Thursday, March 12, 2020
Some Pharisees came and tried to trap him with this question: “Should a man be allowed to divorce his wife for just any reason?” “Haven’t you read the Scriptures?” Jesus replied. “They record that from the beginning ‘God made them male and female.’” And he said, “‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’ Since they are no longer two but one, let no one split apart what God has joined together.” “Then why did Moses say in the law that a man could give his wife a written notice of divorce and send her away?” they asked. Jesus replied, “Moses permitted divorce only as a concession to your hard hearts, but it was not what God had originally intended. Matthew 19:3-8
The Pharisees were very interested in God; they were more
interested in keeping what they’d inherited – power. By keeping the status quo they could
control any situation and maintain their position as keepers of Moses’ Law. They were committed to keeping their place as
revered teachers and leaders. This was
the good ol’ boy system, and they preferred it over anything
Jesus was teaching.
So, they played the trap in this chess game of who’s got
the power; they asked Jesus one of those have you stopped
beating your wife yet questions. Whether
Jesus answered “yes” or “no” he was in trouble with one of two groups. There were those who liked having the power
of divorce as a threat held over a woman’s future pitted against the less powerful. The Pharisees were employing a divide
and conquer strategy. And Jesus’
answer didn’t side-step the question; rather it blew the question apart,
exposing the selfish prejudice of the Pharisees, as well as their ignorance of the
God they claimed to serve.
I see this kind of scenario emerging more clearly in the woes of
the battle lines drawn in the United Methodist Church (and the larger Western culture)
over the issues of control, with homosexuality as the pawn. Depending on your point of view there are
somewhere between 10 and forty-million plans before the General Conference of
the UMC in May. Depending on the outcome
the church will or will not divide formally.
In an email article[1]
I read last weekend the battle lines drawn are gathering forces. There’s a lot at stake (if
you count prestige, status, bragging rights and money as anything of
value). I rather sense that God is not
wringing His hands in Heaven, and there is no perspiration on God’s upper
lip. Whatever Methodists decide to
divide, God’s kingdom is going to survive.
The ones I fear for are those power brokers who have decided to grab for
the brass ring. Such power moves are
wholly related to (as Jesus described in his row with the Pharisees) hardness
of heart.
One of the UMC bishops has submitted another plan[2]
(The “2x4” plan…a rather unfortunate choice of name, evoking an image in my
mind of a less-than-peaceful resolution process – more of
a wooden bludgeon methodology). Call it
a new form of unity or whatever you will; you cannot force
or demand unity.
Unity is a heart thing – never legislated, especially by heated debates. The Pharisees were good at debating the law;
that was their stock in trade, experts at manipulating a statement here and
there, a Scripture slightly twisted to fit their agenda, or even a witness paid
to turn a blind eye, or betray with a kiss.
In the end all history books will be edited (or burned) by He who planned
and is executing His purposes for all persons.
So, it will not alter the line between sheep and goats on that final
day, no matter what United Methodists do in the near future. Except for those who lose their sense of
humility and bent towards God’s Spirit in the religious grab all you
can contest.
For
You Today
You chew on
that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!
Go to VIDEO
Title Image: James Tissot
via Wikimedia Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©
[1] Lambrecht,
Thomas, Perspective; A Message from Good News, Is Structural Unity Mandatory
for the Church?
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