Matthew 19:1-12

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Introduction

Teaching About Divorce

19 Now when Jesus had finished these sayings, he went away from Galilee and entered the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. 2 And large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.

3 And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” 4 He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” 7 They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” 8 He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”

10 The disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” 11 But he said to them, “Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. 12 For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it.”

As we leave chapter 18 and move on to chapter 19, so Jesus leaves the district of Galilee and heads south to Judea. Based on what Matthew records for us here, he takes the traditional route, crosses the Jordan to the east and travels south to avoid Samaria. He’ll eventually cross the Jordan River again and reach Jericho just before finally making his way to Jerusalem.
If you’re familiar biblical history you may recall Jericho is the same area where Joshua and the Israelites entered into the promised land from wandering in the desert. They had headed north along the eastern side of the Dead Sea through, or around, the land of Moab until they reached the plains of Moab in the southern river basin of the Jordan. It was at that point the Israelites crossed the Jordan and took Jericho and its surrounding cities.
And this is essentially the same area that Matthew speaks of here. While he doesn’t give us a detailed account of their journey to Jerusalem, we see Jesus leaving Jericho and heading to Jerusalem by the time we get to the end of chapter 20. So all of the accounts we read in chapters 19-20 take place somewhere along their journey south, in and around Jericho, or both.

Traveling, teaching and miracles

And if you’ve been with us for any length of time during our study of the book of Matthew you’ll find Matthew’s words in verses 1 and 2 very familiar,

19 Now when Jesus had finished these sayings, he went away from Galilee and entered the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. 2 And large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.

and in Mark’s parallel account he says something similar, he says,

10 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.

So the picture painted here for us, is that of Jesus’ typical behavior, traveling, teaching and miracles. And unfortunately, what was also typical of Jesus’ ministry was his repeated conflicts with the religious leaders in Israel. And this conflict will only become more frequent and severe as Jesus makes his way to Jerusalem, the epicenter of Jewish religion. The vast majority of all Jewish leaders (scribes and Pharisees) lived in and around Jerusalem. In fact, many of the religious leaders that Jesus has encountered thus far came from Jerusalem. The region of Galilee was what we might think of as small towns “out in the country” compared to the city of Jerusalem, so Jesus’ encounters with religious leaders has been sparse in comparison to what he will encounter when he arrives in Jerusalem.

Putting Jesus to the test

And so we read of yet another encounter Jesus has with the Pharisees here in chapter 19, starting there in verse 3,

3 And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?”

Now, before we jump into the subject matter of this text I want us to see something. I want us to see the backdrop of this text that has persisted since the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. And I’ve highlighted this before, but I don’t want us to lose site of it, otherwise we might miss part of the context of what we’re about read.
Notice the backdrop of this event. Large crowds have followed Jesus, and Matthew tells us that when they entered the region of Judea Jesus healed them there. Jesus continues to perform countless miracles, signs and wonders from heaven that testify to who he is, and yet a group of Pharisees approach him in the midst of all this, as though it isn’t overtly clear that he is from God. Jesus is from God and his works testify to that reality, yet the Pharisee seem completely blind to these things, and merely maneuver themselves for an opportunity to put Jesus to the test. Not to learn from him, not with an honest inquiry, but with impenetrable unbelief and contempt, willing to put even God himself to the test, they seek to challenge him, to put Jesus to the test.
Throughout the Gospels we see this play out again and again don’t we? For example, in John 8:6, the famous story of the woman caught in adultery, John says that the scribes and Pharisees brought the woman to Jesus in order to test him, “that they might have some charge to bring against him.”
Or, another example, from Luke 11:53, after Jesus calls the scribes and Pharisees “whitewashed tombs”, Luke says that,

53 As he went away from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard and to provoke him to speak about many things, 54 lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he might say.

This is what Jesus is up against nearly every time he interacts with the religious leaders in Israel. They’re stiff-necked, hard hearted, hypocrites - most of them, looking for ways to bring a charge against Jesus that they might destroy him, waiting to catch him in something says. So their questions are almost always intended to put Jesus to the test, which the Gospel writers repeatedly make very clear.

The offense of the Gospel

And this isn’t any less common for Christians today - is it? There's a reason many of us shrink back in fear to share the Gospel, because we know it’ll usually invite ridicule and scoffing, and potentially alienate us from many of those around us. And, while on one hand, the Gospel is good news, on the other hand, the Gospel is a bright light to those who are children of the dark, because it exposes us. So the natural man’s response isn’t usually going to be pleasant, for the light of the Gospel exposes our sin, and it challenges our unbelief. It makes us uncomfortable.

Jesus, the light of the world

We so often like to quote passages like John 3:16, and we should, but Jesus also said in John 3:19-20 that,

this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.

