Lindsey Blair and Bobby Gilles recap and discuss Pastor Jonah Sage's sermon from Mark 10:1-12.
Lindsey Blair and Bobby Gilles recap and discuss Pastor Jonah Sage's sermon from Mark 10:1-12.
Lindsey: Welcome to the Midweek Checkup. My name is Lindsey Blair, and his name is Bobby Gilles. This past Sunday, Pastor Jonah Sage preached verses one through twelve from Mark Ten.
Bobby: Jonah said that we follow Jesus down to lift up the lowly. But if you missed the sermon or need help remembering, you’re in the right place because it’s time for the Midweek Checkup.
Lindsey: We began by remembering last week’s text. Jesus has just said his family protects children, and doesn't exploit them. He's just said his family is like salt, obscure, unnoticed, but powerful. Now, powerful men try to trap him, asking, “Should a man be allowed to divorce his wife?” The trap is the classic liberal/conservative trap. Pick a side, any side, and we'll hate you for it. Conservatives said men shouldn't divorce their wives. Liberals said men could divorce their wives for any reason at all. Notice there’s no mention of women having any rights.
Bobby: The Kens had taken over Barbie Land. The most popular position in the day was men could divorce for any reason. And Jesus says men having the power to divorce is the result of sin. Divorce is not God's intention, but in a post-garden world, we are plagued by fear, shame, and guilt. We sin against God and each other. We suffer, and our hearts harden. Divorce was about limiting a problem, not licensing a practice. Divorce may be necessary. It may be the best option at times...but only in the same way amputating a limb may at times be the best option. This feels like Jesus taking sides with the conservatives.
Lindsey: But Jesus reminds us that “God made them male and female” in the beginning. Jesus puts male and female on a level playing field. He continues preaching Genesis to say women are not your property, they are your partner. The imagery is side-by-side, not one over the other. Jesus brings men down from on high to a level playing field, calling them to honor God's design. And at the same time, he's lifting women up to a level playing field. You are one flesh, husband and wife.
Bobby: Jesus is simultaneously affirming and rejecting both the liberal and conservative positions. Then Jesus says something even more scandalous: “Whoever divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery against her.” In that day, a woman committed adultery. A man was just doing man stuff. The scandalous part here, the surprising part, is that Jesus says THE MAN commits adultery here. He is elevating men's responsibility while also lowering them in the social hierarchy.
Lindsey: And what Jesus says next would have been jaw-dropping: In verse twelve, he says, “if a woman divorces her husband and marries someone else, she commits adultery.”
Again, the scandalous part is not adultery here. The scandalous part is Jesus acknowledging that women can divorce their husbands. He's simultaneously lifting women up to a level playing field socially AND calling them to the same standard of holiness as men. He's calling us to an interdependent, equal-footing partnership between husband and wife, where we take God's design with the utmost seriousness.
Bobby: Jesus' response here is living in the tension of Genesis 2-3, between God's ideal and what is real. This isn't all that Jesus or the Bible says about divorce. Like Jesus, we acknowledge divorce is always tragic, even when it's necessary. But this story is meant to help us answer the question "what is greatness in the Kingdom of God?” And It is a descent to greatness.
Lindsey: Following Jesus means we do not take advantage of the one we are called to love, but we serve, honor, and partner with them. Jesus restores women's social equality with their husbands here. He empowers them to divorce when necessary.He holds them equally responsible for sin as men. He calls men down from on high to join their wives at their sides, honoring their vows, protecting, respecting, and partnering with her.
Bobby: Jesus descends to lift up the lowly. And we are looking forward to seeing you this coming Sunday for the third sermon in this series from the Gospel of Mark, called Kingdom Living. And in Bible Fellowship we’ll continue our Lenten season discussion of psalms. Join us, and bring a friend.