Take courage - he is calling you

“…Take heart; get up, he is calling you” (Mark 10:49)

Mark 10:46-52 (Year B: The fifth Sunday before Advent or the 30^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 28^th October, 2018)

In addition to this coming Sunday’s Gospel reading which is common to most Christian churches, the other readings from scripture found in the ‘paired’ Revised Common Lectionary of the Church of Ireland for this Sunday are: Jeremiah 31:7-9;  Psalm 126; and  Hebrews 7:23-28.  Directly parallel Gospel readings to this particular Gospel reading from Mark may be found in Matthew 20:29-34 and in Luke 18:35-43.

If this Sunday is celebrated as ‘Bible Sunday’, the Gospel of John 5:36-47 may be used. Alternatively, if the Feast of St Simon and St Jude is celebrated, the Gospel of Luke 6:12-16 may be used.

The current impasse

But where is Bartimaeus today? We may ask. 

Is there someone who is begging for help nearby?
Next to you on the train and looking vacant but in the depths of despair?
Someone in your own family circle who does not know how to articulate what is going on inside their head?
Someone who is a work colleague but hiding deep wounds?
Someone on Grafton Street, Dublin and sleeping rough waiting to be moved on at 5.30am when the shopping street needs to be ‘cleared’ of unpleasant sights, sounds and smells before people arrive for work, commerce or pleasure?
Someone fast asleep in a warm 24-hour internet café on Talbot Street, Dublin because that’s the only place in which to sleep and survive?
A family from the Irish Traveller community seeking emergency accommodation after a recent tragedy?
A young child grasping for life, warmth and nourishment as an adult carries her through muddy waters on an international frontier somewhere in October 2018?
Still younger children struggling to live?
Mothers facing life-changing and life-threatening situations and not receiving any support or practical help?

Many stories about the blind, the lame, the leper or other outcasts of ‘respectable ‘, ‘law-abiding’ and ‘religious’ society abound in the New Testament. At a distance of 2,000 years we can cast a comfort blanket around these stories. Or, we can fill out a direct debit to some excellent charity struggling with a tide of human suffering in various parts of the globe. Or, we can wake up to the call to act today, now in my immediate circles of influence and relationships.

Stories from the past..

Two thousand years ago, Jesus came to give sight to the blind; to heal, to set free and to proclaim good news (Luke 4:18-19).   Today, millions seek a ‘year of the Lord’s favour’ (Luke 4:19) and they don’t find it. The gospel writer, Mark, summarises the key points of Jesus’ ministry at the very beginning of his gospel and again in this short passage (10:46-52). It  concerns:

Faith
Repentance
Healing
Following
Mission (being sent)

It seems fitting that Mark should remind his audience, again, of the foundational pillars of the Gospel as we move from a period of ministry of healing and preaching to a new phase in the final story of what was about to happen in Jerusalem.

A blind man – Bartimaeus –  was sitting by the road waiting for help. He had not given up because, we are told, he cried out for help to Jesus. Was he abandoned by his family? Did he have any family? Where did he come from and was he blind from birth? The fact that he was given a name by Mark might suggest that he became a disciple known among the early followers of Jesus?

We don't know for sure but we can assume that according to the cultural and religious norms of that time conditions of sickness or disability were often associated with sin. In other words, it was believed, that people who found themselves in such situations were paying the price for their own sin or that of their parents or forebears. A religion of ordinances, fines, punishments and restitution was in full sway.

For Mark, the scene is set in Jericho as Jesus heads for Jerusalem for the end-game. A blind man is on the way. There is more than a hint of the story of the Good Samaritan about this passage.  Loving the actual real person next to us in the present moment of life can be so blindingly obvious that it is the very thing we miss as we are 'busy' with our many petty goals and deadlines.  The cries of Bartimaeus and his presence might be seen as inconvenient, embarrassing and impeding our progress. But, Jesus senses someone in despair whom he can help there and then.

Each one of us is called..

Bartimeus calls out in faith - 'Jesus, son of David have mercy on me'. This was a cry from the depths of his heart born of anguish, continuous affliction and, to cap it all, social stigma and the lowest of esteem. In this story, the call to Bartimaeus comes through intermediaries before Jesus directly addresses Bartimaeus. Today, God uses people to extend a call to yet other people. Are we mediators of God's call to others or are we more like obstacles by the way we live and think and speak?

