Category: Uncategorized

Mark 10:12
This is quite an interesting statement since the Jews did not allow for a woman to get a divorce. Jesus doesn’t leave the women out. They would bear responsibility for the marriage just as the man. This would apply whether she was the instigator or not, but it is interesting that he includes this since the disciples would likely not have wondered about the women at that time. Later, once the church was growing, they would remember this and understand better.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your mercy upon us. We never know what a day may bring forth. We think we know everything ahead of time. But, we don’t. We cannot even predict the next ten minutes. May we always depend upon your glorious wisdom! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

I’m battling a bad skin infection. I’ll resume posting when I can.

Mark 10:11
This was the kind of teaching that we need. Rather than taking the experiences of man into more account, Jesus upheld the dictates of Almighty God. No matter what importunity might have befallen a marriage, to break it up is still an act against the designs of our Sovereign Creator. Indeed, Jesus’ teaching on this shows clearly that the institution of marriage is only the outward trappings of the inward reality. When the two become one by the physical consummation, that is marriage. The rest is the recognition of its holy status as the design of God. To break that physical union, and to be joined to another is to confuse and trespass against his purposes.

Heavenly Father, you have given us a perfect pattern. You have blessed us with your grand designs. You have instructed us to do your truth. What a mercy this is! Thank you for your great goodness to us! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 10:10
The disciples were concerned that they hadn’t completely understood Jesus’ position on marriage. It just couldn’t be that straightforward. There had to be more to it. But, there wasn’t. Jesus was upholding the Word of God, not allowing sinful human experience to modify it. The disciples simply could not understand how a man could be expected to stay married to the same woman for life without some sort of contingency plan. Though Jesus allowed for divorce in the case of adultery, he made it clear that God hates divorce.

Heavenly Father, thank you for Jesus! Your Word is a blessing to our lives. Though we often have difficulty with it, your Word causes us to grow. It is the way that you work for our good in our lives. You are kind to give it to us. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 10:9
One of the biggest things that we fail to understand is that God has a right to his creation. He makes the rules, he calls the shots. The design for marraige is just as important to the makeup of the human race as are fingers, toes, eyeballs, etc. It is a part of what we are, not simply an institution of man.
To help in understanding this, remember the state of Adam and Eve at the beginning. They were totally nude! Now how could that work for society? What kind of world were they supposed to build from that? The answer is, a perfectly good one. Why? Because no one would have dreamed of getting out of God’s order. The rules were not barriers that they chafed under, but containers for the beautiful intentions of an infinitely wise Creator. And yet, we threw it all away for the only tree that God said we could not touch. Such is sin, deceiving the gullible!

Heavenly Father, when we think of what you had intended for us, and what you do give us now in marriage, we are so thankful! No matter what we think is right, you always know the best way. You alone have all the answers. You alone may design our life in a perfect way. You have the power to make us what we ought to be through Christ. Thank you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 10:8
The joining into one flesh is a very interesting thought on the basis of how woman was formed. When God made everything, it was all very good until he made man. Man by himself, just a male, was not good. That in itself is a great mystery. But anyway, God fixed this problem by creating woman out of a part taken from the man.
Male and female, then, go together in a special way. You might say the male prototype would have been scrapped if it were not for the invention of the female. And, the female would not have been invented at all without the male. Marriage is then a celebration of the creative genius of Almighty God. The joining of the two into one is a beautiful and wonderful illustration of his intelligence. Two is twice the fun!

Heavenly Father, thank you for your awesome creativity. Unity in diversity is not a concept we really understand so well. But you do! You know how to make all the parts of your creation come together and sing. You are the composer of the cosmic orchestra. We see your handiwork everywhere. Thank you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 10:7
Jesus reiterated what Genesis had established. Since man and woman were made to go together, marriage is a natural part of life. This is a foriegn concept to most people today. They act as if our bodies no more belong together than any thing else. This is foolishness, of course. But, when your worldview is not built on Scripture, then you get into this kind of confusion. Though the Jewish leaders did have Genesis as their starting point, they failed to apply it properly.

Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us the whole picture. In your Word we discover who we really are. Salvation enables us to grow. We can become something more through Christ. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 10:6
Jesus is very different in his teaching because he teaches from a unique perspective. He was there at the beginning. He was involved in the creation of male and female. Thus, his words in this verse are kind of like Henry Ford explaining the workings of an engine. Jesus understands why we were made this way. He knows every consideration, every specific.
We think about things like this from inside the box, so to speak. Jesus looks at it from the outside. This is not because he is not human, however. It’s because he has the right perspective, one that we can have if we try.

Heavenly Father, we know that you have made everything in its place and for its own purpose. You have a beautiful plan for every one of your creations. We tend to forget that we are created beings, made for your enjoyment. Thank you for making us the way you have! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 10:5
Jesus is literally telling them that Moses did this because of their lack of spiritual perception. This is quite a disparaging comment! To say that divorce was allowed only because the Jewish men were not spiritually mature is pretty tough. But, this is an accurate picture. Jesus didn’t water it down.

Heavenly Father, thank you for the wonderful blessing of marriage! Though we see marriages fall apart all the time, the effort is still with it. A godly marriage is worth so much! Thank you for giving us this blessing. We give you all the glory for it. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 10:4
Notice the little word here, suffered. It means that Moses allowed for a bill of divorce, but it was not a primary commandment. The Pharisees understood that, ideally, the marriage bond was not to be broken.
There was actually quite a bit of debate over what constituted a good enough reason to do this. This same kind of debate can be found among Christians today. Is divorce allowed in some circumstances? If so, what is a good reason? These kinds of questions always tend to crop up with laws that are so important to our daily lives. They become hotly debated.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your precepts. May we love all of them, regardless of how much they intersect with our lifestyle. We must give you the glory, for your law is perfect. You have made the right way clear, and we will do well to find it. Thank you for always being at work in our lives. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.