"The Pharisees also came to Him,
testing Him, and saying to Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his
wife for just any reason?" {4} "And he answered and said to them, "Have
you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and
female,’" {5} ""and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father
and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one
flesh’?" {6} ""So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore
what God has joined together, let not man separate."" {7} "They said to
Him, "Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and
to put her away?" {8} "He said to them, "Moses, because of the hardness
of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the
beginning it was not so." {9} ""And I say to you, whoever divorces his
wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits
adultery: and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.""
{10} "His disciples said to Him, "If such is the case of the man with
his wife, it is better not to marry."" {11} "But He said to them, "All
cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given:"
{12} ""For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother’s
womb, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the
kingdom of heaven’s sake. He who is able to accept it, let him accept
it.""(Matthew 19:3 – 12).
As divorce found it’s way into the
world, the need grew to have the will and mind of God stated more
emphatically. In answering the Pharisees, Jesus affirmed what God has
allowed, but also what His will has always been regarding marriage.
First, Jesus reminded the
Pharisees that God has never wanted divorce (Malachi 2:16). When God
does the joining together, is it NOT allowable for man to destroy what
God has joined. Paul also taught this (Romans 7:1 – ff). The "just any
reason" caveat illustrates how man seeks to justify his desires, by
assuming that God really has no preference.
Second, when the Law of Moses is
summoned as a defense, Jesus shows that Moses’ action was in REACTION to
man’s hardness of heart. In 1 Corinthians 7:10 – 11, Paul states the
will of God that cannot be disregarded, "Now to the married I command,
yet not I but the Lord: A wife is not to depart from her husband. " {11}
"But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled
to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife." Under the New
Covenant of Christ, even though there is grace and mercy – in addition
to hardness of heart the will of God stands firm.
Under the Law of Moses, God
permitted a plurality of wives (1 Samuel 25:42 – 44). Under the
Mosaic Law, God tolerated concubines (1 Chronicles 3:9). Under
the Old Law, God allowed Israel to marry non-Israelites (Ezra
10:1, 3, 5, 44). No one could rightly argue that God gives latitude
regarding His will today (Acts 17:30). Still, even during the days of
The Law, God stated His will.
Third, Jesus illustrates the
changing of God’s Law, when He says, "…and I say unto you…" The entire
Sermon on the Mount (Matthews 5-7) challenged the oral tradition of
those such as the scribes and Pharisees. Their often flawed
interpretation of God’s Word had led to teachings that no longer
resembled the will and intent of God. Today, it is our responsibility to
get past human interpretation in order to understand the will of God for
all things and in this context marriage and divorce.
Fourth, Jesus states that for
those who are able, it is a better option in many circumstances NOT to
marry. This is especially the case of the marriage that would constitute
adultery in the eyes of God (1 Corinthians 7:37 – 38, 40).
David Decker