What Jesus Said About Divorce - Part 1

Christian welcome to 30 point know it's a subject that is prideful and provocative now is walls of the time.

Of course how Jesus handled the question of divorce your monsoons to the 10th chapter of Mark where the Lord addressed both marriage and divorce while putting fractures, religious leaders in the place. As David introduces his message. What Jesus said about divorce.

This is a subject that we often pass on by. On the other side we leave it there and yet divorce is a sad reality for more than half of the marriages in our culture today enters families apart. It affects last for years and yet many churches and pastors just refuse to preach on the subject. This should not be sold for not only does the Bible have a lot to say about it. Jesus himself also spoke very clearly about it no longer have the option to ignore Jesus teachings on this pertinent subject. I hope you will accept this as it is meant in compassion and people asked me how I feel about divorce and I tell them that you I never think about it very much. In fact, I look out at my congregation when I'm allowed to preach to all of them together. I have no idea who's divorced, and who isn't. I don't want to know. But when it comes up individually in a family. Many people search for answers, and the Bible doesn't leave us without information. Now it doesn't solve all of the issues I like to tell people occasion that Almighty God doesn't have a plan B. You know the Bible isn't plan a and then there's a plan be hidden someplace we can just find it God's word is very clear so let's do the best we can.

You listen you take notes you ask questions you do your best to understand what we say. Don't try to make us say more than we do are less than we do just what does the Bible say and listen carefully from your heart start USA Today column entitled divorce is good and other myths written by Diane Medved came across my attention in this article she wrote the books just keep coming collaborative divorce. Happy divorce, but good karma divorce the creative divorce. One typical story featured a family gathered together comfortably with ex-husband and his new wife, his old life with her new husband. Their son and his new baby. Now they're just peachy.

Just they insist, and experts agree this is wonderful Constance Aarons who coined the phrase good divorce thinks that split family should meld seamlessly without stigma into our social fabric, but I must tell you that's not what I've seen in my 40 years of counseling people who were going through marital discord and divorce. What I've seen his heart ache and financial loss in repairable setbacks. Lots of spouses getting dumped. I discovered that 80% of US divorces are unilateral, that means only one person wanted it the other person did not they were not mutual decisions. They were unilateral decisions in children who never have a say in their parents parting become collateral damage on occasion and dismissed with the new dubious phrase. Oh don't worry about it. Kids are resilient. Those of you have experienced this in your life either your selves are with people you love know that divorce Mars, the lives of in-laws and unsettles otherwise contended bystanders in unsteady society destabilizes neighborhoods and brings awkwardness and social encounters far from a good thing.

Divorce is a tragedy. I know that and so does everyone who has ever experienced. I know that some of what I'm going to say will be very difficult, but I also know that those who have come through divorce and have done their lives back together and are serving God now will understand why I must teach this passage of Scripture and they will want me to be as forthright as possible so that their children many of whom will hear this today will understand what is involved in marriage and how very serious the commitment.

It is psychologist Larry Crabb makes the observation in his book the marriage builder that in some circles, people normally speak of fulfillment in relationships to the point where adultery and divorce are acceptable if they enhance one's own sense of meaning I must be happy they say I must express who I am.

Don't condemn me to a life of legalistic morality.

Let me be me.

I must do what is best for me. God wants me to become a whole person and I cannot behold within the boundaries of traditional morality. Larry Crabb went on to say that we become so conditioned to measuring the rightness of what we do by the quality of the motion that it generates in us that a whole new version of relativistic ethics has developed that might be called the morality of fulfillment fulfillment has taken on a greater urgency than the value of obedience to God. What would Jesus say about all these modern ideas about how marriage works and what to do if it doesn't, what we're about to find out because interesting as marriage and divorce are to us. It was of interest to the Lord Jesus to and he didn't dodge the questions.

Neither can we. As we continue to follow the life of Christ here in the book of Mark are now finished with Galilee.

Jesus has left this place that was so dear to him and as he continues to make his way toward Jerusalem. He is also making his way toward Calvary and the cross. Mark tells us in the 10th chapter, that is, Jesus traveled through the Judean region. The Pharisees continued to stalk him with the question this time Mark tells us clearly that the question wasn't really motivated legitimately but they question him in order to test him. In other words, they were not seeking information they were trying to place Jesus in a no-win situation. They believed they had trapped Jesus with their question about divorce and let's watch what happens.

