S163P13 – The mind of Christ: the difficult choice
Mt. 19:7-10
[The Pharisees] said to [Jesus], “Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?” He said to them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.” His disciples said to Him, “If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry.”
No one ever told us that following Christ would be easy. The bible certainly does not claim that to be true, and the fact of our sinful nature proves that. We are born in opposition to God and desiring everything other than what He represents. To follow him requires first that He draw us near to him and then that we relinquish ourselves for a complete change. It is no wonder that there are certain issues which cause even well-meaning Christians to push back against God’s ways. Divorce is one of these issues, and abortion is another. People will try to find all kinds of ways to justify going against God’s wishes in both instances simply because following his ways would be incredibly difficult. They look for an easier way out.
Although it is not for us to judge whether God’s ways are just or right, we do it all the time. We review our circumstances in light of his instruction, and it is as if we decide whether his ways are really right for us. The husband whose wife strays might proclaim that he did not sign up for that when he married her. However, he actually did sign up for that. His vows contemplated the unknown heartache and betrayal which could lie ahead, and he promised still to remain. The words of Jesus here are important to analyze because He focuses on a single thing in his answer. His only concern is understanding the intent of the Father and doing that without questioning it.
There are many instances in which we will try to justify why our circumstance is the exception to the rule. I think the real issue is that we look at our situation and whether what we must endure to follow God is fair to us. Just imagine if Jesus had thought that way. His sacrifice was not fair to him because He was perfect and blameless, but it was the Father’s way of accomplishing the most beautiful thing. To follow God will require sacrificing our comfort, our feelings, our preferences and much more, but we already know that. Father, make us people who desire to truly understand your ways and to follow your commands without trying to find the easy way out.