We build too many walls, and not enough bridges… A Sunday Meditation (Mark 10:2-12)

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It was the summer of 1987. The Cold War had reached its climax. Would the world end in a nuclear war?

Maybe. Maybe not.

Do you remember, in particular, the bold speech of President Ronald Regan, who sternly pointed his finger at the Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, commanding him, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”

That is, the Berlin Wall, which divided East and West Germany.

Reagan’s famous quote reminded the world just how much walls divide us. After all, that’s their purpose – to separate people, to keep them out.

Think of how often walls are still used to separate nations, communities, and families…

Now I’m not seeking to enter into a political discussion — I’ll let the news shows do that.

But what I am suggesting is that our ability as people to erect physical walls points to a deeper tendency within all of us.

We’re all guilty of putting up emotional walls, barriers in our minds and hearts meant to keep people out, to prevent them from ever hurting us.

These walls can be found in marriages, families, friendships, and even in our relationship with God. Wherever two people exist, there is the potential for a wall.

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Think about some of the more painful experiences we’ve had in life.

Some of us have been bullied or experienced the sting of prejudice. Others have been abandoned, lost a loved one, suffered a broken heart, or experienced the wrenching pain of divorce.

These experiences wound us. They hurt! As a result, we put walls up to protect ourselves from ever being hurt again.

We can even put up temporary walls against people we love. How many of us have given someone the “silent treatment” or held a grudge?

These, too, are meant to create distance, to keep people out.

And while protective, such walls come at a cost – they impede us from entering into nurturing, life-giving relationships…

Unfortunately, this is nothing new. Human beings have done this since the time of Adam and Eve.

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In our first reading from the book of Genesis, God creates Adam, the first human being. But God knows that Adam is not meant to live alone, so God creates different animals to keep him company (Genesis 2:18).

But this is not enough.

Adam will only be complete if he enters into a relationship with another person. So God creates Eve. (Genesis 2:21-22)

We know the story from here – Adam and Eve live in harmony until the fall, that moment when they both eat from the tree of knowledge.

And when God asks them why they did it, Adam is the first to respond, throwing Eve under the bus, saying, “She made me do it!” (Genesis 3:12).

And so we find the first argument, and consequently, the first wall put up between two people. And this wall was erected inside a marriage.

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Let’s fast forward to the Gospel, where we find the effects of these walls. The scribes and Pharisees question Jesus about the possibility of divorce.

“Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?” they ask. (Mark 10:2).

That is, is it lawful to erect a permanent, legal and emotional wall between two people who were once intimate?

Jesus simply responds, Moses permitted divorce because of the “hardness of your hearts.” But from the beginning, it was not so. (Mark 10:5)

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Let’s be clear. Jesus is not out to condemn us. He doesn’t condemn people who are struggling in their marriage, or even those who’ve ended in divorce.

What Jesus condemns is a hardened heart– a heart that is closed off to love and forgiveness, a heart that is entirely surrounded by walls.

Such a heart may even be closed to the love and mercy of God.

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What walls have I put up against my spouse, my children, my parents, or others whom I’ve loved?

How do I block people out?

Am I nursing a grudge, hiding behind the fear of rejection, or unwilling to forgive someone who’s hurt me?

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And, more importantly, am I open to tearing these walls down?

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Remember Regan’s famous line from West Berlin, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”

Regan understood that real peace was only possible in a world without walls.

Clearly, we are still far from that ideal.

But the lesson still rings true for us. Peace is only possible in the world and in our hearts, if we tear down the physical – and perhaps more importantly – the  emotional walls that divide us.

What walls separate me from others? Will we tear them down?

We will only be happier, freer, if we do.