On being healed, Bartimaeus begins to follow Jesus. And it reasonable to conclude that he was likely to have been among those sent by Jesus and that followed him 'on the road' to Jerusalem and beyond).

 

And so today..

On our journey through life we meet with people who are broken. Or, perhaps, we experience brokenness ourselves on the side of life's journey. The gospels assure us that, in his risen body, the Christ of God is never far from us. Indeed, through faith he lives in our hearts even when we seem to have no sense of faith or presence or reassurance of same.

And walking on the road with Jesus is the result of making our peace with the One who heals us where nobody else can.  There is a saying that 'seeing is believing'. However, in this passage of Mark we have a reversal of the normal sequence: 'believing is seeing' as Bartimaeus put his trust in God's power at work in Jesus whom he could not yet see.

A light is lit in our souls when we trust in this power. The real Bartimaeus is found when we go out from our own prisons and discover the freedom of the Gospel. As St Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:6:

For it is the God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness’, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

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Further reading: notes and questions, verse by verse

Preliminaries

Jesus and his disciples, according to Mark, are on the their way to Jerusalem. They passed through Jericho on the way.  Jericho is about 30 Km from Jerusalem – a day’s journey by foot.  This episode involving a blind beggar appears almost like an appendix following an important phase in Jesus’ ministry and before Jesus’s triumphant entry to Jerusalem as Mark recounts it.

10:46:  The scene is set

They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside.

We may note that the blind beggar has a name: Bartimaeus.  Of the three synoptic gospels, only Mark names him. Bartimaeus – the sone of Timaeus – had the honour of calling Jesus by his title ‘Son of David’.

This is the scene for what happened on the road from Jericho (or to Jericho if we go with the detail of Luke's gospel).  In proclaiming God’s Kingdom Jesus is fulfilling the prophecy of Jeremiah (31:8-9)

See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north, and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, those with child and those in labour, together; a great company, they shall return here.  With weeping they shall come, and with consolations I will lead them back.

10:47: The cry of one who is on the margins

When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ 

Bartimaeus was the first, other than a demon, to acclaim Jesus as the One in the line of David.  He saw in Jesus the Messiah, the one promised. The loud acclaim ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ echoes the more modern prayer ‘Lord Jesus Christ Son of the living God, have mercy on me, a sinner’.  A short and suitable prayer for us should we have the chance to recollect ourselves before we breathe our last in this life?

10:48: The reaction of others to this cry

Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!

Persistence in a simple, trusting and faith-filled prayer is evident here.

10:49-50: Jesus’ response

Jesus stood still and said, ‘Call him here.’ And they called the blind man, saying to him, ‘Take heart; get up, he is calling you.’ So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 

May we take heart when it is the Lord who call sus.  Bartimaeus neither delayed or hesitated. He ‘sprang up’ and threw off his cloak. Do we throw off our cloaks of doubt, self-pity attachments, religiosity and more besides to walk towards the living God? In Matthew 20:29-34, we read that Jesus was ‘moved with compassion’ and ‘touched’ the eyes of the blind men (there being two and not one blind man in the same story but told by Matthew).

10:51-52: A conversation and a call

Then Jesus said to him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ The blind man said to him, ‘My teacher, let me see again.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has made you well.’ Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.

This parallels the conversation in Mark 10 involving James, John and Jesus. On this occasion, there is requests for seats of honour. A humiliated and marginalised blind man simply wanted to see. But, there was more to physical sight, here. Like us, he wanted to see real truth, real goodness and real beauty. Deep down, that is what all of wants but we sometimes do not know how or where to look for this vision. It is the simple faith or trust of the beggar that opens up a way for Jesus to heal this man. The healing runs so deep that this man simply followed Jesus. He became one of his disciples and we may be sure that he ended up in Jerusalem that day or later.

An interesting divergence in the same basic story is to be found in the account of Matthew (20:29-34) where it is said that two blind men were called and healed.  Matthew is concerned about the communal aspect of discipleship. Where 'two or three are gathered' there is the healing power of Jesus whether as when he walked on the waters or when he healed, here, on the road from Jericho or when on the cross surrounded by two accused thieves.

