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The Pharisees approached Jesus and asked, “Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?” They were testing him. He said to them in reply, “What did Moses command you?” They replied, “Moses permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce and dismiss her.” But Jesus told them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts he wrote you this commandment. 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, no human being must separate.” In the house the disciples again questioned Jesus about this. 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.”
And people were bringing children to him that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.” Then he embraced them and blessed them, placing his hands on them.
Reflection
This Sunday’s Gospel from Mark is perhaps one of the hardest to hear for many people. I know it is for me. For some it may even be painful. Yet there is more to it than a reiteration of the Mosaic law regarding divorce and its consequences.
We hear almost immediately that the Pharisees are testing Jesus. But Jesus refuses to be drawn into their game by the question. He is direct and honest with them, reciting the law which they well know, while reminding them that it was written because of the hardness of hearts.
Maybe this is a good time for us to take a look at our hearts to see if we have places that are hard and need work. He comes to bring the law of love and mercy to all who have ears to hear.
Or maybe another way to read this Gospel is to hear that whatever God has made whole we shouldn’t tear down. Whatever God has given us out of God’s providence is not ours to desecrate or destroy, neither the world around us nor each other.
Later in the same reading we hear of Jesus’s compassion for the children and his reminder to us that the kindom of Heaven is for those who look at things with the simplicity of a child.
It just might be that this is another reminder not to get tangled up in legalistic thinking. It all comes down to love! May we be always mindful that the reign of God is one of love, mercy, and justice.
Action
This week let us pray for a heart to see things simply; for a heart that is gentle, not judgmental. Can we begin to untangle ourselves from black-and-white thinking and search for deeper meaning in our encounters with others?
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