Week 5 – Jeff Maness – November 11, 2019
There are not many subjects in the church that have caused more confusion and condemnation other than the subject of divorce and remarriage. In today’s culture, almost everyone has a first hand experience with it and has an opinion about it. But the ultimately, the only opinion that matters is the opinion of Christ Himself. So what does Jesus say about divorce and remarriage?
#Single: Divorce
Big Question: What does Jesus say about divorce and remarriage?
Main Scripture: Matthew 19:1-12
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Matthew 19:1-3 1 When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went down to the region of Judea east of the Jordan River. 2 Large crowds followed him there, and he healed their sick. 3 Some Pharisees came and tried to trap him with this question: “Should a man be allowed to divorce his wife for just any reason?”
Matthew 19:4-8 4 “Haven’t you read the Scriptures?” Jesus replied. “They record that from the beginning ‘God made them male and female.’” 5 And he said, “‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’ 6 Since they are no longer two but one, let no one split apart what God has joined together.” 7 “Then why did Moses say in the law that a man could give his wife a written notice of divorce and send her away?” they asked. 8 Jesus replied, “Moses permitted divorce only as a concession to your hard hearts, but it was not what God had originally intended.
- Divorce was never God’s intention
Nowhere in Matthew 19 does Jesus suggest that we were made for marriage or that marriage was made for us. Rather, his point is that marriage was not made for divorce. — Kutter Callaway (Breaking The Marriage Idol)
Malachi 2:16a 16a “For I hate divorce!” says the LORD, the God of Israel.
Matthew 19:9 9 And I tell you this, whoever divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery—unless his wife has been unfaithful.
Porneia = Sexual immorality
- Divorce is only allowed due to immorality
So from the very start, responding to the call of marriage as a Christian should involve a basic recognition that there are no such things as “perfect mates.” There are only flawed and unfaithful people who are exactly like us—people who need forgiveness for failures that seem impossible to forgive. — Kutter Callaway (Breaking The Marriage Idol)
- Divorce can lead to immorality
Matthew 19:9 9 And I tell you this, whoever divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery—unless his wife has been unfaithful.
Matthew 19:10-12 10 Jesus’ disciples then said to him, “If this is the case, it is better not to marry!” 11 “Not everyone can accept this statement,” Jesus said. “Only those whom God helps. 12 Some are born as eunuchs, some have been made eunuchs by others, and some choose not to marry for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.”
- Neither marriage nor divorce are inevitable
1 Corinthians 7:10-11, 15 10 But for those who are married, I have a command that comes not from me, but from the Lord. A wife must not leave her husband. 11 But if she does leave him, let her remain single or else be reconciled to him. And the husband must not leave his wife. 15 But if the husband or wife who isn’t a believer insists on leaving, let them go. In such cases the believing husband or wife is no longer bound to the other, for God has called you to live in peace.
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