In the other New Testament Reading for this Sunday and from the Letter to the Hebrews (7:23-28), Jesus is presented as the perfect, unique and all-sufficient sacrifice that takes our sins away and sets us free. He is the answer to sin – our sin whether individual or whether embedded in the very structures of society. But, not only that, Jesus is the way to complete liberation and fullness of life.

'What is it that you want me to do for you?'

“…What is it you want me to do for you?” (Mark 10:36)

Mark 10:35-45 (Year B: 21st Sunday after Trinity, 21st October, 2018)

(other Readings in paired Revised Common Lectionary for this Sunday: Isaiah 53:4-12;  Psalm 91:9-16; and  Hebrews 5:1-10)

As creatures of habit we may like the limelight – titles, positions, ranks and all that goes with authority. Not that we do not act most of the time with good motivation and with the intention of doing good and fulfilling our commitments whether in family, the workplace or the local community.  However, what goes with this by way of position in a hierarchy of position and authority is attractive – for some more than others.

This is not altogether a bad thing. After all, God knows how to write straight on crooked lines and even if what drives people forward is a mix of things, everything can be turned into good especially when there is – thanks to God’s grace – some faith, some hope and some love in what we do and how we do it.

The story of how James and John asked for special places in the kingdom reminds us how just human the first disciples were. Little has changed since those days. Yet, we should remember that of these two, James had his head cut off according to Acts 12:1-2 – a fate awaiting some Christians in the same region today. There is no evidence that John met a violent death but the other leading apostle, Peter, was by popular tradition believed to have been crucified.  And as for the Lord, his crucifixion is a key part of our understanding and faith within the story of God’s saving power. So, whatever about rank, position and title according to human arrangements, norms and traditions, the outcome for those who sense a call and are called to positions of particular service or ministries in the church involves some pain, difficulty and possibly even persecution.

As it was in the beginning, is now and will continue to be….

In Matthew’s account (20:20-28) of the same story there is a slightly ironic and humorous note in that the mother of James and John does the pleading.   No surprises there!  Just picture the ‘sons of thunder’, James and John, standing confidently beside their mother (quite possibly a mother and woman of thunder?!) as the pleading goes on. Was there a hint of arrogance in the following request (verse 35):

“Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You.” 

It should be remembered these were cousins of Jesus and, perhaps, there was a family dimension to this such as arises about seating at wedding banquets or children’s birthday parties today.  Jesus knows how to handle not only James and John but the other 10 disciples who, according to Mark 10:41, became highly indignant. Anyone familiar with human resource management and what are referred to as ‘industrial relations’ in the workplace will spot parallels here.  But, that is to be expected and in the culture of Jesus’ time we are reminded that it was normal practice among the ‘Gentiles’ for rulers to ‘lord it over’ their subjects.  Jesus wants us to know that this is not how it is meant to be among his followers.

But, there is another point that we must face: discipleship including leadership involves suffering – much suffering. Not without reason did the liturgists pair today’s Gospel reading with what we might term the Fourth Song of the Suffering Servant to be found in the 53^rd chapter of the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 53:9-12). I am particularly struck by that part of verse 12 that reads:

because he poured out himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors

If only.

Returning to the sources of the gospel we are challenged and confronted by the harsh realities of discipleship. Choices are made, some things are left behind and other things are taken on and the road ahead is never certain or foreseeable. Rather, we proceed one mile or kilometre at a time watching for the next turn and hill.

All service and all positions of leadership – especially Christian inspired – can draw on the prayer of St Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556):

Teach me to give, and not to count the cost to fight, and not to heed the wounds,to toil, and not to seek for rest,to labour, and not to ask for any reward,save that of knowing that we do your will

Another Jesuit, Saint Oscar Romero, on the day before he was murdered while saying mass in El Salvador in 1980 addressed the ordinary soldiers of his country as follows:

Brothers, you are from the same people; you kill your fellow peasants…No soldier is obliged to obey an order that is contrary to the will of God…In the name of God, in the name of this suffering people, I ask you—I implore you—I command you in the name of God: stop the repression!”  

If only that courage and type of leadership was more widespread in today’s world!

