Monday: Jesus Talks about Marriage and Divorce
MATTHEW 19:1-26
Jesus Teaches about Divorce
After Jesus said all these things, he left Galilee and went into the area of Judea on the other side of the
Jordan River. 2 Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there. 3 Some Pharisees came to Jesus and
tried to trick him. They asked, "Is it right for a man to divorce his wife for any reason he chooses?" 4 Jesus
answered, "Surely you have read in the Scriptures: When God made the world, 'he made them male and
female.' 5 And God said, 'So a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and the two
will become one body.' 6 So there are not two, but one. God has joined the two together, so no one should
separate them." 7 The Pharisees asked, "Why then did Moses give a command for a man to divorce his wife by
giving her divorce papers?" 8 Jesus answered, "Moses allowed you to divorce your wives because you refused
to accept God's teaching, but divorce was not allowed in the beginning. 9 I tell you that anyone who divorces
his wife and marries another woman is guilty of adultery. The only reason for a man to divorce his wife is if his
wife has sexual relations with another man." 10 The followers said to him, "If that is the only reason a man can
divorce his wife, it is better not to marry." 11 Jesus answered, "Not everyone can accept this teaching, but God
has made some able to accept it. 12 There are different reasons why some men cannot marry. Some men were
born without the ability to become fathers. Others were made that way later in life by other people. And some
men have given up marriage because of the kingdom of heaven. But the person who can marry should accept
this teaching about marriage."
1
Jesus Welcomes Children
Then the people brought their little children to Jesus so he could put his hands on them and
pray for them. His followers told them to stop, 14 but Jesus said, "Let the little children come to
me. Don't stop them, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to people who are like these
children." 15 After Jesus put his hands on the children, he left there.
13
A Rich Young Man’s Question
A man came to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to have life forever?" 17 Jesus
answered, "Why do you ask me about what is good? Only God is good. But if you want to have life forever,
obey the commands." 18 The man asked, "Which commands?" Jesus answered, "'You must not murder
anyone; you must not be guilty of adultery; you must not steal; you must not tell lies about your neighbor;
19 honor your father and mother; and love your neighbor as you love yourself.'" 20 The young man said, "I have
obeyed all these things. What else do I need to do?" 21 Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, then go and
sell your possessions and give the money to the poor. If you do this, you will have treasure in heaven. Then
come and follow me." 22 But when the young man heard this, he left sorrowfully, because he was rich. 23 Then
Jesus said to his followers, "I tell you the truth, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven.
24 Yes, I tell you that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter
the kingdom of God." 25 When Jesus' followers heard this, they were very surprised and asked, "Then who can
be saved?" 26 Jesus looked at them and said, "This is something people cannot do, but God can do all things."
16
Old Testament Readings
This is another thing you do. You cover the Lord's altar with your tears. You cry and moan, because he does
not accept your offerings and is not pleased with what you bring. 14 You ask, "Why?" It is because the Lord
sees how you treated the wife you married when you were young. You broke your promise to her, even
though she was your partner and you had an agreement with her. 15 God made husbands and wives to
become one body and one spirit for his purpose -- so they would have children who are true to God. So be
careful, and do not break your promise to the wife you married when you were young. 16 The Lord God of
Israel says, "I hate divorce. And I hate people who do cruel things as easily as they put on clothes," says the
Lord All-Powerful. So be careful. And do not break your trust.
Malachi 2:13-16
13
Then the Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is right for him."
19 From the ground God formed every wild animal and every bird in the sky, and he brought them to the man
so the man could name them. Whatever the man called each living thing, that became its name. 20 The man
gave names to all the tame animals, to the birds in the sky, and to all the wild animals. But Adam did not find a
helper that was right for him. 21 So the Lord God caused the man to sleep very deeply, and while he was
asleep, God removed one of the man's ribs. Then God closed up the man's skin at the place where he took the
rib. 22 The Lord God used the rib from the man to make a woman, and then he brought the woman to the
man. 23 And the man said, "Now, this is someone whose bones came from my bones, whose body came from
my body. I will call her 'woman,' because she was taken out of man." 24 So a man will leave his father and
mother and be united with his wife, and the two will become one body.
Genesis 2:18-24
18
"Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by
permission. All rights reserved."
Insight & Reflection
In Israel during the time of Jesus only men could file for divorce. A woman whose husband was unfaithful, who
beat her, or who abandoned her could petition the elders to file on her behalf, but it was up to them whether
or not they chose to do so. Women were terribly vulnerable. If she did not have support from her family of
origin and a woman was thrown out by her husband she often had to resort to prostitution to survive, and if
she was not attractive enough to make living that way, she begged or starved. She also lost her children.
According to the law they were the possession of their father. By the time of Jesus there were two schools of
thought among the Rabbis regarding divorce. One school followed Hillel. The other Shammai. Hillel and
Shammai were the leading rabbis of this era. There are temples on the Main Line named in honor of Hillel.
Hillel may have been a great rabbi in some regards, but he was not on the side of women in divorce. According
to Hillel a man could divorce his wife for any reason whatsoever. If she burned his dinner, that was sufficient.
Shammai opposed that position, saying that the only acceptable reason was infidelity. In our reading today the
Pharisees who questioned Jesus were trying to find out if he supported the views of Hillel or Shammai. They
asked, "Is it right for a man to divorce his wife for any reason he chooses?" Jesus apparently sided with
Shammai. Moses allowed divorce because of the hardness of men’s hearts, not because it was preferable. The
prophet Malachi also comments on the sinfulness of men who break faith with the wives of their youth. This
indictment could have written today! How many times do we see men cast aside their hard working faithful
spouses who supported them through the lean times? Once his career is booming that tired woman at home
with the children is forgotten in lieu of the very attractive young secretary. We even have a term for these
second wives. We call them “trophy wives.” And the faithful spouse who made her husband’s success possible
is cast aside. This is why God says through Malachi and Jesus, “I hate divorce.” It is not because God wants to
entrap people in unhappy unions. God wants marriages to be good, and spouses to honor one another. And
God hates when injustice is done, which often happens in cases of divorce.
Today many people give up on their marriages far too easily. Most divorces happen within the first five years.
But there are many happy marriages of people who survived the first five years, sought counsel, persevered,
and grew closer. Within the church we need to be especially supportive of young married couples. It is not
easy for two to become one.
Pastor Lisa
Application
God wants us to be faithful in our relationships. Marriage is one relationship, but there are many others. Be
conscious today of how you treat everyone with whom you are in relationship, and pray for the marriages
around you.