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Grace Bible Church Expository Sermon Notes Jesus Answers Questions About Divorce! cf. Matthew 19:1-6 The Lord’s Day 2/9/97 PM Part I It is imperative that we understand what the Bible says about divorce, and one of the central passages is Matthew 19:1-12, where Jesus answered a series of questions about the subject. Matthew 19:1-2 And it came to pass that, when Jesus had finished these sayings, he departed from Galilee, and came into the borders of Judaea beyond the Jordan. And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them there. Jesus now begins His final journey to Jerusalem. The Gospel’s of Matthew, Mark and Luke omit the Lord's previous journeys to Jerusalem during the Jewish feasts and emphasize Jesus' final journey to Jerusalem to be crucified. And it's during this time that we read... Matthew 19:3 The Pharisees also came unto Him, testing Him, and saying unto Him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? Matthew records their motive, for they already knew Jesus' answer. In His Sermon on the Mount the Lord had already declared that "whosoever puts away his wife, except for the cause of fornication commits adultery." cf. Matt. 5:31-32. They knew His position well and came testing Him, to trap Him in His words. During NT times two prominent Rabbi schools were continually debated by the Pharisees. The fundamentalist school of Shammai and the more moderate school of Hillel. And when they came to the OT passage of Deuteronomy 24, they carried out a theological war! The passage in reads... When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favor in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her; then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house. The stricter school of Shammai taught that "uncleanness" referred only to adultery or fornication. This was basically Jesus' position, which He gave on the Sermon on the Mount, i.e., that divorce "except for fornication" results in adultery. The more moderate school of Hillel taught that "some uncleanness" could refer to many things. William Barclay writes... They said that it meant that a man could divorce his wife if she spoiled his dinner, if she spun, or went with unbound hair, or spoke to men in the streets, if she spoke disrespectfully of his parents in his presence, if she was a brawling woman whose voice could be heard in the next house...[or even] if he found a woman whom he liked better and considered more beautiful. There's a central reason why this was asked by the Pharisees at this time. Jesus was traveling east down through the region of Perea. In that region, over which Herod Antipas was the tetrarch, John the Baptist had publicly preached against the unlawful marriage between Herod and Herodias. cf. Matt. 14:3-12. Repeatedly, the Baptizer had cried, "it is unlawful for thee to have her," finally resulting in John's imprisonment and death. The Pharisees hoped that Jesus would use the opportunity to publicly rebuke Herod and Herodias. This would give them the chance to inform Herod Antipas and forever rid themselves of Jesus. It was a set-up! But Jesus didn't fall into the trap but answered their question with the primary reason why divorce is unlawful and morally wrong.
Jesus in effect said, "Haven't you ever read the book of Genesis?" This was a Rabbinical way of verbally challenging a disciple by embarrassing them about careless study and reading. And the Lord answered them by directing the Pharisees to God's original intention in marriage not to the Deuteronomy 24 passage. Jesus gives three fundamental reasons why divorce is wrong… First, God made Adam and Eve in the beginning, male and female. The implication is that no one else existed! In Genesis 1:27 the Hebrew terms male and female are emphatic, i.e., the one male and the one female. Adam didn't have the option to say, "Well Eve, I'm really not interested in you anymore, I think I'll divorce you and move someone else in." The original purpose of creation was that Adam and man and Eve the woman would remain together as husband and wife. Second, God said originally that the man would "leave father and mother and cleave to his wife, and they two shall be one flesh." Remember that neither Adam nor Eve had an earthly parent, so the statement was meant for future generations. The word translated cleave (Heb. dabaq) means to bind together; to be glued together, speaking of intimacy and commitment. The design of marriage was the contracted union between two people, who become one entity, i.e., "one flesh." They are not to be consider two, but one! Third, Jesus pointed out that God Himself brought Adam and Eve together. If God Himself joined them, then no man or woman should separate them! Jesus once again was supporting the strict fundamental Rabbinical school of Shammai and claiming that the original intention of marriage was not that divorce would be granted for any cause. Divorce is a perversion of God's original intention and Jesus stood committed to the high standard of the Genesis account! Pastor MacArthur puts this problem in focus... Each year in the United States there are well over one million divorces, and beneath the rubble of those numbing statistics lie the crushed lives of man, women, and children. For every million divorces, there are two million adults and several more million children who are directly involved. None of them escapes suffering and damage, no matter how amicable the divorce may be. There are few experiences in life more painful and traumatizing than a divorce. As a Christian you should eliminate that option at the time you give your wedding vows; as a Christian you must turn to the Lord to restore a difficult or even humanly impossible marriage; yes, as a Christian, there is no such thing as a "no fault" divorce! Main Idea: There are 3 reasons why it is not God’s will to divorce for incompatibility: because the first couple originally had no option to remarry; because all generations are to leave parents and join together in an intimate commitment of companionship; and because God Himself has brought a couple together and forbids anyone from separating them. What Should I Do About This Message?
Recommended Reading: Divorce by
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