The harsh truth is that in so many walks of life from the corporate world to the sporting world to the ecclesiastical worlds the three ‘P’s’ reign supreme over the three ‘S’s’. The three ‘P’s’ are, quite simply: Power, Position and Privilege. This explains a lot in what we see around us.  Only those who have discovered the secret of the three ‘S’s’ have found some peace and inner and outer harmony: Simplicity, Surrender and Service. 

And for each one of us living the life of a disciple in a 21^st century church, things ought to be no different.

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Further reading: notes and questions, verse by verse

Preliminaries

This episode sits in the midst of a busy preaching and healing mystery. Already, Jesus has made it clear to this disciples that following him with all their hearts will make demands. His way is not an easy way. It would be wrong to give any other impression.

10:35-37          What do we seek?

‘James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, ‘Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.’ And he said to them, ‘What is it you want me to do for you?’ And they said to him, ‘Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.’’

O for the naiveté of James and John! These ‘Sons of thunder’ (Boanerges in Mark 3:17) let themselves in for it! Jesus knew them through and through and ‘he knew their game’. Yet, he tested them; he almost teased them in the following terms: ‘What is it you want me to do for you?’. Today, Jesus looks straight at you and at me and asks ‘What is it you want me to do for you?’

10:38-40          ‘not mine to grant’

‘But Jesus said to them, ‘You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?’ They replied, ‘We are able.’ Then Jesus said to them, ‘The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.’

Were we to know, before we set out on a life journey of commitment be it professional, married, religious or otherwise, what would emerge would we still make the same declarations, choices and even binding vows?  I dare say that we might not even get out of bed in the morning if we knew what lay ahead! J Jesus declared that it was not his to grant what would befall his disciples. Only the Risen Christ acting with the Father will gather in those who have submitted to God’s will.  We need to work out our salvation in ‘fear and trembling’ (Phil 2:12). Sharing in the passion of Christ is the point and not places of honour.

10:41-45          An unholy fight breaks out among the apostles

‘When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. So Jesus called them and said to them, ‘You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all.  For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.’

Now that would never happen, today, among those in positions of leadership and ministry, would it!  Bishops and Patriarchs excommunicating each other; Cardinals undermining and censoring other cardinals and the Pope; one current or movement of discipleship declaring another as acting outside the Word of God and to be condemned; one half of a parish fighting with another half and so on and so on. Have we missed the plot? It is about service and surrender to the Will of God. Is anyone so sure of their interpretation of the Word and their living out of same that they can, with absolute certainty and authority, exclude another from the Table of the Lord or the Fellowship of the Disciples? Now, let’s be very clear, there are times, places and occasions when someone in authority needs to remove evil and the lack of such has been a source of great evil, trauma and loss of credibility in the modern world. But, that is another story.

Imagining the impossible

“…for God all things are possible” (Mark 10:27)

Mark 10:17-31 (Year B: 20^th Sunday after Trinity, 14^th October, 2018)

Another tough discourse...

So you thought that last week’s discussion about divorce and remarriage tough. Following the gospel of Mark, it gets tougher now with a discussion about poverty, riches and wealth. The last thing we might want to hear is another plea for belt-tightening after all that (most) people went through during The Great Recession of 2008-2013 (ish).

A man approaches Jesus, in this story, and asks for guidance on what he needs to do to be saved. Living in a religious society of that time, people were very concerned about being on ‘the right side of God’ and making it to the finishing line. Such a concern and anxiety was not uncommon until recent times when religious observance and faith were very much central to the lives of ordinary people especially on this island.

Rich people, or not so rich people, went about doing certain things – attending church, participating in the sacraments, giving to charity, attending to their daily duties and family obligations and so on.  It was commonly believed in the majority Christian tradition that a single person or a young person might consider a ‘higher calling’ to follow a celibate religious life and ‘renounce’ some of the normal attractions of living by giving away their material possessions and following what are called the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience (and, alas, as events and revelations unfolded we discovered that adherence to these counsels left a lot to be desired).

A question was asked by a man – a rich and young man at that (drawing also on the gospel of Matthew): what must I do to be saved? The response by Jesus is more radical and more subtle than we might gather on a first reading of this story. The following may be asked or noted:

What were the reactions of those around Jesus according to Mark’s version?
The young man who made the request of Jesus was ‘shocked’ and went away ‘sad’. Why?
The disciples on hearing Jesus’ words were ‘perplexed’ and then ‘greatly astounded’. Why?
What is our reaction when we listen very carefully to the Word of God in today’s troubled world?

