Pentecost 20
October 18/25, 2009
Pastor Paul G. Eckert
Text: Mark 10:1-16
JESUS TEACHES ABOUT FAMILY AND FAITH
I Marriage Is By God’s Institution
II Jesus Wants Children Brought To Him
III Childlike Faith By All Is Blessed
Mark 10:1-16
1 Jesus then left that place and went into the region of Judea and across the Jordan. Again crowds of people came to him, and as was his custom, he taught them. 2 Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" 3 "What did Moses command you?" he replied. 4 They said, "Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away." 5 "It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law," Jesus replied. 6 "But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ 7 ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, 8 and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." 10 When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this. 11 He answered, "Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. 12 And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery."
13 People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." 16 And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.
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Last week our Mission Festival observances put emphasis on mission work. The mission we are talking about is reaching out to people - people in our immediate area, people outside of our area, people anywhere in the world. Reaching out why? So that we can sell them something? No, not to sell them something but to tell them something, to offer them something. And what is that? Not the latest technological gadget to make this life easier, but the message of truth that will make eternal life in glory possible. Please follow up our Mission Festival emphasis of last week with your continued prayers and support and efforts. There are a lot of people to reach.
How many? At the present time the world population is about 6.8 billion people, with almost 308 million of those people in the United States. From where do all of these people come? They come not from monkeys or other life as evolutionists like to think, but they come from people according to God’s command. After God had created Adam and Eve as the first people, He said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth." And exactly that is what has been happening since the beginning when mankind was created by our creator God. People come from people, and the population is constantly increasing.
But "increase in number" isn’t all that God said in His Genesis record. He also talked about how He wants that to happen. Jesus, God’s eternal Son who was there in the beginning, who was an eye and ear witness, refers to that in our text. The opening verse speaks of how He was traveling, how crowds came to Him wherever He was, and "as was his custom, he taught them," we are told. We want to be taught too. Like the crowds, let us listen closely as
JESUS TEACHES ABOUT FAMILY AND FAITH
I MARRIAGE IS BY GOD’S INSTITUTION (1-12)
1. From man come wrong ideas
a) not only are there wrong ideas about when and how marriage
should start, but the very idea of what marriage itself is has
been much in the news, with more and more states voting that a
relationship other than man and woman is marriage
b) and when it comes to the ending of a marriage, that’s not too
much different today either from the question the Pharisees
posed to Jesus about ending a marriage for almost any reason
2. But God established what marriage is (6-9)
Jesus taught: "--- at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."
a) here Jesus - remember again He was there at the creation -
teaches about what the Creator said: about the starting point;
the what; and the ending of marriage
b) it starts when a man and a woman publicly leave their former
family relationship not to shack up with someone for a while
and leave when they feel like it, but to establish a new family
together; when a man and a woman in faithfulness and love and
respect share their bodies and lives as one; when they recognize
that God and not they should determine how long their
marriage should last
3. Violating God’s will does take place (2-5,10-12)
Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" "What did Moses command you?" he replied. They said, "Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away." "It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law," Jesus replied.
a) because hearts are hard to God’s will, marriages are broken;
then civil laws - in OT times as well as today - are needed, not
to approve of the violation of God’s will, but to control the
results, to protect those violated by a marriage’s wrong ending
Jesus went on in His teaching: When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this. He answered, "Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery."
b) whenever a marriage is broken by people instead of being
ended by God, sin is always involved, either by one of the two
or by both, sin that is against God’s will, sin that calls for
repentance and a return to God
4. May we learn and live God’s will (6-9)
"But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ So
they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."
a) God does not demand marriage for all: some may not marry by
choice; some because God in His wisdom didn’t bring a proper
match; some because a partner has been taken by death; some
because a spouse broke the marriage - and there is nothing
wrong then with being unmarried - for some it might be better
b) but when "God has joined together" two people, they are to
receive it as a blessing from God, strive to live it according to
God’s will, live in His forgiveness for their shortcomings, and
let God determine how many anniversaries they will observe
c) may we learn well what Jesus teaches here; and now also that
II JESUS WANTS CHILDREN BROUGHT TO HIM (13-16)
1. Some see no need for this (13)
People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them.
a) parents can put miles on their cars and pressure into their
busy lives to take children to every sporting event and all kinds
of lessons and activities, while at the same time some may not
see the need to bring them regularly to Jesus, maybe not even
bringing them to Baptism - what a sad reality!
b) even the disciples here saw bringing children to Jesus as
unnecessary - would they have objected to our DS and SS?
