Gospel devotions: Faith and Divorce - Mark 10 v 9

Mark 10: 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.

In my 24 years of ministry, I’ve conducted over 300 weddings. I don’t know how many of them have lasted because the divorce rate amongst church people is just as high as the rest of society. In America, over 50% of marriages end up in divorce and a substantial number of them take place when the kids in a marriage finish college.

Every couple has their own specific circumstances and personal reasons for a divorce. Some people thrive after a divorce, whilst others can never reconcile themselves to the fact that their marriage failed. Some churches cast out people for having a divorce, whereas others see the need to support divorcees and help them through their loneliness, insecurity, and depression.

Jesus in the Gospels doesn’t seem to be sympathetic to those who were divorced in His time. A breakdown in a marriage was seen as a failure of faith and a disruption to the community of believers. At that time, it was only the men who could divorce their wives, so the whole system of religious divorce was tainted with arbitrary excuses and misogynistic malevolence. I think that is why Jesus sounds so harsh when He refers to re-marriage as adultery. He’s letting the men of His time know that God did not approve of their selfish actions.

These days I think that Jesus would be more supportive and help people in the midst of their brokenness and separation. He’s probably still saddened by the amount of divorces that take place between church people, but I honestly think that after a divorce He would be in favor of helping people find a new lease of life and create a new beginning for themselves.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, today we pray for all of Your followers who have been divorced or who are undergoing separation at this time. Allow Your churches to be compassionate and understanding, supportive and full of grace so that healing and wholeness may return to their lives. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is one of my 2010 Holy Week series entitled “washed with tears.” It depicts the woman who washed Christ’s feet with her hair and tears. A larger version of the image can be viewed here: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4053/4446465179_9742859bc5_b.jpg