Hearing the challenge afresh today...

Writing some years ago, the late Rev. Michael Paul Gallagher, SJ, had the following observation:

Our excited society keeps us busy with trivia and incapable of pausing to hear the cries of others.

Are we falling into the same trap?  Those cries for help may be thousands of kilometres away on the borders of Europe or they may be right next to us now.

Once again, we hear of more hardship and trouble for those will follow Jesus unreservedly. Tagged on to this week’s story is the third prediction of Jesus’ death and persecution. It will entail condemnation to death, surrender to those who will mistreat us; mockery, physical attacks and, ultimately, death. This type of scenario may seem remote to us in the comforts of Northern Europe. But, we need to be reminded of the fragility and persecution awaiting people on grounds of religion, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation or simply because they do not fit with the agenda of those who wield power. In the coming years, millions will seek refuge in Europe as conditions deteriorate in the neighbouring continents due to war, famine, fanaticism and the slow, gradual asphyxiation of climate change. We are living on borrowed time on this sick planet as some hoard possessions and power to the detriment of others. 

The message of Jesus has never been so relevant to us today.

The problem is not wealth in itself but whether we see and use wealth as ‘our’ possession or something granted us individually or collectively to be used for others – for those we love most closely and to whom we are bound by commitments and those in our communities and in our world. We are talking, here, about God’s capital in a world where everyone needs to be loved.

The rich man, in this Sunday’s story, sought ‘perfection’ in the doing of the Law.  Jesus’ answer, as recounted in both Mark and in Matthew, draws his attention (and of those listening on) to the horizontal or social and inter-personal aspect of the law – to respect our parents, to bear no hatred against others, to be faithful to our commitments, to be truthful and honest and so on. In other words, the key to the first three commandments is through loving our neighbour – our real flesh and blood neighbour in the here and now – next to us in the present moment of life and beside us under the same roof, on the street, on a train etc. Therein lies perfection in the Law.  But, the young man wanted more than this perfection and Jesus gave him a different kind of perfection challenge – let go of everything you cling to in life meaning honour, status, perks, comforts and follow me. In other words we can follow a perfect and all-sufficient way by obeying the ‘don’ts’ as outlined in the 10 commandments. But, we can also obey the ‘do’s’ by giving away all that we have – life, attachments and clinging to power – and follow Jesus with our whole heart. For that purpose, we do not necessarily have to take religious vows in the consecrated life – wholesome, necessary and welcome as that is for a minority of disciples so called and so affirmed by the church. To repeat the key message: we can be as perfect as anyone if we are prepared to give our life for another.

A literal call for some..

It is hardly surprising that many throughout Christian history interpreted stories and teachings such as the one found in today’s passage in a very literal sense. Such impulses gave rise to movements into the ‘desert’ associated with monastic life. In a way the monastic life that sprung up in the early centuries were protest movements at a time when Christianity was about to go native in Rome and attain to a position of social respectability in a coalition of influence, power and preferment. Some might suggest that Christianity is still trying to recover from this great fall! And the reformation of the 16^th and 17^th century did not necessarily help in de-coupling outward Christian religion from alliances with worldly powers (and being itself a worldly political power at times).

And a calling to all of us here and now..

Many are those who felt a call to not only go into the desert but to go into the streets and byways where people live and toil among the poor, the oppressed and the marginalised. Not everyone has this call – at least not for a lifetime. But, everyone has an opportunity to grow in love where they are planted. Every deed, every commitment and every initiative has meaning from the smallest to the heroic.  Moreover, love of the poor which is so evident throughout the gospels and the Bible demands not just ‘charity’ in the sense that this term has come to be used, but a thorough analysis and effective social action to address the roots of poverty, injustice and oppression. We do well to read and hear, again, the prophet Amos (5:10-12) who speaks about inequality, oppression and neglect of fundamental human rights in his day. The worship of money and the oppression of the poor makes a mockery of worship because God is especially on the side of the poor and the oppressed. This is what Matthew was on about in chapter 25:31-46 of that gospel when he outlines what matters at the end of our lives. And the prophet Amos (8:4-6) wasn’t mincing his words in this passage:

Hear this, you that trample on the needy, and bring to ruin the poor of the land, saying, “When will the new moon be over so that we may sell grain; and the sabbath, so that we may offer wheat for sale?  We will make the ephah small and the shekel great, and practice deceit with false balances, buying the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, and selling the sweepings of the wheat.

