divorce

In the Gospel According to Mark 10:2–12 (NABRE), Jesus talks about divorce. Like many encounters with Jesus, this one shows the contrast between Jesus’ point of view and that of the Pharisees or even the law.

The question at hand is whether divorce is legal. The Greek word used for divorce, ἀπολύω (apoluo), literally means “set free,” and it more commonly refers to setting loose a captive rather than to ending a marriage. The underlying idea is that a person was held by some bond that has been loosed. From that legal perspective of divorce, marriage is such a bond, and divorcing is as simple as loosing it.

Jesus’ response, however, takes the idea of marriage much further. He suggests that the bond that occurs in marriage is as close as the two becoming as one flesh. As the two have become one, there no longer is any bond that can be loosed. It’s a lifetime commitment and bind. While this answer doesn’t seem to appeal to the crowds throughout the ages, it does say something extremely interesting about how God views marriage.

you also may like our two-part study of the prophets
Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided examines the prophets in their historical context using the First and Second Books of the Kings and other Old Testament passages written before the Babylonian Exile in 586 B.C. Volume II: Restoration & Redemption looks at the post-exilic prophets. This 51-lesson Catholic Bible study builds on The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King. Click on the books’ covers to view a sample lesson from each volume.

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