Thread: The Lord Jesus And Divorce- (Sexual Immorality Is His Focus)
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The Lord Jesus And Divorce- (Sexual Immorality Is His Focus)
Posted : 17 Sep, 2012 12:46 PM
The expressions made by the Lord Jesus Christ, during his earthly ministry, on the subject of divorce and remarriage were made to the Pharisees, His disciples and the apostles. In Matthew 5, the Lord mentions the provision of the law enabling a man to give his wife a 28"certificate of divorce," and then remarry. However, the Lord limits the situations that rise to that level by saying, 28"whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery." The Lord also places responsibility for the result of ignoring that limitation and abandoning a wife on her husband, "CAUSES her to commit adultery."
The Jews were apparently granting divorces for what might be called "frivolous" reasons. This would be consistent with the question they asked, 29"Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?" In Matthew 19, the Lord Jesus limits the application the Jews were making from "for any reason" to 30"except for sexual immorality." In the expressions from the Lord Jesus, as recorded in Matthew 5:31 & 32 and Matthew 19:9 the only reason stated where a man could initiate divorce and marry another and it would not result in adultery, was a situation where the wife had violated the marriage covenant by committing sexual immorality. Under the Mosaic Law, in earlier times, when Israel was not under the control of the Roman government, the immorality should normally have resulted in death. The death would have freed a husband from the marriage covenant.
In Mark 10:2-12 there is a parallel account of Matthew 19:3 - 10. However, there are two differences. In Mark's account, there is no mention of the acceptable reason for divorce given in Matthew's account, 30"except for sexual immorality." Also, in Mark's account the same thing is stated about both the man and the woman if they divorce and remarry. 31"Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery...." and 32"if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery." We need to have Matthew's account along with Mark's account to understand all The Holy Spirit had recorded for our learning. Since the same action, divorce and remarriage, results in the same sin, adultery, for both husband and wife, it seems reasonable that the same sin, "sexual immorality," would cause divorce and remarriage to be an acceptable option for both the husband and wife. This would be consistent with the fact that both the adulterer and the adulteress were to be stoned according to the Mosaic Law.
It is important to realize that the gospel accounts do not contradict each other. Together they give us a complete picture of what the Lord Jesus had to say on the subject. It is also important to understand that the expressions in the individual passages are not comprehensive in scope, individually. These three expressions do not represent the whole story from the woman's perspective: a.)28"whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery," b.)30 "whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery" and c.) 32"if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."
These expressions are modified by either the fact of "sexual immorality" on the part of the husband or the fact that the husband "divorced" his wife, separating what "God has joined together."
If the wife initiated the separation of "what God has joined" (divorced her husband) and remarried without him first having committed sexual immorality, she would be guilty of adultery. If the wife were guilty of "sexual immorality" and her husband divorced her, she would need to deal with her sin in a Godly way. She must confess and forsake. Prior to coming to repentance, she would be described this way, 33"as a wife treacherously departs from her husband, so have you dealt treacherously with Me, O house of Israel." But if a husband, unlike God, breaks the marriage covenant (i.e. separates what 9"God has joined together" by immorality), then his wife would not commit adultery if she remarried. If her husband separated what God had joined together, simply by divorce without first committing sexual immorality, he would be responsible for "causing" her to commit the act of adultery." If the wife committed "sexual immorality," which prompted her husband to divorce her, then in essence she had separated "what God had joined."
These passages in the gospel accounts are not addressing the question from the perspective of the "victim" (the innocent partner). They are speaking from the perspective of the "guilty" partner (the person who would "separate what God has joined.") The only time explicitly stated in the gospel accounts when divorce is an acceptable option to God is when the one divorced (the one who might otherwise be a "victim") has already violated the marriage covenant by conduct described as "sexual immorality."
The Lord Jesus And Divorce- (Sexual Immorality Is His Focus)
Posted : 24 Sep, 2012 09:01 PM
Sad to say even Christians have experience this word divorce. Which the two parties did not consider what would be the fatal effect to their children...Children who grow with the mother and father separated, will no longer have a normal life.
There is a psychological effect for the kids, especially when they grew up and become a young adult, sometimes there is a big question on their mind why is this things happen to their family...
Only God can protect each relationship.. If Jesus will be the leader of Husband and wife there is no room for divorced or separation,.
The Lord Jesus And Divorce- (Sexual Immorality Is His Focus)
Posted : 9 Dec, 2012 08:41 AM
Exceeding Joy, thanks for the post. One foundational truth the gospel is hinged on when it comes to divorce is immorality being the bane between two people in marital covenant.
Looking at the concept of Matthew and Mark rendition of this account, Jesus referred to what was going on in the days and time of Moses up before the time Jesus finally died for mankind. So its understandable that Moses condition clause for annulling a marriage held those wishing to do so on frivolity back from doing.
Its is funny to know that Jesus never endorse the rule, neither did he contempt the same rule. He only rehearsed into their hearing what was written by Moses from the beginning.
Take a look at Matthew 19:3-12, New International Version (NIV)
[3] Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, �Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?�
[4] �Haven�t you read,� he replied, �that at the beginning the Creator �made them male and female,�[a][ 5] and said, �For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh�[b]? [6] So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.� [7] �Why then,� they asked, �did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?� [8] Jesus replied, �Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. [9] I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.� [10] The disciples said to him, �If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.� [11] Jesus replied, �Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. [12] For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others�and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.�
From the verses above, especially verse 6, he made them realize that the power in marriage union is such that 2 people eventually enmeshed into one unit. And the essence of that singular unit makes them supposedly indivisible. Then verse 6 went on to say WHAT GOD HAD JOINED TOGETHER, NO MAN DARE TEAR APART....NO MAN! Be it the man or woman or families. This is to say that Jesus meant that because the court or families dissolves marriages does not mean its His WILL. Left to HIM, he ordained marriages to last, because he had given those in the marriage power to do right and maintain the marital covenant until their dying days! But many of us are not sightful of these vested abilities in us by God to sustain marriages. Little wonder we work our marriages to fail, because none is ready to work!
Look at what Jesus told his disciple after the crowd dispersed in verse 11. He said its not everyone who can accommodate this kind of doctrine. Which makes us to understand that when it comes to man/woman itching to have a divorce, then it portrays again, they are not willing to work as expected of them by God. This is reflected not only in marital aspect of their lives but other areas of their lives in time do catch the brunt of such fires as this. Haven't we seen believers who failed in school, work, church, ministry, business? There are. Its not only in marriage. The same reason they fail in marriage (which is because they are not ready to fight and use the resources God had given them to nurture the union like the as it was the first day they fell in love) is also the same reason they fail in other endeavor of life!
