As we read through the stories we have about Jesus, there is one thing that we find numerous times throughout the Gospels -- people are always questioning Jesus. Jesus is questioned by the Pharisees and other Jewish leaders. Jesus is questioned by his disciples. Jesus is regularly approached by random people on his journeys that have questions for him. There are even times that Jesus seems to question all that he is doing himself; consider his prayer in Gethsemane, for example. Truthfully, I think the questions didn’t stop with Jesus’ earthly ministry; many of us today still have questions for Jesus.
As we encounter these different questions in Scripture, we can see that they seem to have many different purposes. There are some who questioned Jesus in an attempt to trap him. There are some who wanted something from Jesus. There are some who simply want to understand what it is that Jesus is talking about. I think that there are those of us today who still ask questions of Jesus for all of these reasons and more.
No matter what the reasons that people approach Jesus with questions, our Gospel stories show us that Jesus’ responses tell us something about the kingdom of God that he is teaching and preaching about. Jesus’ answers help to paint a picture of that kingdom -- the values of that kingdom, what the kingdom looks like, how we are meant to act. Jesus’ answers to the people he encountered -- whether they were trying to challenge him, get something from him, or simply understand him better -- paint a picture of God’s kingdom, the new reality that Jesus is ushering in. Jesus’ answers tell us something about what life should look like as opposed to how the world is commonly approached. Folks may have come to Jesus with challenging questions, but his teaching offers us a challenge in return.
In our reading today (Mark 10:2-16), our Gospel writer makes it clear from the start that the Pharisees are coming to test Jesus, though it may not be immediately clear how this is a test. They approach Jesus and ask, “Does the Law allow a man to divorce his wife?” (Mark 10:2, CEB).
Now, to understand the challenge in this question, we need to go back to the early days of the Gospel story. Before Jesus began his ministry in earnest, his relative, John, was speaking and teaching as a prophet in the wilderness. John also proclaimed the coming kingdom of God and preached the need for baptism and repentance. You may recall that John spoke out against the marriage of Herod Antipas to his sister-in-law, Herodias. John challenged the fact that Herod and Herodias had divorced their first spouses simply by choice. And according to the Gospels, it is this challenge that led first to his arrest and eventually to his execution.
It is this story that is lurking in the background as the Pharisees approach Jesus with this question. As Jesus’ popularity among the people has grown, some have suggested that Jesus is John come back to life while others have suggested that perhaps Jesus was at one point a disciple of John. The Pharisees want to know where Jesus stands then on this point that was a significant part of John’s reputation, not because they actually are concerned about divorce, but because they seek to trap Jesus with his own words.
As so often happens in these situations, Jesus responds first with a question of his own. “What does Moses say?” In other words, how do you interpret our scriptures? The Pharisees of course respond that Moses allows for men to divorce their wives by writing them a letter of divorce.
It is at this point that Jesus makes his stance clear. The only reason Moses wrote that is because he knew how hard your hearts were. Instead, Jesus reminds them that God made men and women as equals. Jesus is referring to the beginning of Genesis, much as we looked at just a few weeks ago. Both men and women are created in the divine image, not men only.
However, the Pharisees interpretation of Moses shows that they place the primary emphasis on men -- men are allowed to divorce their wives simply by writing a letter. This response devalues women, making them more vulnerable than they already are. Their husbands can divorce them at any time for any reason simply by writing out on a piece of paper, “I divorce you.”
Jesus is making the case that this totally discounts God’s purpose in creating men and women as equals. The implication here is two-fold. One, divorce should only occur in the case of just cause, and, two, divorce should never be one-sided.
We cannot be certain how the Pharisees received this response, but we can make some guesses based on what happens next. It seems that the disciples continued to question Jesus about what he has said, for now he must explain it further to them. Again, his response to the disciples help make it clear that his focus here is on equality and protecting the traditionally more vulnerable in a relationship.
