"HARDNESS OF HEART!"

Mark 10:2-12                  (ESV)

"2 And Pharisees came up and in order to test him asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?"

3 He answered them, "What did Moses command you?"

4 They said, "Moses ALLOWED A MAN to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away."

5 And Jesus said to them, "Because of your "HARDNESS OF HEART" he wrote you this commandment.

6 But from the beginning of creation, 'GOD made them male and female.'

7 'Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife,

8 and the two shall become one flesh.' So they are no longer two but one flesh.

9 What therefore GOD has joined together, let not man separate."

10 And in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter.

11 And he said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her,

12 and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."

Hearing sermons on divorce has never greatly influenced me, as I married "WAY ABOVE MY HEAD", as the old-timers say?  However, my mom and dad divorced when I was four years old and I grew up without a father to guide me.  I resented that until I finally understood that NOT having a bad influence in my life may have been a blessing in disguise.   The fact that I was NOT exposed to some characteristics probably saved me a lot of grief.

The Pharisees asked if it was LAWFUL for a man to divorce his wife.  The Pharisees were only interested in following what was written in the LAW.   When questioned what Moses had written about divorce in the LAW the Pharisees responded "ALLOWED A MAN to write a certificate of divorce" to his wife and send her away.  They wanted to do everything to avoid the sin in their OWN lives!  JESUS, knowing their hearts, replied in a way that has caused me to consider the sin of divorce through a different viewpoint.  

In verse 5 above JESUS answers the Pharisees with a condemning reply.  "Because of your "HARDNESS OF HEART"" was not the answer the Pharisees were expecting.  Probably very few of the Pharisees were, or had been, divorced.  But the condition of their hearts was what JESUS observed!  They came to JESUS wanting to be justified through the LAW, but JESUS saw their hearts and reported what HE saw.  

So many times I have a tendency to name a sin that I have not been FOUND GUILTY of and try to justify how righteous I am.  But in Romans 3:10 scripture says "None is righteous, no, not one"!  James 2:10 says "For whoever keeps the whole law but FAILS IN ONE POINT has become accountable for all of it."  

FATHER GOD, I pray YOUR Holy Spirit convicts me of MY sinfulness.  Cause me to understand that others may sin, but I need to focus on my relationship with YOU.  YOU alone can convict of sin, and you don't need my help.  Cause me to make sure that I am not suffering from "HARDNESS OF HEART" and let YOU deal with others.