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2 The Pharisees came and asked Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” testing Him.
3 And He answered and said to them, “What did Moses command you?”
4 They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to dismiss her.”
5 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. 6 But from the beginning of the creation, God ‘made them male and female.’ 7 ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, 8 and the two shall become one flesh’; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”
10 In the house His disciples also asked Him again about the same matter. 11 So He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her. 12 And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”
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Mark 10: 1-12 (NKJV)
Marriage and Divorce
1 Then He arose from there and came to the region of Judea by the other side of the Jordan. And multitudes gathered to Him again, and as He was accustomed, He taught them again.2 The Pharisees came and asked Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” testing Him.
3 And He answered and said to them, “What did Moses command you?”
4 They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to dismiss her.”
5 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. 6 But from the beginning of the creation, God ‘made them male and female.’ 7 ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, 8 and the two shall become one flesh’; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”
10 In the house His disciples also asked Him again about the same matter. 11 So He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her. 12 And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”
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The Pharisees, once again, were trying to trap Jesus with their question. If He supported divorce, He would be upholding the Pharisees' procedures, and they doubted that He would do that. If Jesus spoke against divorce, however, some members of the crowd would dislike His position; some may have even used the law to their advantage to divorce their wives. More important, He might incur the wrath of Herod, who had already beheaded John the Baptist for speaking out against divorce and adultery (6:17-28). The Pharisees wanted Jesus to be punished in any way; it didn't matter for what.
The Pharisees saw divorce as a legal issue rather than a spiritual one. Jesus used this test as an opportunity to review God's intended purpose for marriage and to expose the Pharisees' selfish motives. They were not thinking about what God intended for marriage but had settled for marriages of convenience. In addition, they were quoting Moses unfairly and out of context.
Do you know the context? God allowed divorce as a concession to people's sinfulness. The people were already doing what they wanted. Divorce was not approved (because no man is to separate what God has joined together as one), but it was instituted to protect the injured party in a bad situation. Women were often treated as property. This wasn't God's idea; this is the perversion that man ran with and claimed was from God. Marriage and divorce were regarded as transactions similar to buying and selling land. Unfortunately, people used (and still use) Deuteronomy 24:1 as proof text for divorce.
Jesus condemned this attitude, clarifying God's original intention-that marriage brings oneness (Genesis 2:24). Jesus explained that divorce was not God's intent; instead, God wants married people to consider their marriage permanent. Many marriages are coming together from lust and rush; instead of from the direction of God and in taking time. Don't enter marriage lightly. Don't enter marriage with the false fairy tale of all love and no work. Don't enter marriage for SEX! Don't enter marriage with the option of getting out. Because if you are even thinking about that option; why are you getting married? Your marriage is more likely to be happy if from the outset you are committed to permanence. Don't be hard-hearted like these Pharisees, but he hard-hearted in your determination, with God's help, to stay together. And wait for the person who will have this same determination. It is OK to wait!!!!!
Jesus showed these "legal experts" how superficial their knowledge really was. Is He revealing superficiality in your own knowledge? Let's correct ourselves in all areas. We have to stop making God fit our ideals and lifestyles; and we need to live what we know is commanded by Him.
Are you a "pharisee" or a Child of God? If we're children of God; Honor Our Father!
*COOL TRUTH: Did you know what God intended; those intentions have not changed?*
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Daily Prayer: LORD, this is Your time! We live in expectancy of all that You are bringing forth in the lives of Your children today. Let understanding, obedience, and application come forth. Holy Spirit, bring the darkness to light in each and every one of us. Let Your children, who bear Your name live a distinctive life that honors Your Name. The time is now LORD. The time is now. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Daily Prayer: LORD, this is Your time! We live in expectancy of all that You are bringing forth in the lives of Your children today. Let understanding, obedience, and application come forth. Holy Spirit, bring the darkness to light in each and every one of us. Let Your children, who bear Your name live a distinctive life that honors Your Name. The time is now LORD. The time is now. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Would love to hear from you! How will you apply this to your thinking/your life?
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