And Jesus is this light, it’s why we call him the light of the world - right? And while we usually think of Jesus as the light of the world in a singularly positive context, let us not forget that this light will also elicit opposition. Some of which will look just like what we see here with the Pharisees in Matthew 19.
And while Jesus also says in John 12:46 that he has,

come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.

the Pharisees have hardened their hearts against him, they’re not even phased by the innumerable miracles happening all around them, day in and day out.

Hard-heartedness

So remember, if you say in your heart, “I would believe if I saw Jesus’ miracles first-hand,” don’t be naive, for Jesus pointed out in Luke 16 that,

‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’ ”

In other words, if you’re not willing to listen to what God has already said in the Bible, then don’t think a miracle will convince you. You see, evidence isn’t our problem, it’s our hard hearts, and so it was with the Pharisees. This is the backdrop of these 12 verses here in Matthew 19. It’s why Matthew tells us that they were putting Jesus to the test. They’re not interested in what the Scriptures actually teach, instead they’re interested in catching Jesus in his words, they’re not approaching Jesus from a pure heart, of an earnestness to know the truth, but rather to put Jesus to the test.

Deuteronomy 24, Hillel v. Shammai

So they ask him,

“Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?”

In other words, is it okay to divorce your wife for any reason? Or is there any reason a man cannot divorce his wife?
Now, why would they ask Jesus this particular question in the first place? We know that they were seeking to test him, but why did they pick this specific question? Well, I think that history may have at least part of the answer to that question. So let’s look at the historical evidence that I think will help us understand why they ask the question that they do.
In the first century there were competing schools of thought on how to interpret certain portions of the Scriptures. Not unlike, what we or every other generation before us has faced. And like today there were schools of thought that tended to be more liberal and others that tended to be more conservative. The two schools of thought that were prominent in Jesus’ day were the schools of Hillel and Shammai, named after their founders. And if history serves us well, it appears that the Pharisees here in Matthew 19 were referring to a rabbinical debate concerning the grounds for divorce, particularly the interpretation of Deuteronomy 24, where Moses outlines legislation concerning divorce. Moses writes that,

24 “When a man takes a wife and marries her, if then she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house,

So, based on this text, a debate had arisen over what was permissible grounds for divorce.
Now, the followers of Hillel were generally known to be more liberal while the followers of Shammai tended to be more conservative. And with regards to this issue of divorce the school of Shammai argued that divorce was only permissible in the event of sexual immorality, while the school of Hillel argued that divorce was permissible under almost any circumstance. So many have argued that it’s likely that these Pharisees in Matthew 19 were from the school of Hillel, based upon the question they asked Jesus,

“Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?”

It’s also believed that the popular view among the Jewish people was the Hillel view, that divorce was lawful for almost any cause.
And I can only imagine that the men at that time probably valued their so-called “freedom” to do so, especially since only men were permitted to initiate a divorce. Just like those within the feminist movement, today, who value their so-called “freedom” to kill their unborn children.

Attempting to trap Jesus

So the question appears to be posed to draw out Jesus’ position before the people. In fact, by this time, the Pharisee’s probably already had an idea of what Jesus taught on the subject of divorce, otherwise I don’t think they would have chosen this particular question. And in Jesus’ sermon on the mount he had already made it clear what he believed the Scriptures taught on divorce, that,

everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

So the Pharisees seem to want to draw Jesus out and see if they can get him into hot water with the people, or give them added reason to bring a charge against him amongst their peers.
And this reminds me of how sometimes a news reporter or a debate moderator will ask a person running for political office a question to not merely to get at the heart of the person’s views, but to try to get them to say something that they know can and will be used against them in their campaign. They’re not really interested in getting at the heart or truth of a matter but merely to use the person’s words against them.

Jesus’ response

And while a politician frustratingly tends to avoid such attacks and questions to protect themselves, or even to hide their view purposefully, Jesus doesn’t do this. Instead, Jesus beats them at their own game. He doesn’t fall for their trap, and rather than engaging them directly over Deuteronomy 24, he makes a bee line of the book of Genesis. He answers them there in verse 4,

“Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Jesus quotes from Genesis 1:27 and 2:24 to answer their question. And I love how he begins, “Have you not read?” Jesus pushes back at their attempt to put him to the test. It’s as if he said, “Have you not read what Moses also said about this back in Genesis?” Because, remember, the Torah, or the first five books of the Bible were all written by Moses. The man who wrote Deuteronomy 24, that they’re arguing about, also wrote Genesis 1 and 2, so if they think they’re going to pit Jesus teaching on divorce against Moses teaching on divorce, then they better be ready to explain Deuteronomy 24 in light of what Moses also said back in Genesis 1 and 2.