First of all, the division among the Jews in Mark 10 124. Here we read from the Scripture. Then Jesus arose from there and came to the region of Judea by the other side of the Jordan, and multitudes gathered to him, and as he was accustomed and he taught them Pharisees came and asked him, is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife testing him, and he answered and said to them, what did Moses command you and they said, Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and to dismiss her issues with the Pharisees of Jesus day was not the legality of divorce that was accepted by both the scribes and the Pharisees and it was understood by most of the people to be a legal thing. The issue then as it is today is centered around what are the proper grounds for divorce is also very interesting to note.

Then, as today the question seem to be more about what one could get away with under the law, instead of what was intended by the law. Jesus asked them what Moses commanded, and they answered with what Moses permitted. The only passage in the Old Testament that states the grounds or procedures for divorce is found in the book of Deuteronomy.

It is here in this passage that the controversy over divorce begins.

So I'm reading from Deuteronomy chapter 24 in verse one, when a man takes a wife and marries her. And it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some uncleanness in her and he writes her a certificate of divorce puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house. Another translation renders this verse like this. If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her and he writes her a certificate of divorce. Matthew's account of this passage in Mark reads a bit differently and the Pharisees came to him, testing him. Matthew 19, three and saying to him, listen to the difference in the question, is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason is that a very good contemporary question because in our culture today. It seems as if divorce is ripe for just any reason here was the issue in Jesus day what does it mean when someone does something that is displeasing to hear what Deuteronomy says if a man marries a woman no longer sees favoring her and she does something displeasing. While there were two schools there was the conservative school and the liberal school both represented by a very famous rabbi.

The conservative school was the school of rabbi show my and they believed that the word displeasing or indecent found in Deuteronomy 24 referred exclusively to unchastity or adultery for the followers of the school be only grounds for divorce was marital on faithfulness. That's the conservative school, but there was also a liberal school and the school was championed by a rabbi named Holly Hill and he taught that one could interpret indecent just about any way he chooses. The Pharisees couldn't care less what Jesus thought about their divorce ideas they were trying to get him to come down on one side of the issue or the other so they could divide the crowd that was following him. Interesting. Geographically they had arrived at the very place where John the Baptist had been beheaded because he accused Herod of wrongful divorce and here in that very place. May Pharisees try to get Jesus to come down on one side of the issue the other.

If he comes down on the side. The followers of Khalil will be angry at him. If he comes down on the side followers of semi will be angry with him.

They put Jesus in a very uncomfortable spot with their question but I've said this before and I do this with great dignity. Don't mess with Jesus.

I don't mess with because Jesus doesn't answer the question he asks them a question. The discussion with Jesus about divorce begins in verses three and go through verse five and let me just read what Jesus did and he answered and said to them what did Moses command you and they said Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and to dismiss her and Jesus answered and said to them, because of the hardness of your heart. He wrote you this precepts, Jesus corrects the Pharisees by explaining to them that Moses precept on divorce originated because they were hardhearted divorce proceedings outlined in Deuteronomy don't exist because divorce is God's will, but because men are so selfish and stubborn. God had to deal with the fallout from their disobedience. James Edwards has written that Deuteronomy 24 was given because your hearts were hard it is.

In other words, a text of concession, not one of intention, you do not learn to fly an airplane by following the instructions for making a crash landing. You will not be successful in war if you spend all your time learning the rules for retreat. The same is true of marriage and divorce. The exceptional measures necessary when a marriage fails are of no help in discovering the meaning and intention of marriage from the heart of God. Now Jesus will turn their attention from what Moses permits to what God commands from the book of Deuteronomy the Lord Jesus takes them back earlier in the Old Testament to the book of Genesis. He has explained Moses. Now he's going to expound on marriage and in Mark 10 629. Jesus quotes from the book of Genesis from two passages but from the beginning of creation. Jesus said God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and the two shall become one flesh. So then they are no longer to but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.

Notice the foundation of divorce is the law, but the foundation of marriage is creation. Jesus takes the Pharisees all the way back to the beginning back before Deuteronomy and the giving of the law back to the beginning of creation and he quotes Genesis 127 so God created man in his own image in the image of God he created him male and female he created them and then adds Genesis 224 which says therefore shall a man leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall be one flesh. Now while quoting perfectly from these two Old Testament Scriptures. Jesus adds his commentary in Mark eight and nine looked down at your Bibles and notice what he says. So then they are no longer to but one flesh.

Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate. Interestingly enough, Jesus doesn't attack the Pharisees position on divorce.