Discipleship that is awake to the politics of oppression..

Do the warnings of Amos carry relevance in today’s world and in today’s churches?  Have we focussed too much on the mechanics of sex and not enough on social justice?  And do we console ourselves and our consciences with ‘charity’ when those who are oppressed need to be liberated and need to take ownership of the means of their economic emancipation? Is our religion in conformity with biblical values of social justice, compassion and practical assistance? Do we know what poverty is really like? Have we ever had the experience of not being able to pay rent or mortgage, skipping meals, lighting candles when the electricity has been cut off for non-payment of a bill and facing the embarrassment of not being able to send a child on a school trip?

Poverty takes many forms and many were surprised to find themselves in poverty when their job was lost or their business folded up following the credit crunch and economic downturn of 2008-2010. Still others, live in a cycle of inter-generational poverty which seems extremely difficult to break out of.

It seems to me that recent debates about‘welfare reform’ in many European countries including the UK and Ireland has been shaped more by 19^th century notions of deserving poor and philanthropic benevolence with a State that works to defend the interests of corporations, bond-holders and well-to-do citizens than those who have nobody to speak for themselves and are not the subject of pre-electoral competition for votes. Witness the global trend towards ever lower taxes on the high-income and high-worth citizens, on corporations while increasing numbers live in precarious living conditions where work, income and pensions are less secure than ever. This is not to deny the huge improvements in living standards, health and education that have occurred in the last 100 years. However, there is another side to the story of global capitalism that people concerned about social justice and sustainable development need to start caring about much more.

And it is never too late to start (again)..

We might be near the end of our days bedridden and highly dependent but we can continue to follow Jesus on the road to freedom by showing interest in everyone around us and by prayer.  Who knows? Our loving, our hoping and our living in this way may be generating new love, new hope and new life in those near and far.

Some day we might wake up and see the world around us and the ‘smell the roses’. For that to happen we need to approach the throne of grace on our knees like the rich young man mindful that – with God nothing is impossible.

Time and time again God works in our lives not according to our timetables or plans but in his way. The social and political become personal and the personal becomes political. We are made for communion in a broken world.  If we trust we will find surprise after surprise as God meets us in places of unbelievable tenderness and compassion. But, we must know that the way of discipleship leads through much suffering and difficulty as Jesus made clear to the disciples who still didn’t get it. Do we get it?

Ever faithful to love

“…Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.’ (Mark 10:9))

Mark 10:2-16 (Year B: 19^th Sunday after Trinity, 7^th October, 2018)

Jesus doesn’t mince his words...

Every so often we run into a difficult passage in the gospel. This is one of them.

Divorce, remarriage and family fluidity is a marked feature of 21^st century societies. I guess that few, if any, among us do not know someone who has gone through marital separation. It could be a brother, a sister, one’s own parents, a work colleague, our next door neighbour. In some cases, we may be among those who have experienced separation. Here, in Ireland, there has been a marked increase in the extent of marital breakdown even though it has not reached anywhere near the same proportions found in other western societies – yet at any rate.

What are we to make of this passage of Mark? Mark reports a conversation between Jesus and the Pharisees. Jesus answers a question they put in clear, uncompromising and un-nuanced words as follows:

‘Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.’ (verses 11-12):

No ifs, no buts, no qualifications.

Jesus was responding to a question posed by some Pharisees who came to him to question and test him.  The context was set by the ‘Hillelites’ and the ‘Shammaites’. The followers of Rabbi Hillel were 1^st century religious liberals who permitted divorce ‘for any cause’. The followers of Shammai permitted it only for adultery.  The latter were the 1^st century religious conservatives who took a narrower and possibly more literal interpretation of Deuteronomy 24:1-4. The labels might be different but the broad nature of religious controversy has not changed in 2,000 years! 

