories about a man and a woman who fall in love, overcome great odds and obstacles and live happily ever after?

My husband comes from a long line of marriages like this. Both his grandparents and his parents enjoy a “happily ever after existence.” Although their marriages weren’t--and aren’t perfect--they have been blessed to enjoy life-long relationships with only one spouse.

But, what about the rest of us? Whilst God definitely desires for us to enjoy the intimacy, friendship, companionship, help, and care of only one spouse for our entire lifetime, does God still have good news for those of us who have been burned by the brokenness of divorce?

My friends, the answer must be YES. John 3:16 says that God loves the world so much that God gave Jesus to die on the cross to save us from our sin and gift us with eternal life.

Aren’t you glad that “the world” even includes those of us who have suffered the brokenness, shame, and heartbreak of a devastated marriage?

Some marriages dissolve because one partner commits adultery against another. Some marriages end because one partner is abusive toward another. Some marriages terminate because partners cannot resolve issues pertaining to money, sex, or children. Still other marriages expire because of a lack of effective communication and trust.

In all cases, marriages end because someone sins against another. As human beings we simply do not always love our neighbor as ourselves.

We do not always remember that, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails (1 Cor 13).”

Lord, have mercy upon us.

Only God through Jesus Christ has shown forth perfected love. That is why Jesus went to the cross. Our loving, compassionate, merciful, gracious, forgiving, Savior knew that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God…there is none righteous no not one!

Jesus went to the cross and shed his blood to make reparation for all of our sin and to gift us with eternal life.

As Jesus bled, suffered, and died, he took all of our brokenness upon himself. Yes, divorce was nailed to that tree, but so was lust, gluttony, greed, laziness, anger, envy, pride, and every other sin and brokenness that humanity will ever imagine and/or carry out.

At its root, divorce is about the sin and brokenness of human beings and our relationships with each other. It is about two human beings’ inability to love each other, as God loves them.

But, thanks be to God that God has a plan to address our sin and brokenness and it is found in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ!

Now, Jesus hints at how this plan will work when he chastises his disciples for keeping some little children from coming to him for love, hugs and blessings. He says in response to their push-back against the little ones, "Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it."

Now, some have interpreted this statement to mean that we must be child-like in our faith or that we must be as children in terms of our relationship with God.

But, I see it differently. As Jesus gazed upon those little children, he must have seen the very least of these within his society. For in Jesus’ day children had no rights, no privileges, and no social station at all. They were considered the property of their fathers. They had no voice and no choices.

Jesus looked at those kids and saw the most vulnerable, defenseless, unprotected, weak, and dependent members of society. In response to this vision Jesus said, in effect, “Let these broken, forgotten, ignored, dishonored, disregarded, and isolated human beings come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs…”

Hallelujah!!

In these few words we get a true foretaste of glory divine. In these few sentences we receive the instruction to welcome into our churches all of those people who have been broken by sin and by our human inability to love our neighbors as ourselves.

The Church—at its best--is a hospital. It is the place where people should be able to come and be put back together when everything in their lives falls apart.

No matter whom we are—or what we’ve been through—The Church ought to be the place where we can come to find help, healing, forgiveness, salvation, and hope for the future.

Jesus said, “Let the broken come to me; do not stop them…for the kingdom of God belongs to them!”

The kingdom of God belongs to those of us who have sinned. The kingdom of God belongs to those of us who have experienced the sin of others. The kingdom of God belongs to those of us who have been broken asunder, had our hearts crushed, whose tears drench our pillows, and who have known the pain and shame of the judgment of others.

If we are honest—there is not one person in the room who does not fit into one of the categories I have just mentioned. All of us have been broken. All of us have sinned and been sinned against. All of us need the healing and salvific power of Jesus in our lives!

Today, there is good news for all of us who need a Savior. God has already done all of the hard work. Jesus has already done what is required for us to be put back together. All we have to do is receive the Love of God revealed to us in Christ Jesus. All we have to do is accept the free gift of salvation.

Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." My friends, you are not condemned.

No matter what mistakes you have made in the past, God loves you and welcomes you into the family of God.

It is time to stop beating yourself up over one mistake or the other. It is time to stop berating and abusing yourself verbally for things that have happened in the past. It is time to forgive yourself, just as Jesus has forgiven you as well.

Today, you can start all over again!

Here the words of Jesus to you one more time. "Let the broken, vulnerable, dishonored, forgotten, and/or judged people come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.”

Will you come to Jesus today? If so, please pray with me:

Holy God, I have been broken asunder by divorce* in my family. I want to be made whole. I believe that Jesus died on the cross and was raised on the third day. Please forgive me for failing to love you with all of my heart, mind, soul, and strength. Please pardon me for neglecting to love all of my neighbors as myself. Today, I am putting all of my hope in Jesus. Please repair the brokenness in my heart so that I can face the future with love, joy, and peace. I pray this in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

*Please insert whatever has broken you here.



SPECIAL NOTE

If you just prayed that prayer for the first time, today, you are saved! Let me encourage you to tell a Christian friend that you just put all of your hope in Jesus. Ask him or her to help you find a Bible that is easy for you to understand and to find a good Bible believing church where you can be baptized and make new friends who will walk with you on your Christian journey!

I would be honored if you would take a moment to click “YES” in the poll located in the upper right hand corner of this blog in answer to the question, “Did God save you today?”

Congratulations and Happy Re-birthday! Your salvation is our GOOD NEWS, please go and share this GOOD NEWS with others!