1 After Jesus left, he went to Judea and then on to the other side of the Jordan River. Once again large crowds came to him, and as usual, he taught them. 2 Some Pharisees wanted to test Jesus. So they came up to him and asked if it was right for a man to divorce his wife. 3 Jesus asked them, “What does the Law of Moses say about that?” 4 They answered, “Moses allows a man to write out divorce papers and send his wife away.” ~ Mark 10:1-4
Today, we transition into Mark 10 where the Lord Jesus along with His followers were on the move from north to south. From Galilee, they went down to Judea, leaving the place where He had headquartered His ministry for three and a half years. He was finished with His Galilean ministry, and, He was on His way to Jerusalem, eventually to die on the cross.
In v.1 of today's passage we read, "After Jesus left, he went to Judea and then on to the other side of the Jordan River. Once again large crowds came to him, and as usual, he taught them."
This one verse covers a lot of ground for during this time the Lord Jesus went into Samaria and northern Judea. During that time He sent out seventy disciples to go into all the villages to share the gospel with those with a willing heart. During that time He also made a quick trip to Jerusalem in the dead of winter to celebrate Hanukkah or the Feast of Dedication. Having spoken at that feast, He left Jerusalem and came with His disciples now into the area on the eastern side of the Jordan River. There, in that region called Perea, he was teaching the large crowds.
In v.2 of today's passage we read, "Some Pharisees wanted to test Jesus. So they came up to him and asked if it was right for a man to divorce his wife."
While the Lord Jesus and His followers were in Perea, the religious leaders sought Him out with a trick question. The Greek word used here for "test" reveals the religious leaders were trying to catch the Lord Jesus saying something which they could discredit Him. They desperately wanted to nullify Him and His teaching, even though He was teaching the truth.
There has and will always be those people that no matter how much truth we give them, they will not believe. And the reason they will not believe is their stubbornness of heart. Fallen man wants to run his own life, knowing that if he yields his life to Christ, he can not keep on living the way he once did. And, quite frankly, he loves his sin too much.
In v.3 of today's passage we read, "Jesus asked them, 'What does the Law of Moses say about that?'"
In response to the question of the Pharisees, the Lord Jesus pointed the religious leaders back to the Bible. The response of the Lord Jesus here underscores a very important principle which is: We must be defined by God. What we believe to be true is revealed through our thoughts and our words which are spelled out best by the choices we make. When God's word defines what we believe, it is then that we are positioned to be defined by Him.
In v.4 of today's passage we read, "They answered, “Moses allows a man to write out divorce papers and send his wife away."
The answer of the religious leaders revealed something about the will of God. There is the permissive will of God and there is the decreed will of God. The scripture says, "It is the desire of God that none perish but that all come to faith in Christ." Obviously, not all believe. This is where the permissive will of God comes in. When we settle for what is permissible, in varying degrees, we do so to our own peril. Until we get to heaven, there will always be a limitedness to our trust in God. And, this is the bottom line issue involved here. Not only had these religious leaders settled for that which was permissible, they were not being defined by God's word.
God tells us the greatest among us will be the servant of all. We were created with two basic, yet enormous needs: to be loved and to love. In any relationship that we may have, if we are selfish, we will miss what God had in store for us. However, if we embrace, selflessness, we will discover that we are living in the way God intended. As a result, we will be more complete, and, more whole. With the help of the Spirit of God, we will transcend what is lawful and do that which is of God and best for us.
The real issue for us is the cry of our hearts for intimacy, to be loved and to love. As we walk in God's way, the Holy Spirit will soften our hearts toward God and others. Hardness of heart toward God means hardness of heart toward ourselves and others. We lack wisdom when we ignore these biblical relational principles.
In order to help us walk in God's ways, the Holy Spirit has been given to us. He diagnoses our hardness of heart, and, as a result, He softens our hearts by revealing God’s love to us in Christ. We do well to throw off selfishness and let the Holy Spirit have His way with us by embracing the role of the servant. And, when we do, we will be defined by God.