Jesus’s response (to be found here in Mark as well as in the gospel of Matthew) came as a surprise to his hearers. He just rules out divorce altogether and goes back to the very beginning, in Genesis, to explain that lasting union was and still remains the plan of God whereby a man and a woman become one flesh or one body – with all that it entails spiritually, psychologically and physically. While the Jews of Jesus’ time held marriage in high regard, divorce was widespread and it wreaked havoc on women, in particular, given the absence of legal rights and legal initiative for them. This sets the social and cultural context in which Jesus takes a ‘hard line’ on divorce.

Any exceptions?...

The parallel reference in Matthew is a little more nuanced (Matthew 19:9)

And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for unchastity, and marries another commits adultery.

There are a variety of interpretations of the expression ‘except for unchastity’ in Matthew. It may be concluded that scholars differ on the exact meaning of the term. Some – especially Roman Catholic scholars - argue that it reflects a specifically Jewish context in which a man had the right to divorce a woman before a marriage was consummated if it emerges only after a marriage that the woman had not been a virgin (this might explain why Joseph the spouse of Mary had initially planned on ‘divorcing’ her when he learned that she was pregnant but then changed his mind after matters were clarified for him in a dream). If this is the case, it might explain the inclusion of ‘unchastity’ (the Greek word is ‘porneia’) in Matthew but not in Mark. According to this explanation Jesus would have used the word adultery if he meant it. Rather, he was referring, so it is claimed, to a specific exception where a marriage was not consummated and the marriage vows or contract was not, therefore, valid. Some Eastern Catholic churches (e.g. Greek) might allow divorce in cases of adultery – presumably on the grounds of the Matthean ‘unchastity’ clause to be found in Matthew 19:9 (see for example here). Among Protestant denominations, nowadays, divorce and remarriage are generally accepted (although in some cases more tolerated than accepted).

The mere fact that there was some type of exception, in Matthew, suggests that the early Christian community had to deal with the matter in a compassionate and rational way given the realities facing the emerging Christian community as families were split over the new religion and as a variety of mores and practices characterised the pagan world in which Judeo-Christians lived. Matthew’s account of what Jesus said differs from Mark in two ways:

• The exception clause is to be found in Matthew but not in Mark.
• The unique reference to a woman initiating a divorce, in Mark, which was unknown among Jews at that time.

Clearly, the audiences and the context in Matthew and Mark differ somewhat. Matthew was probably writing for a Jewish community while Mark had more a gentile audience in mind familiar with Roman laws and practices.

But, a compassionate Jesus ever and always...

Returning to Mark, we see an uncompromising stance by Jesus on divorce.  Divorce was, and still is today, a huge trauma for many. In the hugely different culture of Jesus’ time women were very much relegated to a vulnerable and insecure rank in society. It is still that way today in many parts of the world. In opposing divorce we see a compassionate Jesus who recognised the havoc that divorce can inflict on people – not least women and children. The choice of verses 13 to 16 about the blessing of children in today’s passage to follow the teaching on divorce may be no accident.  Jesus seems to go further than many of his peers by indicating a clear equality in marriage in that he balances the role of women and men in Mark 10:11-12.  This contrasts with the one-side question posed by the Pharisees where only the man could issue a divorce summons.  Women were in an inferior position in every way according to this view. That inequality is directly challenged in the response of Jesus.

Six possible responses…

How do we align the clear gospel teaching found in Mark with our own experience of living today? A number of responses are possible:

1. Ignore the gospels along with the Christian message entirely as irrelevant and pre-modern (typically the response of many in today’s world);
2. Locate some particular sayings of Jesus as belonging to a different cultural milieu and which are no longer relevant;
3. Use the tools of scholarly research and discourse to manoeuvre around ‘difficult passages’ (this might involve saying ‘this is how the evangelist reported it but Jesus didn’t quite mean it that way’ or ‘the Greek word for this or that term could mean different things’ or ‘the context is set by extraneous factors that blunt an isolated passage quotation’ and so on).
4. Take the passage pretty much at face value (notwithstanding scholarly caveats above) and say ‘that was then and now is now ….’ (in other words ignore it and preach a sermon on something else once a year when the topic comes up in Matthew, Mark or Luke).
5. Accept the passage as is stands but place it alongside other passages emphasising a wide range of values and considerations but always returning to the central value of compassion and mercy present in Jesus.
6. Take the passage as conforming to a literal, legalistic and absolute prohibition on divorce always, everywhere and no matter what because ‘the bible says so’ and/or ‘tradition says or and the Church has always taught so’. (This is like saying that according to section 9 subsection 4(a) of the Law, divorce is never allowed – never.)

