mark 10:1-3 :: teaching about divorce (pt 1)

i love the way things are phrased in Scripture. a crowd gathers around Jesus as He travels on to the next location, and then it says “and, as was his custom, he again taught them.” Jesus wasn’t travelling along to be seen, He wasn’t trying to sport a huge entourrage  just to make himself look impressive. He was just trying to get from point A to B, and because of His life and teachings, people naturally gathered out of a desire to hear more and see more. And so, according to His custom, He started teaching.

whenever the opportunity comes up to have a teachable moment, we need to take it and bring people into the knowledge of God’s Kingdom and how life truly ought to happen. Jesus did not  shy away from this, and neither should we, but most of us don’t take the time to apply the spiritual to our everyday life and the moments pass by unnoticed or in purposeful neglect.

sometimes these moments are natural and smooth, and sometimes we find ourselves in the company of people who always try to ask the hard questions just so they look good for asking them. the guy at work who has read 3 articles on being an atheist, and considers himself an expert on the subject and ideals. or they guy who, though he hasn’t looked at a science book since high school, claims to be an ardent supporter of darwinian evolution and constantly asks the same 4 questions over and over again, because those are his only talking points, and out of pride he cannot back down from his original statements.

so Jesus runs into this crowd again of pharisees who try to put Jesus in a corner with the “hard” questions. but since Jesus really is the font of all knowledge and wisdom, He has no qualms about answering them right then and there. and also, as was His custom, Jesus answers their question witha question. in helping others to come to an understanding of truth, it is always helpful to make them understand where they are coming from in the context of their own question. Jesus knows these men have an in depth knowledge of the Scriptures, so He begins by questioning them on something simple that they would be comfortable answering. but in the same way, he is almost responding to them like you would to a small child. “can i have a cookie, dad?” and you reply, “what did i tell you you had to do before you could have one?”

you remind them of the rules, and the basics, before you get into the meat of the matter at hand. making sure both parties have an understanding of where the other stands is vital to having a legitimate talk and discussion that will not instantly boil into an arguement.

we can always look to Jesus for answers when it comes to sharing with others. if we look to His example we will always have a guideline that is true and acts in the interest of God’s truth and wisdom, while also caring about the heart and humanity of the person who is in need of correction or advice.