The two Markan pericopes making up this week's text offer you a choice between a "safe bet" sermon and a "you'll be sorry" sermon sorry you ever opened your mouth. The "safe bet" sermon would, of course, focus on the second pericope, verses 13-16, where Jesus appears loving, accepting, gentle and non-threatening as he rebukes his disciples for not "letting the little children come" as he sweeps the small ones up into his arms.

The "you'll be sorry" sermon is found in the first pericope of today's text, verses 2-12. We have become so gun-shy of Jesus' pronouncements on divorce and the feared explosions they may ignite within our congregations that we fall silent on the startlingly radical understanding of marriage Jesus offered to his followers.

One of the most important things to understan…