Living under the promise and not the curse
by Maria Rudolph
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Jesus replied, ‘Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning’ (Matthew 19:8).
Read Matthew 19:1–15
Have you ever read the first book in The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis, The Magician’s Nephew? In it, we witness the creation of Narnia, which represents the world, by Aslan, a mighty lion who represents the Triune God. A young boy steps through a door into utter darkness. There is nothing. Then, a roar is heard, and light begins to break through. The boy witnesses in wonder as creation unfolds around him and as the water, the land, the creatures, plants, colours and everything that exists come about.
Then, humming, singing, the sound of praise fills the air. Have you ever sung the 1930s hymn ‘Morning has broken’ that was popularised by Cat Stevens in the 1970s? ‘Like the first morning, blackbird has spoken like the first bird. Praise for the singing! Praise for the morning! Praise for them, springing fresh from the word!’
There is a reason the creation story is so special. There is a reason we are drawn to the beauty of creation as we contemplate sunsets, scenic views and the beauty of insects and flowers. Each time, we get a glimpse of the perfection God intended when he created the heavens and the earth. In the midst of the world’s brokenness caused by sin, which crept in later, we love reminders of the raw beauty and pure unison intended from the beginning.
Jesus uses an analogy of a broken relationship, divorce, to contrast the original promise under which the world was made and under which each human being was made in the image of God, with the shattering, sin-infused curse that came later. ‘It was not this way from the beginning’, Jesus points out. In the beginning (Genesis 2:24), ‘a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will be one flesh’. God’s pure intention was for man and woman to live in loving unity with each other as one. But then came the curse (Genesis 3:16): ‘A woman’s desire will be for her husband, and he will rule over her.’
The curse distorted the unified image of man and woman harmonising with one another in love and respect, and women were subjected to man’s rule. What followed is easily found in history books: a forced submission of women throughout the ages. But as Christian people, we do not live under the curse and its rules. We live under the pure promises of God. As Christians, we are freed once and for all from the distortion of sin, and the curse has lost its grip on us. We are free to live life the way God intended, men and women harmoniously united in their endeavours to love and serve the Lord.
Thank you, Jesus, for freeing us from the grip of the curse of sin. Give us the strength to live according to your original design, even when that is counter-cultural. Thank you that we can be your beloved children and stand under the mantle of your grace. Amen.
Maria will be ordained as a pastor of the LCANZ on Palm Sunday on 13 April at 2pm at Concordia College Chapel in Highgate SA. She would love to see many Daily Devotion readers there! She has been assigned to serve St John’s Lutheran Church in Perth WA. She also supports the ministry of her pastor husband, Michael. They will be the first pastor couple of our church, but she hopes not the last. They are parents to three children, who are kept busy in their primary and secondary schools. Maria also serves the church on the Commission on Theology and Inter-Church Relations.
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