Relationships For The Sake

A MAN WOULD KNOW WHAT TO DO

There's a phrase older men in a group use when they see a younger boy-becoming-a-man but not quite acting right yet:

"A man would know what to do."

It's this idea that the boy-becoming-a-man needs to spend more time around better men to better "know what to do" as a man.

(This applies to older women and girls-becoming-women, "A woman would know what to do.")

It's the idea that who and how we are in relationship with people isn't just about entertainment or fighting the fear of being lonely (although there's nothing wrong with entertainment and not being lonely), our relationships are primarily about helping us be a certain kind of person in the world.

Boy being more like men.

Girls being more like women.

God's people being more like God.

Jesus hints at this at the end of his teaching on marriage and divorce.

RELATIONSHIPS TO BE LIKE GOD

Towards the end of this little pericope, Jesus finishes off a teaching about marriage and divorce in Matthew 19:12 by talking about single people:

"¹² For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others—and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven."

"For the sake of heaven" is an interesting phrase. Another way of saying this might be: "for the sake of being more like God in the world."

This makes for a fantastic bookend to how this all started.

At the top, Jesus says that those that are married have become "one flesh" and thus they become more like God - being intertwined with one another that their unity is akin to the Father and Son.

At the bottom, Jesus says that those are single have done so "for the kingdom of heaven" and thus they become more like God - being incarnational in the world that their existence is akin to Jesus.

LEAN IN

In other words, in marriage and in singleness (before marriage, after marriage, or never married) we have immense opportunity to be in relationship "for the sake of the kingdom" or "to be like God in the world."

This Lent season, lean into your relationship status as an opportunity to be like God.

If you're married - become so in-step with your spouse that it's akin to the Father and the Son.

If you're single - become so incarnational with the world that it's akin to Jesus.

Leverage your relationship season to be like God.