Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate (v 9)
There are some parts of the Bible that if it were up to me would not be there. This is one of those. Jesus blacks and white denunciation of divorce does not leave me or us much wriggle room. Not attempts at contextualizing or marginalizing Jesus' words can remove the indelible impression they leave; Jesus hates divorce. And if Jesus does, so should we.
Divorce rates in the church is as rampant as they are in our culture. They demonstrate that we are more 'in the world' than we would like to think. A biblical response to such a calamity is not to ignore the challenge, but to do all we can to buttress and support marriage. Marriage is worth fighting for because marriage is a covenant between a man a woman and God. And covenant matters because covenant is the fundamental language of God. God expresses his love for creation through covenant - including most especially the new and eternal covenant that Jesus inaugurated. God does not break his covenant commitments. Neither, lightly, should we.
God, help me to care for those who have or are enduring the pain of divorce, at the same time fighting with all the strength you can give me to protect and enhance marriage.
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