“The Servant’s Counsel”
Mark 10:1-31
The Pharisees came and asked Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” testing Him. – Mark 10:2
There are two types of questions; one seeking knowledge and one seeking to show knowledge. And there are two types of people behind these two types of questions; the one who desires to learn knowledge and the one who desires to show everyone what he knows. Now, which do you think we have here?
“The Pharisees came and asked Him, ‘Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?’” It was a good question and on an important topic, but the problem was the motivation from which they asked. We will see in our study this morning that they really did not want the truth; they only wanted to justify their own actions, and in the process trap Jesus.
And when you think about it, not much has changed. There are many today who are more interested in justifying their actions rather than learning and applying truth. They instead change the truth to fit their situation. They make truth relative to their feelings and emotions. It is the natural way of the world, and it takes a supernatural work of God to change that kind of thinking.
Therefore, while our passage records Jesus’ teaching on marriage and divorce [prompted by a question] the real question is, “will we receive His answer?”
The key is a childlike heart, “for of such is the kingdom of God” [10:14]. A childlike heart is one that is teachable, they can be corrected and changed.
Hard-headedness leads to hard-heartedness, which leads to destruction. May we yield our minds to our Lord’s teaching on marriage and divorce and relationships in general. May we yield our hearts to the Servant’s Counsel. Because, no matter how good His counsel is, it is only effective if it is received and followed.
