Matthew 19:1-12

Jesus discusses Divorce & Marriage
As we begin chapter 19 we find large crowds following Jesus and this is really infuriating the Pharisees. Behind the scenes they are plotting to kill Jesus and in front of the crowds they are trying to set Him up with questions they think He will answer erroneously. So they pick a rather dicey subject and ask Him about divorce.

In the Pentateuch, divorce was permitted and regulated (Deuteronomy 24:1-4) and Jesus has already commented on it in His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:31-32). It seems like there was two schools of opposing views on the original Law. One side interpreted the phrase “something indecent” as marital infidelity being the only grounds for divorce while another group focused more on the “becomes displeasing” statement and would allow a divorce for anything....even burning your dinner!!

Here though, Jesus points back to the original concept for marriage that He established at creation in Genesis 1:27 and 2:24. God’s intent was for a man was to leave the protective custody of his parents and establish a new family unit with his wife. The divine intention for a husband and wife was monogamy (otherwise God would have created male and several females in His image in 1:27). This divine pairing was to form an inseparable union and be bound together as “one flesh” as long as they were to live.

You see, the Pharisees and the people of Moses day (and present day) got it wrong. That is one of the reasons why Jesus came; to set the record straight. Instead of looking at the “one flesh” they were busy focusing on the “indecent” and “displeasing” things about the marital union. There hearts were hard and their commitment to one another was minimal. By Jesus coming and stating these things He is putting an extraordinary amount of emphasis on the amount of work it takes to stay committed to one another. His statement in verse 6 that man should not separate what God has joined together means that instead of taking the easy way out it is going to take some serious work to stay together.

We have seen Jesus spend a lot of time speaking and demonstrating mercy and forgiveness. Even though Jesus gives us an “escape hatch” for bailing on a spouse (infidelity) in verse 9 I believe He wants us to show love and forgiveness in all situations. Remember-even though divorce may end conflict between two people, it will not correct the attitudes or behaviors that brought about the conflict in the first place. Unless we lay down the root problems before the cross of Jesus Christ and surrender our will to Him we will still have the same conflicts in future relationships.

The disciples question Jesus that if it is so hard to stay committed in a marriage relationship isn’t it better to not get married at all? Jesus basically says that everyone is different and some people are meant for a celibate lifestyle and some aren’t.

This has probably been the hardest post for me to complete and those that know me personally know why. As I wrote yesterday, forgiveness doesn’t come easily for me. I need to practice it each and every day. For those of you that are reading this and going through marital difficulties I recommend that you watch the movie “Fireproof” and then pick up the book “The Love Dare” that goes along with it. Please put some effort into saving your relationship with your spouse.

I will be praying for you. Have a great day and God bless.