It is possible to read these verses in Mark 10:1-12 and be very offended. But it is not a bad thing if you feel offended — if you are trying to understand the text in light of the real world and your experiences.
However, if you thought that this text does not apply to you because you are neither married or divorced, we encourage you to pause and reconsider. Pray and ask God to help you read Scripture as His Word.
(A) Is Jesus’ teaching offensive or trouble-free? (Mark 10:1-4)
There is an episodic quality to Mark’s gospel as it unfolds. Mark captures for us specific chunks of events that unfold either because of encounters between Jesus and people, or because of the teaching that Jesus gives.
In Mark 10:1, we read that crowds gathered to Him as He went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan. People are impressed by Jesus and He attracts a following. Mark also tells us that Jesus taught them “again, as was his custom”. Jesus focused on teaching in His ministry but often, the crowds were drawn to Him more for the miraculous works that He could perform. Thus, Mark emphasises for us how Jesus was focused on His custom to teach.
What does it mean to teach? Who is responsible to teach? To teach the Bible is to declare authoritatively what it says and explain what it means, as Ezra did for the people in Nehemiah 8:8. Jesus would read the Old Testament and explain to the people what it meant. It is important for us to understand Christ’s teaching of the Bible.
Thus, Mark sets the scene and the teaching is underway.
A group of religious leaders, the Pharisees, came up to Jesus (Mark 10:2). They sought to test Jesus and asked if it was lawful for a man to divorce his wife. They did not come up in good faith and clearly came to test Jesus.
Now, Jesus will fail the test if He answers with His own opinion that does not align with the law. On the other hand, He will pass the test if He is able to answer the question from the law.
From this encounter, we see that it is possible to know the Bible but not know God. The Pharisees asked about the Bible but they could not recognise God who was right in front of them. It is possible to be so engrossed in seeking a true interpretation of Scripture that we miss God completely.
Jesus asks what the law said (Mark 10:3). His first instinct is to go back to Scripture and Scripture is the basis for the discussion that is to follow. Jesus, the eternal Son of God who was with the Father from the beginning and was seated at His right hand, turned to Scripture. Jesus saw value in the Law — Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. We should know and love these books of Scripture.
Psalm 119 is at the centre of the Bible and is the single, longest chapter in the Bible. It expresses great love for Scripture and we can read these in the voice of Jesus, who loves the Word of God. He loves the law. This should be a lesson for us. If we want to be like Jesus, we should turn to Scripture when we need answers.
The Pharisees answered in a way that focused on the instances when divorce is permissible (Mark 10:4), They did not answer about the intention of the law and focused on the interpretation instead. Scripture is clear that the heart is deceitful and desperately sick. We are always tempted to focus only on what God’s word says that benefits us.
Based on the Pharisees’ answer, all that is necessary for divorce is just a certificate. But if we read Deuteronomy 24:1-4, that is not what it says. They cherry pick and focus only the part of Scripture that is the easiest to fulfil.
(B) Is marriage of man or God? (Mark 10:5-9)
Jesus replied that Moses wrote Deuteronomy 24:1-4 because of the people’s hardness of heart (Mark 10:5). It was not given to them because of what God desires. Deuteronomy 24 was given to protect women and dignified them in a patriarchal culture that might have disregarded them and did not afford them their rights. The law reveals God’s heart to us, but the law is not absolute and needs to be read in context of the unfolding revelation. The design in creation, which predates the fall, is what Jesus appeals to in His understanding of marriage (Mark 10:6).
Jesus also points out their hardness of heart as they took the provisions of God’s mercy for sinful ends. They failed to recognise the mercy of God in the law. The law was easily abused by sinners who used the law for sinful ends. The law, clearly, does not save.
Jesus points them back to the design of God by referring to Genesis 1;27 and 2:24. Firstly, God made men male and female and the complementary nature of mankind was part of His design. Secondly, God designed for them leave the family they come from to be joined together in one flesh, to form a new family. Paul fleshes this out in Ephesians 5. This is why marriage is so important because men and women come together in a union that is not just physical. Thirdly, what God has joined together, man should not separate. Marriage is the work of God and is not man’s idea. It is a covenant relationship because God has brought man and woman together.
What does this mean for us practically? For the singles, remember that you came from a family and have married friends or have friends that want to be married. Pray for them, encourage them and remember that the eternal Son of God have a high view of marriage. Jesus, who was single, taught these words in Mark 10 and also knew Genesis 2. Thus, know God’s design for marriage, pray for the marriages around you, walk with couples who are struggling and hold out God’s word to them.
For the singles who also desire marriage, have a high view of marriage and pray. Do not compromise your standards and accept no substitutes. Do not settle. Keep praying and encourage everyone around you to have a high view of marriage.
For those who are married, or on the way to being married, understand that this is a God-given covenant. Safeguard your marriage and keep praying too.
(C) Do we view marriage lowly or highly / is divorce normative or exceptional? (Mark 10:10-12)
The scene changes and Jesus is speaking to His disciples in private in Mark 10:10-12. Jesus applies Deuteronomy 24 as He speaks with His disciples (Mark 10:10-12). Jesus teaches both the man and the woman. This was revolutionary as He spoke of both on equal terms, dignifying the choices of both and also recognising the responsibility and guilt of both.
Jesus recognises that the divorce of one and a subsequent remarriage is more complicated. He recognises the second marriage but also illustrates that the man or woman who remarries is also committing adultery against his or her first spouse.
Divorce or remarriage should not be assumed to be easy or normative. It is not that one should be trapped in a loveless marriage and be subject to abuse. But the text is calling us to recognise divorce as exceptional, though not normative.
Why did Jesus have this high of a view of marriage? Jesus held to Genesis 2, but also Ephesians 5:22-33. Paul quotes Genesis 2:24 in Ephesians 5, which Jesus also quotes in Mark 10. Paul goes on to explain how marriages are symbols of Christ and the Church. Jesus is always faithful and will never walk away from His Bride, the Church. Thus, it is so important that the symbol — our marriages — reflect the reality of of the substance.
We can grieve the brokenness of the world but let us not take issue with God’s original design. As we read these verses, let us also be amazed that God would draw us into covenant relationships with one another and our churches. Jesus’ teachings is not trouble free and marriage is of God. Divorce is not normative but exceptional. May God give us grace to obey Him..