When God Adapts for Humanity
God doesn’t need the Law — we do.
As a reminder, we continue today in the season of Easter. Today is the 6th Sunday of Easter, with one more before Pentecost.
Over time, the Law had become (is still even yet) something seen as eternal, almost like its an extended part of God. That is, because of its importance, and perhaps to be able to give strength to its existence, the people of God have made the Law something more than it is. To be clear—it is essential in understanding holiness, which is something that is in the essence of God.
But the Law is not God. In fact, it is more about humanity than it is about God. The Law exists as a means of forming and shaping the people of God, even as humanity develops (or regresses!)
This is what Jesus is saying when he tells the Pharisees that divorce only exists because people need it.
In fact, the entire institution of marriage is not eternal. It is a necessary boundary within the created order, meant to reflect and safeguard the holiness of God in human relationships. Jesus makes this clear throughout the gospels. It is not news that many people want to hear—we feel like we have to uphold marriage as much as we do God. And again, to be clear—marriage is of great importance. But it is not God. Nor is it eternal. It is a necessary boundary because of humanity’s weakness.
Marriage can and should be a reflection of the holiness of God. And it’s thanks to a grace-full God that it can be, even when divorce is necessary—something Jesus acknowledges elsewhere in the gospels, though not here in Mark.
And maybe that’s why Jesus brings a child into the moment. Not to soften the message, but to clarify it. The Kingdom of God doesn’t hinge on mastery of the Law, on perfect marriages, or on rigid systems of control. It’s about trust. Dependence. Openness to grace. A child doesn’t uphold institutions — a child receives love, gives it back, and lives in the moment of mercy. That’s the invitation Jesus gives us here. Not to dismiss the Law or the gift of marriage, but to remember that God’s Kingdom belongs to those who come with empty hands, ready to be shaped by holiness — not to perform it, protect it, or possess it.
Mark 10:1–16
Jesus left that place and went beyond the Jordan and into the region of Judea. Crowds gathered around him again and, as usual, he taught them. Some Pharisees came and, trying to test him, they asked, “Does the Law allow a man to divorce his wife?”
Jesus answered, “What did Moses command you?”
They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a divorce certificate and to divorce his wife.”
Jesus said to them, “He wrote this commandment for you because of your unyielding hearts. At the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. Because of this, a man should leave his father and mother and be joined together with his wife, and the two will be one flesh. So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore, humans must not pull apart what God has put together.”
Inside the house, the disciples asked him again about this. He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if a wife divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”
People were bringing children to Jesus so that he would bless them. But the disciples scolded them. When Jesus saw this, he grew angry and said to them, “Allow the children to come to me. Don’t forbid them, because God’s kingdom belongs to people like these children. I assure you that whoever doesn’t welcome God’s kingdom like a child will never enter it.” Then he hugged the children and blessed them.
Psalm 103:13-18
Like a parent feels compassion for their children—that’s how the Lord feels compassion for those who honor him. Because God knows how we’re made, God remembers we’re just dust.
The days of a human life are like grass: they bloom like a wildflower; but when the wind blows through it, it’s gone; even the ground where it stood doesn’t remember it.
But the Lord’s faithful love is from forever ago to forever from now for those who honor him. And God’s righteousness reaches to the grandchildren of those who keep his covenant and remember to keep his commands.
Prayer
God,
Thank you for this on-going season of Easter. Thank you for Sundays, the weekly reminder of Christ’s resurrection regardless of human-created calendars and festivals. Help me, in this way, to keep it simple. Simple and yet transformative, by the life-again example of Jesus.
Lord, in my quest to live into your holiness, help me not to create idols or stumbling blocks for myself or others. Lead us into innocence rather than flawless perfection, chastity over virginity, grace over performance. Form in us a trust like a child’s — not naïve, but honest. Not passive, but open.
Keep us from grasping at perfection or clinging to structures intended to help only as means, not ends. Help me love the people in front of me more than the ideals I’ve built in my mind. And where we must live with boundaries, help us to do so in mercy, not fear.
By your Spirit & in Christ,
Amen.