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“The pharisees approached him and said, ‘Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?’ They were testing him.” (Mark 10:2).
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What Jesus condemns above all else is a hardened heart, someone who’s not open to his mercy.
The Pharisees were hardened.
They never really wanted to follow Jesus; they only wanted to test him, to push his buttons.
And in this particular case, they’re looking for an excuse to abandon their wives, because they’re selfish.
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Obviously, God wants every marriage to be fruitful, and last forever.
But if we find ourselves caught in a difficult situation – if we are struggling in our marriage, or if it’s ended in heartbreak – the arms of Christ are still open to us.
The question is, “Are we still open to him?”
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To be open to Jesus means our heart is not hardened like the Pharisees.
Rather, we make the daily effort to forgive, and to live as men and women of good will, who do not wish evil upon our neighbors, even when they hurt or abandon us.
As Christians the call is clear: love your God, love your neighbor, and love your enemies.
How will we see beyond ourselves and love our neighbors today?