2. But Jesus wanted the children (14-15)
When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."
a) children, like adults, are sinners too and need God’s kingdom
b) Jesus’ mission on earth was for them too - to fulfill the law in
their place, to pay for their sins as their substitute, to arise from
the dead to be their life where there will be no more death
3. Do we deserve His indignation? (13-14a)
People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant.
a) what is our goal for our children - academic achievements,
great in sports, a job that will give money and importance?
b) such goals may be good - unless they are put ahead of God’s
will, unless we see this life for our children as more important
than the life to come, unless to accomplish such things we
neglect their souls, unless to gain the world we don’t care if
they lose true life - such parents deserve Jesus’ indignation for
throwing away His grace for children; instead of that
4. May our families seek Jesus’ blessing (16)
--- he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.
a) yes, provide for their earthly needs (not all of their wants)
b) but never neglect bringing them to Jesus in Baptism, teaching
them at home with Bible stories and prayers, giving them
Christian education as they grow up, bringing them regularly to
worship, showing them with your own example that this is
important to you to keep coming to Jesus as your Savior
c) for here Jesus has promised blessings that go way beyond what
can be achieved here on earth
III CHILDLIKE FAITH BY ALL IS BLESSED (15-16)
1. The problem is that we like to be adultlike
a) instead of trusting like a child what God says, we like to apply
adult reasoning to family and marriage: "I’m not happy and
surely God wants me to be happy, so I can get out of this
marriage; - I don’t love him or her anymore, so naturally I’ll
quit the marriage instead of working at the problem; - This isn’t
what I thought marriage and family life would be, so it makes
sense to get divorced and try it with someone else;" etc.
b) in the same way adult reasoning, when God says the only way
of salvation is His Son, likes to say: "As long as I lead a
reasonably good life, try to be at least a lot better than a lot of
other people, surely that’s enough to earn life. - Jesus as the
only way of salvation doesn’t sound right. As long as people
are sincere and not real bad, that’s good enough, isn’t it?"; etc.
2. But being adultlike will keep us from heaven (15)
"I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."
a) adultlike reasoning or efforts can never come up with the way
to life when, child or adult, we all are sinners and totally
incapable of saving ourselves, when instead we are capable only
of earning and receiving the hell that we deserve
b) not adultlike reasoning or efforts, but only the so-called
foolishness of the cross is God’s way to life: for it was only in
Christ, in His innocent life and death and victorious
resurrection, that God reconciled the world to Himself; it is
only in Christ that forgiveness is found and true life is promised
3. God help us to be childlike (15)
"I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."
a) that is a trusting quality little children have, and a trusting faith
that children of God have by the Holy Spirit’s working
b) apply that to God’s will: what He says about marriage or being
single or widowed or wrongfully divorced; about raising
children; about how to live our daily lives; about what is right
and what is wrong; and above all about what He says with
regard to Jesus as our only and complete Savior
4. And enjoy His blessings (16)
And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.
a) walking away from Jesus’ open arms because we are being
adultlike will lose blessings
b) going into His open inviting arms, arms that were stretched
out on the cross for us, that will receive His blessings - now
in His wisdom, and one day in the glory He won for us
c) for our present and eternal welfare, then, in childlike faith may
we all learn and heed what JESUS TEACHES ABOUT
FAMILY AND FAITH.
And don’t forget to share that with the millions of people around us in this world!