1 And he left there and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan, and crowds gathered to him again. And again, as was his custom, he taught them.
2 And Pharisees came up and in order to test him asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” 3 He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” 4 They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away.” 5 And Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. 6 But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ 7 ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, 8 and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. 9 What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”
10 And in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. 11 And he said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, 12 and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”
13 And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. 15 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” 16 And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
Whenever a crowd gathered around Jesus, He taught them. While teaching a crowd, some Pharisees came and asked Jesus if it was lawful for a man to divorce his wife. The Pharisees were almost always out to trick Jesus and He knew this so He answered their question with a question, what does the law of Moses say? The Law of Moses allowed for divorce (Deut 24:1-4) but they implied by their answer that God was okay with it. Jesus tells them that this law only existed because of their hardness of heart. The Pharisees were also hard-hearted. (Some laws God instituted were primarily to protect the innocent or weaker party because of the sinfulness of others.) God’s original design from creation is that God made people male and female and in marriage, the man leaves (the authority of) his father and mother and forms a new family with his wife and they become one flesh. Through the marriage union, God creates a special one-flesh relationship that man should not separate.
When the disciples again ask Jesus about divorce, Jesus clarifies that the union God creates is so strong that if a man (initiates and) divorces his wife and marries another woman, he is committing adultery. The same applies to a wife.
Marriage is a serious issue with God. If you are married, what do you need to do to make sure you stay happily married and divorce doesn’t even enter the picture? If you are not yet married, what approach to dating and marriage do you need to take to ensure sure it will be a till-death-do-us-part relationship? In both situations, it will require self-sacrifice.
People were bringing their little children to Jesus so He could bless them. The disciples rebuked them because, unfortunately like many people, they saw little children as a nuisance or less worthy than an adult. Jesus was displeased with His disciples and lets the children come to Him. He then tells everyone that the only way into the kingdom of God is like a child—with childlike faith.
I know that sometimes people still remember and are hurt by things said by others that disregarded them as a child. I must make sure not to do that and also make sure, and encourage others to do the same, that if I have been hurt by someone who disregarded me due to my age to forgive them and move on.