Mt 19:3-12 Marriage And All Things Decaying

Mt 19:3-12  Marriage And All Things Decaying

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Some Pharisees approached Jesus, and tested him, saying, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?” 

If you live in Dallas, you know for yourself that the roads in and around the city are a mess.  Recently, I had to drive a friend to the airport (DFW airport) and I was delayed for an hour due to all the construction (or reconstructing) surrounding it. 

While I was waiting, I had this simple reflection:  Nothing in this world stays pristine.  All things tend towards decay.  Roads…no matter how much cement and rebar we use, even our roads and bridges decay. 

I got to thinking about what I had just realized.  I couldn’t think of a single thing in this world that does not decay.  Humans decay, animals decay, plants decay, fruit decays, roads decay, even stones decay!  All things decay. 

Nothing lasts forever.  Not too long ago, I went to the home of an elderly couple.  They had been married for almost 60 years and they wanted me to bless their home of nearly 45 years.  As we went in and out of the house, I noticed something in the middle of the yard.  It was hardly recognizable and almost entirely covered over.  At first it looked like some ancient structure from centuries ago.  Before I could say anything, the elderly gentleman remarked:  “When I first moved into this house, I wanted a place outdoors where the family could eat and relax.  So my sons and I dug for days to remove all the grass, weeds and dirt in this place.  We covered it with plastic, purchased a ton of gravel and sand, and bought over four hundred bricks.  When it was all said and done, we had a beautiful outdoor patio and lush garden.  Now, as you can see, time has taken its course.   Gradually, little by little, the earth has reclaimed it and covered it.” 

The same holds true for more abstract manmade things such as nations, empires, cultures and civilizations.  All civilizations decline, so expect the same from western civilization.  All cultures decline, so expect the same from our neo-pagan culture.  Even all religions decline, so expect the same even from Christianity.  But what makes Christianity different from all other civilizations, cultures, institutions and religions is that it expects to decline, just like her founder, and to rise again, just like her founder.  This is what makes Christianity so different.

When man tries to save a dying institution, he redefines it.  When God tries to save a dying institution, he resurrects it.  Family is a dying institution in America.  So what do Americans do to save it?  We redefine it.  The hardworking student is a dying breed in America.  So how do we save him?  We redefine him.  Marriage is a dying institution in America.  So, what do we do to save it?  We redefine it. 

But when Christ spoke about marriage He didn’t redefine it, He resurrected it.  The Lord elevated a decaying and dying institution by bringing it back to its originality.  He chipped away all human inventions, innovations and redefinitions and brought it back to its essence and beauty.  He stressed the forgotten fact that marriage was between one man and one woman.  This went against the Jewish custom and tradition of a man having more than one wife.  Then, he moved on to declare that divorce was unacceptable (unless the marriage was unlawful; and in that case, it would not be a marriage at all).  That’s it.  Pure and simple.  Beautiful and remarkable.

Some would argue that Jesus made marriage less appealing by making it more restricting.  But I would argue that He didn’t make it less appealing; instead, the Lord made it more meaningful and beautiful.  He did not place an undue burden on spouses; he placed an overdue burden on divorce.  He gave women the equality that not a single modern day feminist ever gave them. Instead of demanding that women have the same right to divorce as men, he gave women equality with men by demanding that men not divorce their wives but be faithful to their wives; just as He is to His bride, the Church. 

Christ declared marriage what it truly is:  a symbol of the covenant between God and his people.  Marriage comes from God’s covenant, like our “father” comes from our Heavenly Father.  We did not give God his name; He gave man His name.

Some things decay simply because we allow them to.  Marriage should never decay (or require redefining) because marriage comes from God, and God is love and love never fails.  Unfortunately, we tend to take the easy way out of an institution’s problem by taking the core out of the institution.  We tend to listen more to what people have to say rather than what God has to say.

Receive the word of God, not as the word of men, but, as it truly is, the word of God. 

Jn 12:24-26 Equality and Christianity

Jn 12:24-26  Equality and Christianity

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Jesus said to his disciples:  “Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life.  Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be.”

Is God asking a man or woman to lose their humanity by accepting Christianity?  Is a man or woman supposed to hate who they are?  Does a man lose his masculinity by becoming a lamb?  Does a woman lose all that she has worked so hard to gain by becoming a handmaid of the Lord? 

