27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

          In the Gospel today there seems to be a reversal of what we usually see in these regular sparring matches between Jesus and the Pharisees.  Usually, it’s the Pharisees who are taking the “hard line” about some teaching of the law or another, whether it is about ritual purity (complaining that the disciples of Jesus do not meticulously wash their hands as they do) or about the Sabbath (criticizing Jesus for curing on the Sabbath), or other things along these lines.  And then it is Jesus who contextualizes and approaches these laws with a little more nuance and pastoral prudence, explaining, for example, that interior purity is more important than mere external observation of the law, or reminding us that the Sabbath was made for us and not the other way around.  So, we’re used to the Pharisees being the hardline “rules guys” and Jesus being the guy who – in so many words and ways – says “Lighten up already” or at least “Get your priorities straight.”

          But in this Gospel, it seems to be reversed.  Here the Pharisees are making the case that because Moses allowed for divorce, then presumably Jesus would be okay with this too.  But here Jesus seems to take the harder line.  Saying that it was only “because of the hardness of [their] hearts” that Moses allowed for this, but that “from the beginning of creation,” in making man and woman for each other to become one flesh, this was not God’s intent.  Jesus even explains to disciples later that “whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”  What happened to “nice” Jesus?  What happed to “laid back” Jesus?

          Well, first of all, I would say that I think this exposes a gross mischaracterization of Jesus on our part.  If we look more closely at the words and actions of Jesus across the four Gospels, the myth of the “easy-going buddy Jesus” is pretty quickly dispelled.  It’s not that Jesus is such a hardnosed “rule follower,” so much as He is constantly calling us to a higher standard.  He is constantly calling us out of this kind of moral and spiritual minimalism (in the sense of “What’s the minimum I have to do to get to heaven?”) and inviting us to take the higher path, which is usually the harder path, but in the end is the only true path and the path that leads to abundant life.

          And of course, as with all Scripture, context is everything.  And so, in this particular passage there are few things in the background that we should be aware of.  It says that the Pharisees were “testing” Jesus.  As they often do, they pose an intentionally tricky question and then wait to pounce.  It’s just like when they ask Him about whether or not it is lawful to pay taxes to Caesar.  If He says flat “yes,” then they brand Him as a traitor to His own people subjugated by the Romans.  If He says flat “no” then they turn Him in to the Romans as a troublemaker.

          And so, in this case they pose this question of divorce and wait, hungrily, for His answer.  If He answers, “Yeah, sure, Moses allowed for it, so fine by me.”  Then they could easily accuse Him of not taking marriage seriously enough.  But if He takes too hard a line, then they can throw the Law of Moses back in his face, as if to say, “Well Moses allowed for it.  Are you smarter and better than Moses?” (Which He is, but they don’t know that.)

          But in both of these cases, Jesus cuts right through the middle, to the very heart of the matter and offers a response that simply doesn’t play into their trap – not because He’s just being clever or slippery, but just because speaking the truth in love has a way of doing that.  In the question about taxes, you’ll recall He takes a Roman coin and asks whose image it bears.  When they answer, “Caesar,” He says,
“Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God,” leaving them all dumbfounded.  And in this question about divorce, He says effectively, “Yes, Moses allowed for this, but only for the hardness of your hearts.”  He explains that “from the beginning” it was not so.  From the beginning God had a higher ideal of what marriage was to be and “for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.  Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate.”

          Also, something that very much plays into the context of this passage was perhaps a too lenient approach in regard to divorce on the part of some, even the religious authorities, of Jesus’ time.  This was a time and a culture, after all, in which a man could “lawfully” divorce his wife for seemingly very little cause – but note, not the other way around.  This was time, too, when a woman could be stoned to death for committing adultery (and without the need to produce much in the way of evidence or corroborating testimony, I might add) – but again note, not the other way around.  And so, part of Jesus’ strident defense of marriage here, is precisely to call out the hypocrisy and the moral laxity of the Pharisees, who after all claim to live by God’s law.

          Now, I need to add something very important at this point.  I would wager that most, if not all, of us here in this chapel this morning/evening know personally the reality of divorce within our families or at least among our friends.  Perhaps some here are divorced.  Perhaps some of you have parents who are divorced.  I myself have three siblings who are divorced.  And in each of their cases, I understand (at least to the degree that I can) why, however sad, this was necessary.  So, I don’t want you to misunderstand my words as “judging,” much less as “condemning.”  The Church herself teaches that in certain circumstances, especially when there is a situation of abuse, for example, civil divorce “may be tolerated” and does not necessarily “constitute a moral offense.”  There are instances too when one party is willing to do whatever it takes to work on the marriage, but the other party obstinately refuses.  But I think we can all agree that, whatever the circumstances, divorce is not a good in itself, much less something to be “celebrated” or taken lightly.  It is always sad and difficult for the individuals involved and their families.

          Still, why does Jesus seem to be so “tough” on this issue?  I think it can only be because Jesus understands that there is something so important about marriage; something so central to our human existence.  There is something here worth defending so fiercely.  If you think of it, Jesus’ public ministry began at a marriage, at the wedding feast of Cana, as recounted in John’s Gospel.  This should tell us something about the place of marriage in the Christian life.  Also, the Bible begins, in a sense, with marriage, in the story from Genesis about Adam and Eve, which we heard in our first reading, and the Bible ends with marriage, as in the Book of Revelation we hear that beautiful imagery of the “New Jerusalem,” an image of the Church in her final state, “coming down out of heaven…prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”  And everywhere in between, in the various covenants established between God and His people, the language and imagery of marriage is used.  Jesus Himself uses this spousal imagery in the parable about the “wedding feast,” and even on several occasions refers to himself as the “bridegroom.”  What does this all mean? 

It is through the lens of Marriage that we see most clearly God’s love for us.  Marriage is that great image and icon of God’s love for his people, of Christ the bridegroom’s love for his bride, the Church.  Even in regard to vocations to religious life we use this spousal language and imagery, as religious sisters are sometimes referred to as “brides of Christ,” and we speak of the priesthood in terms of a kind of spousal relationship with Church.  And so, marriage is that “window,” that “portal” through which we see and experience God’s love in the world.  In this sense, marriage is not only the most natural vocation of human beings, but perhaps the most essential.  Many here are married.  Most of the Church is married.  Most of our students will one day be married.  As marriage goes so will go the Church, so will go the world and for generations.  And so, let’s hear Jesus out on this; let’s be sure to understand His teaching well – which is at once hard and yet merciful.  Let’s seek healing for past hurts.  Let’s extend a loving welcome for our sisters and brothers who may have experienced divorce.  Let’s pray for prudence for those preparing for marriage, for patience and perseverance for those who have already committed themselves in this lifelong covenant, and for a strengthening of marriage in our time for nothing less than the glory of God and the sanctification of humankind.