The analogy of faith

Jesus uses a principle within biblical hermeneutics called the analogy of faith. Hermeneutics is just a fancy word for the science, or the methods, we use to interpret the Bible. And one of those methods is known as the analogy of faith, or that Scripture interprets Scripture. This method assumes a couple of very important things, 1) that God is omniscient, or all knowing, and 2) that he does not lie, and based on those assumptions we can conclude that there are no contradictions within the Bible. And if this is true then we can use Scripture to interpret other Scripture. In other words, we can use a clear text of Scripture to help us understand another less clear text of Scripture. Which is exactly what Jesus does here.
Jesus uses what God teaches in Genesis 1 and 2 to better understand what God is teaching in Deuteronomy 24. Jesus is going to show the Pharisees, and anyone within earshot, what the Torah clearly teaches about marriage and divorce.
So he tells them that, before the fall of mankind, God created them male and female, and that the man must leave his parents and host fast, or be joined, to his wife, that they might become, in essence, one flesh - a single unit. And because God has joined them together, man has no right to separate them.
Now, how does this help us understand Deuteronomy 24? Well, first is shows that the Pharisees had missed the whole point. The guiding truth in this entire issue is that God never intended for marriage to be torn apart in divorce. God never intended for marriage to be torn apart by divorce. Divorce is a terrible reality of a fallen world, it’s a terrible reality that exists because of sin. And the Pharisees were treating it like an opportunity. They were perfectly okay with divorce as long as they could justify it, even those who followed the house of Shammai, those were the conservatives on the issue. They were treating divorce like an opportunity rather than a tragedy. And you can see this clearly in verse 7,

They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?”

In other words, why would Moses command us to give a certificate of divorce at all, if he God’s so against it? Then look at the bombshell Jesus drops there in verse 8,

8 He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”

Why? Because of sin, that’s why Moses permitted divorce under certain circumstances, not because God sees no tragedy in it. Deuteronomy 24 is biblical legislation created solely because of sinful man. Divorce is always the result of sin, even if divorce isn’t in itself sin. Divorce is always the result of sin, even if that divorce falls within the parameters Deuteronomy 24, even if God permits it. The purpose of marriage is never to end in divorce. The purpose of marriage is for the good of man and the glory of God.
It’s remarkably telling there in verse 7 when the Pharisee’s change their description of Deuteronomy 24 from whether it’s lawful to get a divorce, to why then did Moses command it. Almost as if they were trying to imply that there was some kind of positive command in Moses’ words to get a divorce. They try to read a “commandment” into the text.

Divorce is not mandated or desirable

But divorce is never mandatory, nor is it ever desirable. While the Scriptures give us permission for divorce under certain circumstances, this doesn’t mean that divorce is mandated under those circumstances. This also doesn’t mean divorce is desirable under those circumstances. While it’s permissible under certain circumstances, it would be much better for there to be restoration. However, because of sin, and because of the hardness of the human heart, God has made an allowance for divorce, to protect spouses who have been injured.

Jesus’ teaching is hard

Jesus’ teaching on divorce is hard, not because his arguments are hard to understand, but because his teaching is so hard to swallow. We’re tempted to make excuses, to want to add to his list of exceptions, to complain about how bad our husband or wife is, or maybe some of us just want what we want, or don’t want to be obligated to such a binding commitment.
Jesus’ teaching on divorce is hard also because it reminds us of how divorce has affected us personally. It reminds us of the pain associated with divorce. I suspect nearly all of us in this room have been affected by divorce in one way or another, whether directly or indirectly. Whether we were involved in a divorce of our own, or were affected by the divorce of our parents, or any other number of ways. Divorce is a tragedy, therefore Jesus treats it as such.
In fact, his teaching on the subject literally shocks his disciples there in verse 10, they say,

“If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.”

And in one sense they’re right. Jesus goes on to tell them in verses 11-12 that God has, in fact, made some of us to never marry. Now, that doesn’t mean it isn’t a good thing for the man who finds a wife, but what Jesus’ teaching tells us that he takes the marriage covenant very seriously, and therefore so should we. And he takes the marriage covenant so seriously because he takes his marriage covenant with us so seriously. So while fallen humanity will forever be plagued by a hard-heartedness that will often lead to divorce, God will never leave us or forsake us.

No condemnation

And while Jesus makes a hard line on the issue of divorce, this doesn’t mean that God doesn’t forgive us of our own hard-heartedness, whether that results in divorce, or any other sin. Because Jesus is faithful in his marriage covenant with us (the church), he will forever be faithful to forgive us of our sin. So let us be glad that God takes marriage so seriously.

Prayer

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