Divorce. I get the chapter on divorce. Oi vey.

Seriously, this is an acutely painful subject for many of us. And Jesus’s words are so powerfully absolute here. What are we to do with them?

I’m not going to dig into the topic of divorce: there are better forums and better spiritual leaders out there. I will say this—Jesus didn’t come and do what he did; he didn’t plan from before the Word moved over the deep, didn’t step away from his throne and become man and endure a torturous death for us to have us continue to live in bondage. I remain unshakably certain of this. However, what the Spirit has for each of us, and what he calls us to remain faithful in and what he died to free us from is an acutely personal issue between each of us and Him.

What I do want to get into is those pesky Pharisees. Once again, we see them trying to trip up Jesus. They ask him a question, and sure enough, they immediately have a counterpoint—a bit of law from the mouth of Moses himself, to challenge Jesus with. Clearly, they’ve come prepared. And not prepared to hear, not prepared to be vulnerable, but prepared to argue, to debate, to score points and win.

What I see in my reading of this chapter this time around is myself.

How often am I more interested in debate? In “yeah, but” and not in hushing my mouth and listening? I can’t see his lamp unto my feet for the shadow cast by my own agenda.

My hope lays in that same savior. The one who knew me before I was and who loves and provides for me anyway. He wants me to come to him as a child: eager, unfettered by cares beyond the moment, unabashed by my strong feelings. I can focus on that—approaching him with frankness and honesty.