There may be other solutions to the above! In my case, I tend towards response number 5, above.  I distrust absolutist and legalist approaches using isolated Gospel passages as ammunition to uphold particular stances. At the same time, I do not go along with the ultra-liberal approach of making the gospel fit whatever you want it to mean. In practice, we can read the scriptures with –

• The foundation of trust and faith in God-who-is-love.
• The common sense of people living in a messy world.
• The compassion of people who care deeply for others.
• The experience of living which teaches us.

Add to this benefits of good scholarly research and insights down the ages from others who read, digested and lived the Word.

A need for balance and clarity..

The point is that a relationship of intimacy, commitment and openness to life is the foundation of much human well-being and happiness. It is also a foundation rock for communities and societies. It is, typically, the milieu in which children can grow, develop and experience the warmth of love so that they too can live lives of meaning and love and give in turn. Whatever, disrupts this is bad for people and societies. Lack of love, communication, trust and faithfulness wreaks havoc on people and much unhappiness exists in the world because of this. I suggest that marriage break-up is a factor (interacting with other factors) in regards to mental ill-health and, in some cases, poverty, homelessness and addiction).

At the same time, it is a sad reality that for many reasons married relationships fail. Humans are not perfect and, yes, God asks us to be faithful and to embrace our cross, but, not at the price of destroying our own health and peace. In some cases, marital breakdown may involve systematic and repeated coercion, violence and abuse. In other cases, the causes may be less dramatic but no less significant in undermining the stability of a union. When this happens it is a tragedy – above all for the couple involved. But, it may signal circumstances outside the control of the couple as well as factors relevant to each one’s history, mental baggage, attitude and behaviour. And, then, there is just plain bad behaviour – systematic, repeated and calculating. However, we must not judge any one person or relationship. We never know the full story.

And what if, after many years of trying and recourse to help a relationship remains destructive? What then?

And if people find themselves in a new life-affirming committed relationship, what then?

And what if, as one writer put it: ‘What humans wrongly joined together, let God rightly separate?’ However, the same writer reminds us that: ‘committing adultery is not an abstract, moral sin. It is a real, hurtful action against one’s God-joined partner’ (Vitalis Hoffman).

(In recent years, the Roman Catholic Church has been heavily divided over some issues and questions raised in Amoris Laetitia concerning pastoral discretion in admitting divorced or remarried Catholics to Holy Communion.  That debate will run and run.)

The four pillars...

The lesson of Mark 1-16 as well as Matthew 19:1-12 is that the scriptures need to be read ‘on our knees’ so to speak and with an open heart and a discerning and learning mind.  Scripture is ‘over all’ and yet is must be received each time in the light of tradition, reason and experience. After all, tradition (oral and written), reason and experience were the soil in which the Word was sown and continues to be sown and to grow in our fields today. Scripture is sufficient. However, its full meaning gradually unfolds in the lived experience of Christians over the ages.

To conclude on a positive note: it would appear that most families and most lifelong commitments are happy for the most part – trials and tribulations notwithstanding along the way. This also seems to be true of those who, for one reason or another, find themselves in a second union.  After all, the starting point for Jesus’ positive affirmation of marriage is found in Genesis 2:18 where we are reminded that it is not good for one to be alone (unless by choice, calling or force of circumstances).

The wounds of life come with blessings and the blessings of life come with wounds. The wounds of broken relationships and broken trust remain even if healed of their sharpest impact over time. We may always confide in God whose mercy has no limits unlike that of others whom we have hurt or who have hurt us.

We must realise that, in the majority of situations and families, love prevails over all difficulties and there is a huge amount to be thankful for in the mystery of lifelong love ‘for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.’ This is what the author of Mark affirms so strongly in reporting the answer Jesus gave to the Pharisees of his time.

postscript: For a thoughtful and thought-provoking consideration of the matters discussed above, see a Blog by Rev Patrick Comerford here.