Yesterday I told you about my personalized version of the bible. I think God speaks to me through RUV—Rich’s Unstandard Version.
Sometimes He uses the RUV to help me see the big picture, put things in context, and see more than just one isolated verse. That happened the other night when our small group looked at this challenging passage.
When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this. He answered, “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.” Mark 10:10-12
As someone who’s experienced divorce, these verses hurt. I know, from personal experience, they’ve been used as weapons to pile guilt and shame onto already painful situations.
So I ask Jesus what I’m supposed to make of such a harsh, judgmental declaration. How do I move forward when He’s apparently drawing a hard line, I’m on the wrong side, and that’s the end?
And with the help of my small group, Jesus gently reminds me that our enemy uses isolated snippets of scripture to isolate and condemn. He points me to the words of His friend John: the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. John 1:17
“Don’t forget, Rich,” He says (in RUV), “I’m always about grace and truth. You’ve even written about it. Anyone who separates truth from grace isn’t speaking for me.”
“I know,” I say quietly, “but honestly, I don’t see much room for grace in your statement about divorce.”
“Grace-and-truth is a principle,” He says, “and whenever a principle seems conflicted, that’s a sign for you to look deeper.”
Then He flips the pages to John 8:2-11.
At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
“No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
“Remember, Rich, I’m always about truth and grace.”
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