Reverend Philip Stringer
Mark 10:2-18
LET US PRAY: Lord of Life, Give us ears to hear and hearts willing to receive, that your word may be food for our lives and a blessing to the world. AMEN
Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.
Do you know what this means? Do you ever find yourself needing to re-learn what this means?
I have had years of experience learning what it means, and yet I often ignore the wisdom of it.
Just because you can stay up until 3 in the morning, doesn’t mean you should.
Just because you can eat a whole Subway sandwich, doesn’t mean you should.
Just because you can spend your money any way you want, doesn’t mean you should.
The list of daily life examples could go on and on . . . as could examples for us as a church and a nation.
In our Gospel reading today we see people around Jesus being taught this lesson — people who should have known, but didn’t — and what they learned is for us to learn, t00. Simply having the power to do something, doesn’t mean it is OK to do it.
The conversation in our Gospel text centers around the 1st-century Jewish practice of divorce — but this isn’t really a lesson about divorce. Rather, Jesus is teaching them about the heart of God. In fact, all of our readings today point us toward answering the question, “what is in the heart of God?”
The answer — as Jesus not only tells but shows us — is love.
Some Pharisees came to test Jesus — although Mark doesn’t tell us one way or another what their motives were. The fact that they want to quiz him on his theology isn’t necessarily mean-spirited. It may have simply been the typical way they checked to be sure unknown rabbis were legit.
But as is always the case when people question Jesus — he quickly turns the focus from himself onto them.
“Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” they asked.
And Jesus’ answer, in a manner of speaking, was, “Yes! Of course it is. It’s right there in the Law of Moses . . . But he continued, “just because you can doesn’t mean you should.”
The Pharisees asked a question about what is lawful. Jesus answered by turning the focus instead onto what is RIGHT.
There is often a confusion between the two in our world today, also. Sometimes, there is a very big difference between what is legal and what is right. Just because something is legal — just because someone has a RIGHT to do something, doesn’t mean it’s the RIGHT thing to do!
We’re not going to talk very much about divorce here. Many of you have experienced the pain and heartbreak of divorce in one way or another — it is sad and tragic when it happens, but sometimes relationships do die. Divorce is a recognition of this and as such can be the first step toward people rebuilding their lives.
But that’s not what this text is about.
Women in ancient Palestine were largely without rights and at the mercy of their husbands. A woman without a husband was a woman without security, without protection and in many regards a woman in danger of being trodden under foot.
The Law of Moses permitted a man to divorce his wife for any reason — or for no particular reason at all. All he needed to do was write the words and she would be cast into the darkness with nothing. If a man got bored with his wife, he could easily get rid of her. If he wanted to control her, he could hold the threat over her head.
So, Jesus points to this law as an example of how diametrically opposite are the ways of God from the ways of people.
“Because of your hardness of heart (Moses) wrote this commandment for you.” Hearts of stone is not what God has in mind for us. Instead, God intends for us to have living hearts — and one thing about living things — they are connected to other living things.
In our first reading for today — from Genesis — we read the first negative words of Scripture. God has been at work creating — God is weaving together this beautifully interrelated creation — of light and dark, dry land and water, plants and animals. We hear over and over again, “it is good. It is good. It is good.” And then comes God’s creation of a human being and what does God say? “It is NOT good.” Because it’s not complete.
“It is not good that the man should be alone.” Not until we see humanity in community does God affirm that this is what God has in mind.
From Hebrews we heard that we are brothers and sisters with Jesus — who is the exact imprint of God. We are created in the image of God. We are connected to one another and the one who created us. We are created with hearts of love, not hearts of stone.
The Law of Moses is not what God had in mind. And yet we live by it every day. Whenever we think or act in ways that separate us from one another — even if we have a RIGHT to do it, we are living as if we have hearts of stone.
In fact, it seems we often go out of our way to do so. The very Bible in which Jesus utters these words of grace and compassion — is often used as a club to bludgeon those who are judged to be unworthy.
Jesus called us away from judgment to grace.
Just because you can be judgmental of others doesn’t mean you should.
Just because you can live for yourself — doesn’t mean that you should.
Just because you can insulate yourself from the suffering of others doesn’t mean you should.
Just because you have power doesn’t make it right for you to do whatever you want.
The heart of God within us is what should direct what we do.
I was looking at today’s texts on Friday — October 4 — which is the day set apart in the church year to celebrate the life of Francis of Assisi. Most people recognize him as the guy depicted in statues with a bird perched on his hand. It struck me that his life is an extreme example of what it means to live by love rather than control; to have a living heart rather than a heart of stone.
The son of a wealthy merchant in the 13th century, he is remembered because of the way he took to heart the words of Jesus. He literally gave up everything he had to follow him — and then some! He got in trouble for selling his dad’s textiles to raise money to restore a crumbling church. His dad disowned him and dragged him before the magistrate for justice. Francis said he would pay with everything he owned — and saying that, he stripped naked right there in the court and handed his clothes to his father and walked out naked. His clothes were all that he had.
He donned beggar’s sackcloth and led a simple life. whatever he gained, he gave away. Francis recognized that there was a profound difference between having “control” and having “authority.” Money and the strength of arms might enable one to take control — But only the power of God’s love can give one authority.
As those created in the image of God, we have received authority to create — to build up — to heal. For Francis, to possess anything for himself was an act of violence against others because for him it meant withholding an opportunity to show them love.
It was his humility that led him to elevate even the animals above his own well-being — they were, after all, creations of God and therefore holy.
Francis lived a life in pursuit of being fully human — that is, to live with a heart like God’s heart as we were intended to do.
For you and me, deciding how to be faithful is an ongoing quest. It has been for all people of all times, never in the same way for any — and never before has it been as it is for us — at this time — in this place.
In many ways, the wealth and power that we possess is unprecedented in history. In addition to actual, tangible wealth is this strong sense of “liberty” in our nation. Much of what we celebrate in our nation comes from the value we place on protecting individual freedoms. It is among our greatest treasures.
But as with any treasure or source of power, along with it comes the ability to use it wisely or unwisely. Will we use it selfishly in an attempt to control? Or will we bless others through the authority given to us as co-creators with God? Jesus, through the gospels, calls upon us to do all things with love — to live with hearts like God’s rather than with hearts of stone.
As we listen to political candidates stir up support, watch and listen how often it is done through fear and blame. You and I have to weigh in our hearts their words. Do they appeal to the heart of stone within us that promises us we will gain control, or the heart of God within us that assures us we have the authority to heal and bless?
With immigration reform.
With racial equality.
With gun control — and whose rights are given priority.
We must remember that just because we CAN do something, doesn’t mean we should.
As you and I meet the challenges and everyday moments of life — Will we pour ourselves out for the benefit of others or live for ourselves.
Will we seek out opportunity to make the world a better place?
Will we be quick and eager to forgive in our daily lives?
Will we show kindness in the face of hostility?
Will we meet the grieving and broken with compassion?
Regardless of how it is put, ultimately it is a question about the heart. Jesus has promised that the Holy Spirit is with us to strengthen us with hearts of love. Will we long for and strive to live with a heart of love, like God’s heart as we were created to do — or will we live with hearts of stone?
You can do it, you know — live with a heart of stone.
But just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.
AMEN
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