Jesus loved us and gave himself up to save us. He would not abandon you to your hurt or cast you away because of the hurt you caused others.
Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” “What did Moses command you?” he replied. They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.” “It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law,” Jesus replied. “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this. He answered, “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.”
People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them. -Mark 10:2-16
The Lord pours out blessing upon blessing on his people. There are perhaps no greater avenues for God to bless us than through the blessings Jesus highlights here: marriage and family. First, consider the blessing of marriage. Here Jesus offers commentary on the institution of marriage in Genesis. God created man and woman. He created them to complement and complete each other. He made them for companionship, and the greatest companion a person can choose is the person they choose to marry and share their life. They will share an intimacy beyond any other relationship in this world. This relationship is where they are to use the sexual desires which God gave them. They are to share those desires and their bodies with their spouse without shame or guilt. They become one flesh in every aspect of the word so that, Jesus says, “they are no longer two, but one flesh.” What a blessing!
It is into this stable and loving union, which God has joined together and no one ought to break apart, that God intends for children to come into the world. The Bible always speaks of children as a blessing from the Lord. Just look at Jesus with them here! Jesus speaks in their defense. He wants these little ones to know him as Savior. He points to them as an example of faith. One of the greatest blessings children give their parents is they demonstrate the joy of faith and what it means to believe with an undivided heart, without any hesitation. What a blessing!
God intends for these closest of relationships to be nothing but blessing. But in a fallen world, the ones we are closest to are the ones we hurt most, and they hurt us. Jesus acknowledges that here too. For many, marriage is a reminder of hurt, manipulation, or even abuse. Many have felt the sting of adultery or abandonment or divorce. Children also suffer at the hands of parents, but they also can cause their parents unbelievable amounts of pain by their words and actions. For others, even the mention that children are a blessing from the Lord cuts deeply because they have not been able to welcome such a blessing into their home.
Even if you look at your family and see only blessings, you must admit the harm you have caused to those closest to you. You weren’t the perfect child for your parents; you haven’t always been grateful for their care. As a parent, there are times you have been too harsh or too lenient. You look at children as a burden, not a blessing. As a spouse, how quickly love and delight turns to frustration, blame, and even resentment. You start looking for loopholes in obedience to God’s will as the Pharisees did here, rather than cherishing the blessings the Lord gives in marriage and family. Have mercy on us, Lord, and save us from such hardness of heart!
That’s exactly what he does. Love moved Jesus, the heavenly Bridegroom, to save his Bride, the Church. That means you and me. He became one with us by taking on our humanity. For all the times we have hurt those closest to us and despised his blessings, Jesus loved us and gave himself up to save us. He would not abandon you to your hurt or cast you away because of the hurt you caused others. His love for you pulled him from heaven and held him on the cross until every last sin of yours was atoned for. That’s the extent of his love for you.
Now he wishes nothing more than to gather you in his arms and bless you, as he did for those children long ago. His blessing equips you to be a blessing to others. You know his love. You know his forgiveness. You can live that love as a son or daughter, as a mother or father, as a spouse or as one who hopes to be one someday. Go in the love of Jesus and be the blessing he has called you to be in your family.