In our more traditional understanding, adultery is often considered the only grounds for divorce. By stating that one who sets aside one spouse simply to marry another is committing adultery against their first spouse, Jesus is trying to shock his disciples into understanding what he is saying. Marriage is the joining of two people into an equal partnership. Someone who sets aside one spouse simply to marry another is as guilty as one who has actually committed adultery.
In saying this, Jesus is actually speaking about the equality of the married couple rather than explicitly about divorce per se. The fact that he names both a man divorcing his wife or a woman divorcing her husband makes this clear. He is treating the spouses as equals. Anyone who is making selfish decisions while in a relationship with another is doing it wrong.
So what does this have to do with the kingdom of God?
Jesus’ point here is not necessarily about marriage and divorce, but instead about how we treat the most vulnerable among us, whether that is in marriage, in friendships, or in everyday life. The sign of the kingdom of God is how we treat those who are traditionally vulnerable. Consider the last few verses of our reading today. At first glance, the end of our reading does not immediately connect to what has come before. After trying to help the disciples understand the interaction with the Pharisees and his response to them, Jesus observes the disciples scolding families who are trying to bring their children to Jesus for a blessing.
It is both interesting and telling to consider the disciples gate-keeping and who they want to allow access to Jesus. But if we read the interaction with the Pharisees in light of equality and protecting the vulnerable, it becomes clear. The disciples have obviously allowed the Pharisees access to Jesus, because they consider them worthy in some way, but they try to deny access to those on the margins, those considered inferior. This is a theme that we will see again in the coming weeks as the disciples try to control who has access to Jesus.
But Jesus’ response again makes clear that all are included in the kingdom, all have access. The kingdom is a place where all are equals. The kingdom is especially a place for those who are traditionally the most vulnerable around us.
“Allow the children to come to me. Don’t forbid them, because God’s kingdom belongs to people like these children” (Mark 10:14, CEB).
In the kingdom of God, those who have been the most vulnerable will be equals. In the kingdom of God, those who have been on the margins will be allowed the same access as those who have been in places of honor. In the kingdom of God the distinctions between us will not determine our worthiness to be in God’s presence.
I think this teaching of Jesus implicitly leaves us with questions to consider. In his teachings, Jesus makes it clear that the kingdom of God is coming into the world. His teachings are about helping us recognize the signs of the kingdom here and now, what that kingdom looks like. If Jesus is telling us that the kingdom is a place of equals, where do we see signs of that in the world around us? Where do we see signs of that kingdom coming into being in our world today?
The other question I think it leaves us with is how do we accept a kingdom in which we are all equals? How do we accept a kingdom in which the privileges the world may give us are no longer at work? How do we accept a kingdom in which those who have traditionally been marginalized and vulnerable are just as valuable as we consider ourselves to be?
Consider verse 15 here: “I assure you that whoever doesn’t welcome God’s kingdom like a child will never enter it.” I heard this verse with new ears this week. I suspect that many of us have traditionally heard this verse interpreted as our need to receive God’s kingdom the way that a child or someone young in the faith does. It implies a child-like sense of faith and wonder. But when I read the verse this week paired with the conversation around relationships and followed by a description of the way in which Jesus welcomed the children, with hugs and blessing, it made me consider the comparison differently. What if the challenge for us is not to have faith like a child does but rather to welcome the coming of the kingdom in the same way that Jesus welcomes the children -- with open arms and blessings?
It leaves me with questions. The good news for me in this is that Jesus doesn’t shy away from our questions. Jesus answers our questions, pointing us to the kingdom of God as he does. Jesus wants us to understand the kingdom of God -- what does it mean to live in the kingdom, what are the signs of the kingdom, what does it mean to live in the kingdom in the here and now?
As we continue to explore the ways in which those around him questioned Jesus in the coming weeks, I hope that we will hold on to these two questions. What are the ways in which we continue to question Jesus today? And how do his responses help us to understand better the kingdom of God that we are called to be a part of?