Scripture Study for
Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Genesis 2:18–24 / Psalm 128:5 / Hebrews 2:9–11 / Mark 10:2–16 [2–12]
<< Back to LECTIONARY RESOURCES
Understanding the Word
By Br. John R. Barker, OFM
The Genesis passage gives an account of the origination of sexual attraction and marriage, as well as the fact that there are many different kinds of animals in the world. God recognizes that humans are not meant to be alone; they are essentially social creatures. None of the animals, both similar to the man yet fundamentally different, is a “suitable partner.” The woman, on the other hand, is an exact counterpart to the man, being made of the same “stuff.” The fact that man and woman are both essentially the same (bone of bones, flesh of flesh) and yet differentiated explains why there is such an irresistible attraction between them and why they regularly seek to “become one flesh.”
The Letter to the Hebrews begins with an affirmation that “in these last days” God has spoken to the world through the Son. This Son is “far superior to the angels,” yet when he became human, he was “for a little while” lower than the angels. Only by becoming incarnate could the Son be made “perfect through suffering.” Only by becoming a human could Jesus be a true brother to those who “taste death,” and thus bring them salvation through that death. As will become clear later in the letter, by offering himself on the cross, Jesus became the eternal High Priest, and as such he is able to consecrate others, giving them access to God and bringing them to glory.
The Pharisees test Jesus to see if he will uphold the Mosaic teaching allowing a man to divorce his wife (Deuteronomy 24:1– 4). Possibly behind the question also lies the execution of John the Baptist, who was put to death precisely because he challenged royal marriage practices. Were the Pharisees hoping to get Jesus in trouble with the authorities? In any case, in his response, based on Genesis, Jesus insists that marriage cannot be abrogated by human—even Mosaically-sanctioned—power. Perhaps because this response seems to deny the authority of Moses, the disciples are perplexed. Yet Jesus insists that anyone who claims to divorce someone is not, in fact, divorced in the eyes of God, who alone can effect such a separation.