Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever? 

Doesn’t it seem like the story of our lives?   There’s an ideal that we all want to reach toward, but it’s so hard to attain.   We feel inspired to aim high; yet we often fall short.

When Jesus spoke to the Pharisees about divorce, he upheld the ideal:  “From the beginning it was not so” .   God made man and woman to become one flesh in an unbreakable bond.   But Moses’ provision for a “writ of divorce” acknowledged the messy and painful reality that some relationships become too damaged to continue.

Of course, Jesus wants every marriage to succeed.   He wants us to be faithful in every aspect of our lives.   But he knows we are weak and wounded.   He knows that we aren’t completely faithful to other commands against lying or cheating or gossip.   He knows how we struggle to love one another, and how often we give into our fallen desires.   He knows how it feels to be betrayed by our husband or wife.   If the ideal can seem so far out of our reach in our day-to-day relationships, how much more poignant and painful it can become in a relationship as intimate as marriage.

But that’s why Jesus became man in the first place!   He came to meet us in our messiness, to walk with us in our struggles, and to show us the way through them.   He offers us his mercy, his healing, and his compassion all along the way.   It’s not simple.   It’s not easy.   We won’t always succeed.   But he’s with us.

So if you’re married and things are going well, bless and thank the Lord.   And ask him to keep you and your spouse together in his love.   If you’re married and things are rough, know that Jesus is with you to strengthen you and that his grace is there to help you weather the storms.   And if you’ve gone through the pain of a divorce, know that Jesus is still with you.   He sees your pain.   He sees all the factors that caused the division.   And still he loves you and he offers you his mercy, his healing, and his companionship.

Word Among Us