Mark 10:1-9 (NET) Then Jesus left that place and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan River. Again crowds gathered to him, and again, as was his custom, he taught them. 2 Then some Pharisees came, and to test him they asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” 3 He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” 4 They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her.” 5 But Jesus said to them, “He wrote this commandment for you because of your hard hearts. 6 But from the beginning of creation he made them male and female. 7 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother, 8 and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
Is this About the Pharisees or About Divorce?
It’s really more about the Pharisees and their continued attempts to trip Jesus up than it is about divorce. This time, they asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” They already knew the answer they wanted. There hope was that Jesus would say something they could use against him.
As he often did, Jesus answered their question with a question. “What did Moses command you?” Their reply was technically correct. “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her.” But Jesus went into the deeper meaning behind the letter of the law. He identified the cause of divorce.
Only Men Could File for Divorce
In his day, only men could seek divorce. Women lacked the status to seek it. In nearly every case, when a man sought a divorce it was for personal reasons. For his own benefit. Because his heart was hard. He did not love his wife as himself. She was for his use. When she was no longer useful, he could dismiss her.
It was legal, but it wasn’t right. Jesus used his question and their answer to expose the truth behind their misunderstanding of marriage.
The Purpose of Marriage – One Flesh
The practice of marriage as well as the practice of divorce at that time denied the underlying purpose of marriage – for a man and a woman to become one flesh. It was not for convenience. It was so the natural strengths of each gender could be complimented in a relationship. It was and is because the two joined together could be more than the sum of the two individuals.
God created men and women with complimentary understandings, skills, abilities and functions. Equality was never a question to God. He did not create men and women as equal, but complimentary. His intent from the beginning was for us to function as a unit, two as one.
The Modern Marriage Debate Misses this Point
Most discussions about gay marriage are framed as a civil rights issue. From that standpoint, I suppose a gay marriage could be as legitimate as a heterosexual marriage. From a strictly legal perspective, if it is only about rights, it is difficult to argue against it. But, it misses the point Jesus was making. Marriage is not about civil rights. It is about a man and a woman, created by God to compliment each other, joining together as one.
One of the purposes of marriage is the creation of a family. Gay couples lack that ability. Yes, they can adopt. They can pretend to function as a couple. But, the reality is, it’s not the same. The lack is not only physical. There are deeper differences between men and women than physical equipment.
There are ways a man and a woman compliment each other that a same gender couple can never share. The differences are so deep and so mysterious that words fail to adequately describe them. But, we know them. Even children know them. The only way to deny the differences is to intentionally suppress them. Which is what is being done.
Dana Roseman's Thoughts on Scripture 