Meditation for July 23

Good Morning.

This is an interesting time in this life of this nation and the life of the PC(USA).  I had a teacher once who said that I “complicify” things.  She was probably right, but just now I’m trying to unwind some complications and simplify my understanding of Christian faith.  The PC(USA) has instructed all its congregations to study “Christian marriage” over the next two years.  The intent clearly is to try and approach the 2014 General Assembly better prepared to talk about marriage. 

Here comes the simplification part.  I’m not sure how a “Christian marriage” is actually defined in Scripture.  Yes, I know that in Matthew 19 Jesus says: “He answered, ‘Have you not read that the one who made them at the beginning “made them male and female”, and said, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh”? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.’”  This same incident is repeated in Mark 10.  Jesus was actually mostly quoting Genesis 2:24.  His topic wasn’t actually addressing “marriage” as much as it was “divorce.”  We don’t seem to want to talk much about Jesus’ ideas on divorce!  Those are much simpler and clearer than the definition of marriage.

If we go back to Genesis to define marriage, then we would need to look at the entire Old Testament idea of marriage.  It frequently involved polygamy and the mistreatment of women and children (including Father Abraham!).  If we jump ahead into the New Testament, apart from Matthew 19 and Mark 10, we are left with Paul’s confusing and sometimes misogynistic ideas about men and women and the role of women in both the church and marriage.  While there are many apologists who try to explain Paul’s ideas away (including some Roman Catholic women theologians), many of his ideas have been used to defend (if not encourage) the subordination of women within a marriage in ways that have justified spousal abuse and marital rape. 

That brings us back to today’s lectionary in Romans 13:  “Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet’; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.” 

Marriage is a covenant relationship between two people sealed by vows made before God.  There are no easy answers in scripture that define marriage, just as there are no easy answers in scripture that define how to live as a Christian.  Except that the Old Testament, the prophets, Paul and Jesus tell us very clearly that “love is the fulfilling of the law.”  That’s the starting point at which we define our faith.  That’s the starting point from which to define all human relationships.  That’s the starting point from which we may begin to study “Christian marriage.

Prayer:  Lord God, in our self-defeated arrogance, accepting Your love – accepting that you could possibly love us – is our most difficult task.  When we have accepted Your love, our view of everything changes.  Help us, O God, to accept Your grace, Your forgiveness, Your love.  With the Psalmist we ask: “O Lord, be gracious to me;
heal me, for I have sinned against you.”  We ask in the name of Your greatest act of love, our Redeemer Jesus.  Amen.

Today’s readings are Joshua 7:1-13; Romans 13:8-14; Matthew 26:36-46; Psalm 41, 52 & 44.

Blessings.

Pastor Jim