“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!”
-Luke 13:34, NKJV
Faithful spouses are often reminded of Jesus’ relationship with the Church. This relationship was predated by God’s relationship with the nation of Israel. We are talking covenant–i.e. marriage.
I find it interesting how this verse is absent from those discussions with faithful spouses. It is probably so, because it does not fit the agenda of those trying to pressure the faithful spouse to stay put with their Cheater.
God recognizes and respects the human choice to reject Him.
If Jesus is willing to acknowledge the unwillingness of His covenant people–i.e Jerusalem–who are we NOT to acknowledge this about our Cheater?!
This is the heart of God. He wants to reconcile everyone to Himself. Yet God acknowledges that some will be unwilling. It breaks His heart. But He is not going to force it.
I say this is the model for us:
Cheaters are rejecting godly covenant marriage. It is fine to move on understanding that some prefer sin and will reject God’s path for them. We don’t have to remain joined to them (see Mt 19:9).
It is no more a failure on our part that we were not “reconciled” than it was on Jesus’ part here that he failed to reconcile with the people of Jerusalem in His day. Sometimes, we have to acknowledge and accept reality that some people are going to choose sin over righteousness.
