Fulfilling God’s Plan / Matt 19:1-15

Mankind has developed a damaging strategy of making something look bad or finding something wrong with people or teaching in order to look good themselves. It is damaging because it turns to self-righteousness instead of just living to bless others and it is damaging for how it can keep others from quickly embracing what is good. When the Pharisees tried to catch Jesus in an infraction they were harming themselves and inadvertently shooing people away from the life Jesus gives. What the disciples did in shooing away the children is just the same. We must help people see, experience and embrace Jesus, never push anyone away.
The question they try to trap Jesus in is about divorce. It wasn’t the first or last time it would be controversial. Of course, Jesus is never trapped. Our questions and arguments see issues in part. Jesus sees things as they are and understands how things are intended to work. When you use them in different ways things are sure to go wrong. The question isn’t whether a person can divorce their spouse. The question is what we were made for in companionship with each other and God. It’s not something that should wind up hurting or destroying another. It is something that should fulfill and complete each other.
It’s amazing that this text has been used to give permission to divorce when there is sexual infidelity and for no other reason. It is plainly saying that we commit adultery when we get out of one relationship in order to replace it with another. The only exception is when the adultery was already going on. When we as people can die to our selfishness and live to help another be all they were made by God to be and look for the good in them more than the annoyances, there is no reason marriage should blow up and people should strike out at each other and separate from each other. That is what marriage is made for, building each other up and living in a life-fulfilling togetherness.
That isn’t to say divorce is never to be entered into. Jesus said Moses permitted divorce because of hardness of heart. When the hardness of heart isn’t an issue, we can do away with divorce. We actually wouldn’t have to, divorce wouldn’t happen. In the meantime, as long as their is cruelty, violence, hate, any form of destroying what God means a person to be, divorce is a needed protection.
What a shame it is that we need to discuss this. But we need to. We must never use an issue to exclude some and include others. Let’s give our energy to supporting each other and enabling relationships to thrive. Any energy that pushes any of God’s children away whom Jesus would love to bless, is what we will steer clear of. Jesus won’t be trapped by legalistic questions. Let’s make sure we aren’t either.

Created 10 months ago