Scripture tells us, though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to but emptied himself, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness” (cf. Phil 2:6-8).  “He became poor so that we could be rich” (2Cor 8:9).

Christ gave up everything, EVERYTHING…except His love.  And by keeping His love, he kept his identity. 

 Equality now!  Equality forever!  Here is the battle hymn of our new republic.  But what exactly does it mean?   Does equality mean losing one’s identity, or masculinity, or femininity?

I have always loved watching our school kids play sports, any sport:  basketball, soccer, football, softball, volleyball, etc… They know I am their biggest fan.  If I can make it to a girls or boys game, then I will be there.  If I need to adjust my schedule to be there, then I will adjust it.  I love watching our kids compete and I have been very proud of the way they conduct themselves on and off the field. 

So don't be shocked for what I am about to write. 

This year, the Olympics coincided with part of my vacation and I had the pleasure of watching some incredible matches on TV.  The latest thriller was the woman’s soccer game for gold.  I thoroughly enjoyed their victory even though I was somewhat disgusted by their performance.  Why?  Let me explain.

There has been a lot of talk about women athletes during these competitions; specifically, how they have achieved equality with men.  But was the goal of women athletes to act more like men or to have the same opportunity as men?  If it was to be more like men, then I am afraid they succeeded.  If it was to have the same opportunity as men, then they capitulated and settled for more equality and less quality.  If I were to provide an analogy, it would be similar to that of Adam giving the apple to Eve and Eve saying, “Now we are equal”.   It may be a victory in equality, but it is definitely a tragedy in quality.

Women have always been fierce competitors:  they never give up; they never give in.  They fight till the end.  They fight till they win.  They didn’t have to learn that from any man! They had it in them since the fall of man.

So while I was watching the woman’s soccer game, I wasn’t surprised or disappointed at all in the fierce competition.  I loved it!  But what surprised me and disappointed me was how certain players imitated certain male idiosyncrasies.  Let me be specific.  While I was watching the game, I saw some players spit on the field, just like men; lift their shirts up, to wipe their brow, just like men (thank God they wore a bra unlike men); and “act” injured just like men.  Then, it dawned on me how their shorts and jerseys were designed just like for men. 

I have seen girls play soccer for years.  But I was shocked to see how many female soccer players behaved just like male soccer players on the field.  In my humble opinion, they missed a great opportunity to teach men a few new tricks…like manners, sportsmanship, performance and athleticism.  During the gold medal game, I even say a few athletes shoot snot out of their nose, just like the men do.

Why do woman consider it an honor to be compared to men? Doesn't that fall right into their hands?  When will she ever be free to be herself?  Why will she consider you a friend if you tell her she played like a man, and be insulted if you told her she played like a woman?  How funny!  And we consider this to be equality?  That’s not equality; that’s surrendering!  It’s a loss of identity!  It’s a loss of uniqueness! 

Maybe the problem began when certain feminists insisted on measuring themselves against men; in what they do; in what they have; in how they live their lives.  Success for them has always been dependent on the male figure.  Because of this (and in an ironic twist), men continue to hold the key to their success. 

Women’s soccer in the Olympics is not old; it became an official Olympic sport just a few years ago.  Again, in my opinion, women athletes missed an incredible opportunity to get out from under the shadow of men.  They could have designed their own uniforms, created their own code of conduct, and recreated an incredible sport that would inspire even more young girls to join and not be concerned about losing their feminine identity and genius.  I know the same would be true for male sports and athletes.

The beauty of Christianity, unlike anything in the world, does not insist on the extermination of the individual, male or female; nor does it elevate one above the other.  What it does is purify and combine one with the other to create an image and likeness of God's heart and love. 

To be a Christian does not mean to live in paradise, it means to live in paradox.  It means making yourself great by making yourself small.  It means the rich man needs the example of the poor woman (with the two small coins), in order to make it into heaven.  It means God needed to serve man so that man could serve God and neighbor.  The Son of God came into the world not to be served but to serve:  male and female he served.  By His life and sacrifice He tipped the scale and brought balance (equality) into the world, not in pay, nor in titles, but in what matters most:  dignity and salvation. 

By making us all one (equal) in Him, the Lord does not strip us of ourselves (of our individuality, personality or even gender) but from our sins, and kept us true to our identity.