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Daily Lenten Meditation
By Ron White
1 Corinthians 7:10-24
To the married I give this command-not I but the Lord-that the wife should not separate from her husband (but if she does separate, let her remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and that the husband should not divorce his wife.
To the rest I say-I and not the Lord-that if any believer has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. And if any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made holy through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy through her husband. Otherwise, your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so; in such a case the brother or sister is not bound. It is to peace that God has called you. Wife, for all you know, you might save your husband. Husband, for all you know, you might save your wife.
However that may be, let each of you lead the life that the Lord has assigned, to which God called you. This is my rule in all the churches. Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised? Let him not seek circumcision. Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing; but obeying the commandments of God is everything. Let each of you remain in the condition in which you were called.
Were you a slave when called? Do not be concerned about it. Even if you can gain your freedom, make use of your present condition now more than ever. For whoever was called in the Lord as a slave is a freed person belonging to the Lord, just as whoever was free when called is a slave of Christ. You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of human masters. In whatever condition you were called, brothers and sisters, there remain with God. NRSV
Without much question, this is a difficult scripture when we attempt to apply it to our lives today. Literalists have long held passages such as this one over our heads like an ax ready to fall. As we read it, we must keep in mind the ancient cultural context in which it was written and seek a relevant message for us today.
In the time of Paul and for many centuries thereafter, marital relationships were narrowly defined - between one man and one woman. Although that is still the norm, at least in Western culture, the similarities between marriage in Paul's culture and partnering relationships today are, at best, limited. So routine and prominent in the Old Testament, multiple partner marriages - one man with many wives - had ceased to be operative in the culture. Exceptions to the rule occurred in Christendom: look at Henry the Eighth of England, a Christian king with multiple wives. Gay relationships also happened, but were dismissed and condemned because they were not the accepted norm. At least within the narrowly defined Jewish subculture which was a part of the broader Middle Eastern culture, marriage had become monogamous - one man, one woman. I've always wondered how that transformation evolved in Old Testament times. No explanation is given in the Bible; marriage simply morphed without explanation.
In Paul's time, marriages were not the product of friendship, common interests, or love and affection during courtship. Treating children like owned property, parents decided who their child would marry, arranged the celebration, and initiated the consummation of the relationship which was mandated to occur during a week-long feast. The newly wed couple were expected to experience sexuality for the first time and to produce a child, if at all possible.
What are we to do with this passage?
First, read it historically just as it is written. Don't apply the norms and values of Paul's time to your life today. Paul says, "Let each of you lead the life that the Lord has assigned, to which God called you. This is my rule in all the churches." In your spirit, you know the role to which you have been called, the life God has blessed you with, difficult though it may be at times. Paul calls us in our day, just as he called Christians back in his day, to careful discernment of the way we live according to the Godly values which continue to grow and change us all of our lives. Look to those values - love of neighbor and ourselves, love of God, taking care of one another - to discern how they can best guide your life.
Second, note that Paul lets us off the hook with respect to living according to his cultural context. He repeatedly says that he is not speaking for God. "This is my rule in all the churches." Wisdom is embedded in Paul's admission.
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