Today’s Scripture Readings

Gospel Reading

NRSV

Some Pharisees came to him, and to test him they asked, ‘Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause?’ He answered, ‘Have you not read that the one who made them at the beginning “made them male and female”, and said, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh”? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.’ They said to him, ‘Why then did Moses command us to give a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her?’ He said to them, ‘It was because you were so hard-hearted that Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but at the beginning it was not so. And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for unchastity, and marries another commits adultery.’ His disciples said to him, ‘If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.’ But he said to them, ‘Not everyone can accept this teaching, but only those to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.’

In today’s Gospel, Jesus is approached with a question meant to test Him, yet He responds by lifting the conversation beyond argument and raising it to God’s original intention. The Pharisees ask about what is permitted; Jesus speaks of what is holy. He reminds them that marriage is not simply a human arrangement, but a covenant marked by unity, faithfulness, and the mysterious joining of two lives before God. Jesus invites us to examine the condition of our own hearts.

Jesus names ‘hardness of heart’ as the reason Moses permitted divorce. It takes many forms: resentment, pride, impatience, self-protection, or the refusal to forgive. Let’s invite Jesus to soften the places in us that resist love; to teach us not to search for loopholes when we are being called to deeper mercy and to help us honour every relationship as a sacred trust, not something to be used, controlled, or discarded when things becomes difficult.

The disciples recognise that covenant love is serious and costly. Jesus does not call us into fear; He calls us into grace. Whether married, single, separated, or discerning, each person is invited to live faithfully before God. May our commitments be shaped by truth and compassion. May we speak gently about wounded relationships, remembering that behind every situation are real people carrying real pain.

Jesus, draw us back to the beginning: to God’s dream of love that is patient, faithful, healing, and life-giving. Where there is brokenness, bring mercy. Where there is confusion, bring wisdom. Where there is hardness, create in us a tender heart. Amen.

What step can I take today to honour one of the relationships in my life?