SHARING BREAD
10 The disciples said to him, “If this is the situation
between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.”
11 Jesus replied, “Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. 12 For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”
11 Jesus replied, “Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. 12 For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”
Matt
19:10-12 (NIV)
In a very real sense, our verses for today show the sheer
humanity of Jesus’ guys. Macabre as it
may sound - the thought process of their fallen flesh seems to bring some comfort
to all who struggle with sin, self and the world as well. For some strange reason it is nice to know
that we are in good company in regard to our fleshly battles. We are commanded in Scripture to be
continually reeling in these fleshly desires that war against our souls – that
battle against our best. This, of course,
is for our own good and requires a constant vigilance on our parts as these fleshly
desires never really go away. I think of
the Apostle Paul’s words to us in 1 Corinthians regarding his approach to the
battle of controlling self:
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run,
but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict
training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a
crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore
I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating
the air. 27 No,
I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I
myself will not be disqualified for the prize. 1 Cor 9:24-27 (NIV)
“What
is needed is not mere present professions, but perseverance to the end in the
power of faith.” Ignatius of Antioch
Jesus had just finished answering the question posed Him
from the Pharisees regarding divorce and the disciple’s appear to have
difficulty in swallowing His reply. Corrupt nature is pure impatient with
restraint is it not? It seems they too were reluctant to give up
their liberty of divorce handed down from Moses due to the hardness of man’s
heart. If the only acceptable way out of
marriage was marital unfaithfulness, His guys spurt out, “it is better not to marry.” Funny,
a good description for Christian marriage could be two big fat sinners - each
wanting their own way - living under one roof – seeking to learn how to love
each other with the love of Jesus through the power of the Spirit. Surprise - that may mean we don’t get our own
way every time! Surprise - that may mean
we must learn to die to self! Surprise -
that may mean someone else’s needs could come before our own! This isn’t the stuff Hollywood movies are
made of but instead it is the stuff the best
marriages are made of.
It was obvious the Lord Jesus had affirmed the permanence of
marriage by His reply because those who had heard His Words understood it in
that way, hence their response. Not too
dissimilar to our own time, it appears that marriage was viewed as disposable
to these Israelites as well. When marriage
seems to no longer be “working” for us, we want an easy out – one that is
embraced by our spheres and our world as well.
We don’t like to feel “bad” about ourselves. We tend to neglect the covenant we made
before God. Remember anything worth
having or worth its salt requires work, resolve and commitment. We are not to simply flee when things become
difficult. Working through the
difficulties with the common goal of sustaining the marriage and bringing God
glory through it draws the married couple closer not further apart. God
had established marriage for man’s good as well as His glory. He had intended for marriage to be a
spiritual functional unity between husband and wife whereby they would walk
together in integrity, serving God and keeping His commandments together. Society prospers under God’s Almighty Hand
when this harmony is operative. We find
in Genesis:
18 The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be
alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
Gen 2:18 (NIV)
Interestingly, in the above verse the word translated “good” is from the Hebrew word “Tob” meaning: “Good, pleasant, beautiful, excellent,
lovely, delightful, joyful, fruitful, precious, cheerful, kind, correct,
righteous; that which is good, right; virtue; happiness, pleasantness; used in the context of seeking for the
ultimate purpose in life.” Hebrew–Greek
Key Word Study Bible – Old Testament Lexical Aids. I don’t know of any married person who wouldn’t
like those words to describe their marriage yet it takes work – it does not
merely happen. This is why Jesus ended
His statement with: “The one who can accept this should accept it.” Meaning, if you hear (understand)
this, act on it.
“Sanctify
yourself and you will sanctify society.”
Francis of Assisi
What I glean from this:
· I am
commanded in Scripture to reel in fleshly desires.
· I am not
only to profess faith but also to persevere to the end by the power of the Holy
Spirit.
· Marriage
is a gift from God but it also includes from me a commitment to work towards its
flourishing success through the power of the Spirit.
