Mark 10:1-16 and Luke 18:15-17
I noticed something different in Mark’s coverage of divorce in today’s reading compared to Matthew’s in yesterday’s reading. In Mark’s gospel, Jesus allows for the wife to initiate the divorce: Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her; and if she herself divorces her husband and marries another man, she is committing adultery. (vv. 11b-12) I don’t know what to make of Jesus having the wife take the lead, but it does seem to contradict Jewish teaching back then where women seem to have few privileges and no social standing.
Two years ago when we read this passage from Mark I posted an item that Archbishop Beach had written the day before. That item is in my comments in the first link below.
Coming as a little child… My Study Bible had noted that a child’s relationship with a parent includes dependence, trust, openness, and sincerity. Two years ago I had written peace, confidence, expectation, and comfort (the second link below). So all those emotions and attributes are part of a child’s relationship to a parent – that’s what’s available to us in our relationship to God. That’s awesome!
See also: August 6 / Mark 10:1-16; August 7 / Luke 18:15-17
Fred, I still love your previous comment about raising your hands during singing. One hand is like holding onto the Father’s hand, and two for total surrender.
So if a woman can initiate a divorce, what a new perspective Jesus gives to women, more than just Moses’ remedy to protect them in a bad situation. They can initiate a change from abuse on their own. But divorce is still a remedy, not the ideal. And remarriage leads to adultery, whoever initiates. (“Equal opportunity” has a new twist!) Jesus focuses on the intent of marriage, to bring permanent oneness for the couple.
From Archbishop Foley’s comments, I believe we need to focus on modeling strong, loving marriages, especially within the church first. 4 of 10 abortions are with regular church attendees, and our divorce statistics are comparable to nonchurch attendees. We need to focus first in our own house before blaming everybody else. And how can we at St Andrew’s love and support single mothers, both unmarried and divorced, who are raising children, often in poverty, and needing Jesus? Jesus always reached out to the marginalized with love.
With regard to women initiating divorce, it seems to me that Jesus was just acknowledging that such was a possibility in the Roman world (and, of course, remains so today) and that the hardness of heart that Moses provided for extends to women as well as men. But the entire tone of his message is against divorce and in favor of a return to the original intent of marriage, that the couple be one flesh and that no one should split such oneness asunder. So let’s not read His words as somehow endorsing or advocating divorce as equal opportunity for women.
Yes, we need to show compassion and provide protection to women in abusive scenarios, but divorce should not be the remedy of choice. Our modern-day lax view of divorce (and marriage!) has utterly devastated the family (and, indeed, society as a whole) and created a host of serious problems, which is the antithesis of the compassion that divorce (and abortion) advocates claim. True love and compassion pursues God’s way, not man’s.
I agree, John. I meant the “equal opportunity” comment as a twisted perspective, not an endorsement!
Glad to hear it — and I expected as much. I understood your “equal opportunity” comment as sarcasm, and you clearly recognized Jesus’ focus on the intent of marriage. It was the “new perspective” part that caught my attention, and I just felt it needed some clarification.