Jesus’ custom was to teach the people. This was an important part of what Jesus did every time the crowds gathered around him. We need to be careful that we don’t neglect Bible teaching in our churches. Fellowship times, church get-togethers, ministering to others, church programs and activities must all be based on a foundation of Biblical teaching. A church is more than a social club and more than a place for people’s needs to be met. A church is the place where we must learn about God, his attributes, his commands, and what he requires of us.

2 Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?"

The Pharisees were trying to trick Jesus into contradicting the law. There was a debate going on between different sects of the Pharisees as to what amounted to acceptable grounds for divorce. This may have been one reason this question presented itself to the Pharisees. Apparently there were problems with divorces 2000 years ago, and unfortunately the problem seems to have only gotten worse. We are a very selfish society. It is difficult for some people to be willing to place a commitment on a higher plane than their feelings. Some of my son’s friends after high school were married and divorced within a few months. How can this happen? A successful marriage requires both partners to be willing to give and to not insist on having their way. This appears to be too difficult for many people today, and it is a sad commentary on the integrity of our social values.

3 "What did Moses command you?" he replied.
4 They said, "Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away."

The Pharisees are quoting from Deuteronomy 24:1, "If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house," You will notice that this verse really doesn’t say what the Pharisees quoted. It is a conditional verse on what to do if a man writes a certificate of divorce. Unfortunately, things have not changed much in the past 3500 years. Husbands and wives are still writing divorce papers and sending their spouse away.

5 "It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law," Jesus replied.

Except for the cause of abuse or infidelity, I believe that most divorces today are the result of immature adults not ready to assume the responsibility of marriage. Marriage should be treated as a commitment and much hard work needs to go into that commitment. When people are not willing to get along with their spouse, it is an indication of their spiritual state. Humility and putting others first is the standard for all Christians. If we are not willing to do this in our family, we are probably not willing to do it with God.

Luccock remarks, "[Jesus] laid tremendous emphasis on the fundamental principle of the permanence of marriage. It was an emphasis needed in his day - and desperately needed in ours, when in the United States one marriage in three ends in divorce. Jesus unfailingly put his finger on the central moral and spiritual issue in every question submitted him, lifting that up as the dominating factor. He does it here. Marriage is not a matter of man’s temporary convenience or pleasure, but of God’s holy purpose. There is a spiritual as well as a physical union of man and woman. It is this divine intent which has made marriage a permanent relationship. And surely part of its essential nature is in its permanence. When it drops to the level of a money-back-if-not-satisfied purchase, or a thirty-day trial offer of a bargain, as it has with so many, it ceases to be marriage at its true potential. With no sense of its august and solemn finality, with no facing and accepting of that closing of doors, ‘till death do us part,’ the man and woman will not bring to it the attitudes and dedications necessary. Without that element of finality the security of the home is gone, the social fabric is torn, and the finest school on earth for the discipline and growth of character is on the way out."

6 "But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’
7 ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife,’ "

Jesus is quoting from Genesis 2:24, "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." When a man and woman get married, their commitment to each other must supersede their commitment to their family. How many times do new married couples live with one set of parents only to have trouble later on. Perhaps it would be wiser to wait until the couple could afford their own residence. In the Jewish tradition, the husband always built a house for his new bride apart from his parents. This does not mean that the parents were forgotten or neglected. But the new couple required distancing from the old parent-child relationship.

8 " ‘and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one.
9 Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."

Jesus is continuing the quote from Genesis, but then he adds the words, "so they are no longer two but one." A husband and wife should be united as one. They are not two separate people placing demands for their individual needs. Rather, they are the start of a new Godly family united in vision, purpose, and love. Because of this unity in the bond of marriage, we need to care for our spouse and show the proper love and affection.

We certainly realize that a husband and wife are physically joined together, but more importantly they need to be spiritually joined together. This is why most Christians prefer a church wedding with a minister officiating. It is a time when we acknowledge our commitment to God and ask for God’s blessing, help, and presence in our marriage.

10 When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this.
11 He answered, "Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her.
12 And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery."

In Christ’s view, marriage is a serious commitment. He goes so far as to label remarriage as adultery. Now, I don’t believe God wants remarried couples to divorce and go back to their original spouse. But I do believe God wants us to realize the importance and sanctity of marriage. Divorce should not be considered an option for a Christian couple unless there is abuse or infidelity.

Wright comments, "In the present modern tangle of marriage, divorce, and remarriage the Christian Church, in dealing with converts and repentant members, is often compelled to accept the situation as it is. A convert who previously has been divorced, on sufficient or insufficient grounds, and who has remarried cannot return to the original partner, and the present marriage cannot be branded as adulterous."

For people who have been divorced and remarried, I believe it is important for them to realize that they have been involved in sin. No matter who we wish to blame for the break up of the marriage, in most cases blame is on both sides. We should treat a divorce the same as any other sin. If we committed adultery, we would repent, pray for forgiveness, and then move on. I believe we need to do the same with those who have been divorced and remarried. Admit your sin, repent to God and ask for forgiveness, and then move on. You cannot undo what has happened, just as the person who has committed adultery cannot undo what has happened. But what you can do is pledge to allow God to direct your marriage and help you be the kind of husband or wife that God wants you to be.

Often, two people get divorced because they feel they have been hurt by their spouse. But the ones who are usually hurt the most by divorce are the children. No matter how amicable the divorce is and no matter how good the visitation arrangements are, there will always be a scar on the heart of the child. They will always wonder if they could have done something to keep Mom and Dad together. And they will always wonder if some tragedy might also suddenly strike them.

13 People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them.
14 When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

Children were not considered important in Jesus’ day. The disciples probably considered these parents’ requests as a nuisance. After all, Jesus had important things to do. The adults were being taught and ministered to. But Jesus rebuked this attitude. Jesus welcomed the children and used them as an example. There are times in our church services when it seems that the children are a nuisance. We would like them to hurry up and scurry off to children’s church. But Jesus said, "let the little children come to me."

Luccock points out, "In our own homes we may hinder children from coming. We can do it by making Christ unattractive through our own example. We can do it by making evident from our manner that we do not consider him tremendously important compared to other interests. We can do it simply by neglect of the child’s religious life."

15 I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."
16 And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.

When we are young, we remember things that we are taught much better than when we get older. This is why it’s so important for children to learn about God at a young age. It will be easier for them to understand, and they will not develop strange ideas about the deity. Notice that Jesus says we must receive the kingdom of God as a little child. Younger children have absolute trust. If you tell them something, they believe you. It is only later on that they start to discover that sometimes people lie to them and can’t be trusted. God wants us to be like the little child who trusts absolutely. We never question God, we never doubt. We believe everything God tells us.

Jesus did three things to the children - he took them in his arms, his placed his hands on them, and he blessed them. If we enter into God’s presence with child-like faith, we will find that God’s arms will enclose us. We will realize that God’s hand is upon us no matter where we go or what we do. And we will see God’s blessings along the path of our spiritual journey.

This study on Mark 10:1-16 © 1999 by David Humpal, all rights reserved.
All scriptures unless otherwise noted are from the New International Version © 1971, Zondervan Bible Publishers

Luccock: The Interpreter’s Bible, vol. 7, pg. 796 © 1951, Abingdon Press

Wright: The New Bible Dictionary pg. 790 © 1962, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company