Mark 10:1

Mark 10:1 And he arose from thence, and cometh into the coasts of Judaea by the farther side of Jordan: and the people resort unto him again; and, as he was wont, he taught them again. Once again, Jesus was on the move, and the people were still flocking to Him.  We need to be moving today to share the gospel and teach God's word even if people don't flock to us to hear it.  Verse two adds, And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him. The Pharisees were once again in the crowd that met Jesus.  They were good about attending Jesus's teaching sessions, but were never there to learn, but were there to attempt to discredit Jesus.  There are still people today who come to hear about Jesus, but they don't or won't put their faith in Him. The Pharisees attempted to discredit Jesus by asking Him whether it was legal for a man to divorce his wife.  Verse three continues, And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you? Jesus referred them back to the scripture and what Moses had said about divorce, and the Bible should be our source of understanding today under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  Verse four says, And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away. The Pharisees said that Moses said they could write a bill of divorcement and put her away.  We need to refer people to the Bible today, but they must understand what it actually means when they read it.   Verse five adds, And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept.  Jesus said that what Moses said about divorce was said because of the hardness of heart of the men in his day.  It was more for the protection of the women than an endorsement of divorce.  Verse six states, But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female   Jesus then went on to explain God's plan for marriage.   Verse seven adds, For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; Verse eight continues, And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. God’s plan for marriage is one man and one woman committed to each other for a lifetime under obedience to God's guidance.   It is never just a man and a woman without God.  When a man and a woman are joined in marriage under God they become one flesh during the remainder of this lifetime.  The man and the woman then need to put the other first, above all others, even their father and mother.  Verse nine concludes, What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.  If they are joined together by God, they should never be divided again.  There are reasons for which a Christian can divorce found in the Bible but is never God's plan nor a dictate they a person must divorce a husband or wife in these instances.   Marriage is not a man-made institution, but a God created one, and if we leave God out of it, I believe it is just another ceremony.  We must base marriage on God's law.  Still, I believe that people who have been divorced can have a Godly marriage if they put God in the center of the marriage.  I believe that when a man and a woman divorce, for whatever reason, that they are no longer joined together, since they have left Him out of the marriage, so they are no longer one flesh.  The key is always putting God first, and in order to do that, we must first accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord.