A Discussion On Divorce
Or
The Meaningfulness Of Marriage
Sunday April 3, 2022
Scripture To Consider:
“Then Jesus arose from there and came to the region of Judea by the other side of the Jordan. And multitudes gathered to Him again, and as He was accustomed, He taught them again. The Pharisees came and asked Him, ‘Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?’ testing Jesus. And Jesus answered and said to them, ‘What did Moses command you?’ They said, ‘Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce, and dismiss her.’”
“And Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. But from the beginning of creation, 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 two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no man separate.’”
“In the house His disciples also asked Jesus again about the same matter. 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.’” Mark 10.1-12
Something To Consider:
It was the custom of Jesus to teach wherever and whenever anyone was willing to listen. The fact is that leaders are teachers at all times. Leaders teach by what words they speak and sometimes by what words they do not speak. Spiritual leaders teach by their actions, their attitudes, and their commitment or lack of commitment to the cause of Christ.
Are we teaching others a true commitment to Jesus by our actions and by our words? Or are we falling short of being faithful in the arena of commitment? Marriage, from God’s perspective, is all about a lifelong commitment! When my lovely bride of thirty-eight years and I began discussing the possibility of marriage, we promised each other that the subject of divorce would never be brought up.
Thanks to God’s mercy and forgiveness, the topic of divorce in our home is as good as dead, buried, and never to rise! We willingly chose and continue to choose to never have any future discussions on divorce. We thank God for the encouragement from His Word to endure to the end of whatever, and to be extremely grateful for each other’s unending love and marriage commitment. And these are decisions that can be made at any time in a marriage. What is past is in the past, and what the future is to be is still a decision yet to be made.
Something Else To Consider:
While Jesus was teaching, the Pharisees came to Him with a question for the sole purpose of testing or entrapping Him. Their question was, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” John the Baptist was killed by being beheaded for his speaking out concerning Herod’s adulterous and sinful marriage with his brother’s Philip’s wife Herodias.
Therefore, Jesus employed a tried-and-true teaching tactic He often used with much effectiveness. He in turn asked the Pharisees a question, “What did Moses command you?” Is that not the tactic we should take to disagreements within the body of Christ? Should we not be asking what the Word of God declares on whatever subject is being discussed and creating disagreements?
On the subject of marriage, the apostle Paul in Ephesians 5.25, was inspired to proclaim, “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church, and gave Himself for it.” Marriage is a matter of sacrifice and faithfulness. It appears that men have difficulty with these two aspects of commitment, therefore God influenced Paul to write, “Husbands [not wives], love your wives as Christ loved the church, and gave Himself for it [or was willing to die for it].”
Something More To Consider:
Jesus stated the truth, by saying, “Because of the hardness of your heart he [Moses] wrote you this precept [concerning divorce].” Jesus continued to also declare that from the beginning it was not so. Divorce did not originate in the mind of God or Moses. In Matthew 19.9, Jesus stated that the only reason for any discussion of divorce was to be for sexual immorality on the part of one or the other of married couples. And, it must be noted that at the same time Jesus did not mandate divorce even for sexual immorality, in case true forgiveness could be extended by the offended individual.
It should be noted that divorce is as any other sin in one significant way, it is not the unpardonable sin. Divorce can be forgiven, like murder, like lying, and like stealing, just to name a few transgressions. The precious blood of Jesus was shed for “ALL SIN!” Therefore, the real discussion should never be on divorce, but rather on the meaningfulness of marriage which was ordained and blessed by God from creation.
According to the writer of Hebrews 13.4; “Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed [marriage bed] undefiled; but fornicators and adulteries God will judge.” Though the writer in the very next verse in Hebrews chapter 13 was speaking of the greed of covetousness, his instruction also related to the meaningfulness of marriage, and another reason for many divorces. “Be content with such things as you have [materialistically, or as it pertains to your marriage spouse].”
A Few Final Words:
And yet, our being content or our not being content, as it relates to material things such as earthly possessions, position, marital status, or most situations in life; is very important to say the least. The apostle Paul instructed young Timothy of chapter 6 and verse 6 of 1 Timothy, by stating; “Now godliness with contentment is great gain.” How much better off would the human race be if it sought after godliness and contentment as vigorously as it seeks after financial gain and monetary prosperity?
And yet, any discussion on divorce should be tempered by the importance and the meaningfulness of marriage, for as goes the marriage, so goes the society. Therefore, the attack on marriage that has been insidiously established by Satan is relentless. The extreme damage that has been done to millions during the last few generations is eternally shameful.
Therefore, the spiritual battle will continue in these end times, possibly like never before. As married believing true Christians, are we prepared? Are we content? Are we desiring to live godly lives? Do we fully understand the meaningfulness of marriage under the endorsement of Almighty God?
For according to Jesus, “Therefore, what God has joined together, let no man [no demon, no outside force including Satan] separate.” To God be the glory!
Prayer:
Our Father in heaven, let us as Your people, focus our efforts and attention on the meaningfulness of marriage between a man and a woman. Let us be willing to heed the spoken and written words of Jesus. In Him Always, Amen!
According to Jesus 