Sun 14 Feb

 It does not take us long to realize that marriage is under severe attack. We may not like statistics, but they tell us that four out of every ten marriages eventually fail. Now, for some they may think that those numbers are pretty good, considering that some marriages make it through to 40 or 50 or 60 or even 70 years of married life together. They make it through to the phrase in the marriage vows of “as long as you both shall live,” or “till death do you part.” 

Some of those attacks come from what we have screened into our lounge rooms via the TV or internet. Very few shows uphold the sanctity of marriage. More often than not the marriage between one man and one woman is mocked or put down. 

However, the attacks on marriage is not something new. If we scroll back through the pages of Scripture we find marriage under siege. In the verses we look at this morning we find that Jesus is about to be tested by religious leaders as to what grounds are available for divorce. Rather than seeking reconciliation, they were seeking to split a marriage apart.

If marriage is a representation of the relationship Christ has with His bride the church, then Jesus seeks to reconcile us to Himself. Our relationship with Christ is strained already, but He comes to us to reconcile those who were His enemies. Marriage can be a battle, but let us be reconcilers as Christ was for us.