Instead, he explains biblical marriage and he says biblical marriage is made up of two things primarily the intimacy of marriage. The two shall become one flesh little phrase one flesh is in the Bible. Five different times and every occasion it is in reference to marriage is a very intimate expression and Jesus provides his definition of marriage is in verses seven through nine.

He uses for expressions look at your Bible, you can even underline these uses for expressions to underscore the idea of oneness in verse seven be joined in verse eight become one flesh in verse eight.

Again, no longer to but one, and in verse nine what God has joined Jesus says that biblical marriage is something God creates.

And if God has created man cannot un-created. How could a written certificate of divorce, dissolve a bond that God has established.

The intimacy of marriage and the next thing Jesus talks about him not answering the Pharisees question is the permanence of marriage. So then they are no longer to but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate what Jesus was doing and what is recorded in the book of Mark is simply this Jesus of saying they're going to be things that are not ideal things that don't meet the perfect standard. But whatever you do in discussing it. Don't forget that God has a model that he does want you to understand especially is this true today for young people because today the model that young people are seeing and are watching primarily through the media is that the dissolution of marriage is just the normal thing you should expect in life and so why should you expect anything else.

And so our young people in our churches, and especially in the culture are going into marriage with the realization that it probably won't last. They go into marriage with the idea that it's probably not going to last. And what Jesus was doing to the Pharisees and to his disciples that they were saying you can say what you want to about the dissolution of marriage.

But let me tell you what my goal was what my plan was my plan was in the beginning there marriage would be between one man and one woman, and that it will last forever and that it would be the most intimate relationship. You could ever know, apart from the relationship with Jesus Christ. That was the model that was God's ideal and as we spend these next few moments talking about what we do when the ideal isn't real when it doesn't work for us when were in difficult situations because of this thing or the other. I don't want us to forget that if you say okay what is God want in the marriage. Here's what he wants. If God could speak to your heart today.

If you're looking toward getting married if you're a young person or if you're married and you're wondering about what's going on in your marriage. Let me tell you this is God's A1 purpose for you that you be together with the wife of your youth that you lived together in intimacy and you live together that way until death takes one of you away. That's God's plan and you know what if I don't see anything else today. I just want to say that because that plan has been lost in all of the media and in many churches were nobody will ever speak about this sort kids grow up and everybody wants to know why are the statistics for divorce as equal in the church to what they are in the world.

Why wouldn't they be because in the church. They're not hearing anything different than they hear in the world. Their silence on it and I want to not be silent about it.

I want to tell you that God loves all of us. He loves all of us no matter what God could the two of you down in your thinking about getting married and he could say to you personally, my children. This is what I want for you more than anything else in the whole world. I want you to live together with each other for as long as you live. That's God's plan now having said all of that Jesus does not avoid the issue of divorce we've looked at the division among the Jews about divorce and the discussion with Jesus about divorce. Now let's notice Jesus definition of divorce.

In verses 10 through 12. Jesus is now back in the house is Pharisees, who were testing him or not in the hearing of this discussion. His disciples asked him again about the same matters is verse 10 so he said to them, whoever divorces his wife and marries another, commits adultery against her.

And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery. Let me explain to you that we are driven in the Bible answers about marriage and divorce that are from the entire landscape of the Bible and not centered in just one text if you only read Mark's account of this discussion, you will get one side of the story. Remember, Mark is trying to deal with the issue of divorce to help us understand it. He's answering the question of some guys who try to trick him and get him into a bad spot if you followed our discussion carefully. You know that Mark has allowed for no exceptions in his answer, but he has presented the permanence and perfection and purity of marriage and the general unacceptability of divorce from the standpoint of heaven. Mark does not look at the other side of the issue that we are imperfect people living in a sinful environment, but Matthew does consider that other side and it is a mistake to isolate Mark's teaching from Matthew's teaching because they go together. Mark and Matthew do not contradict each other. Matthew expands upon Mark's teaching. Now we need to read Matthew's account of Jesus words kit includes some words that Mark did not include in his answer in Matthew 19, nine we read Jesus answer to the disciples and I say to you, whoever divorces his wife except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery, and whoever marries her who was divorced commits adultery in Mark's gospel. There are no exceptions, but Matthew records everything that Jesus said that day and reminds us that in the whole issue of marriage and divorce, there is at least one exception, according to Matthew. And that is the exception of sexual immorality. This is not an easy subject to talk about but I'm glad you're still there.

Thank you for continuing to listen will try to wrap this up tomorrow and come to some conclusions as we unpack with the Scripture says about the subject can be sure to join us tomorrow.

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