Mark 10_1_12_ Notes on Divorce

Sometimes we get so caught up in the moment that we do things that have long lasting consequences. Be it marrying someone to soon and for the wrong reasons (lust) or conducting ourselves in an inappropriate manner that pushes each other further away from each other to the point where their seems to be no other route but to leave.

Last week

Mark 9:30-50 "True Greatness"

1. True greatness displays Personal tenderness

2. True greatness displays Personal holiness

3. True greatness displays Personal usefulness

Things that jump out at me

According to His custom He began to teach them - Jesus was always taking advantage of opportunities to teach the ways of the LORD. His ministry was literally as He was going and when opportunity arrived.

Vs. 2 The experts of the Law are asking Jesus about the Law. This questioning is about the Law of divorce. WHY? They were testing Him. WHY WERE THEY TESTING HIM?

They were upset with Him for stealing their students away, perhaps they hoped Herod Antipas would put Him to the same end that he put John the Baptist.

Vs. 3 Jesus answers with a question. What did moses command YOU? What does the Law tell YOU. - You = Personal Pronoun - Pharisees/readers/hearers

Vs. 4 Permitted = allowed

Vs. 5 He allowed it Because of their hardness of heart

Vs. 6 Marriage is between Male and Female

Vs. 8 Marriage is a coming together of two as one. One body, mind, soul, and heart.

Vs. 9 Joined by a covenant with God and each other, DO NOT BREAK THE COVENANT.

Vs. 11 Adultery - God's standards are High... To divorce and remarry is to break the Law... According to Jesus.

Main Idea Holiness in marriage? Unlawfulness of divorce?

Themes

Divorce among Believers

Divorce in General

Main Idea

Faithfulness in marriage honor's God and is beneficial those married.

Key terms, Vs., or Ideas

Testing (NASB) Tempting (KJV) Vs. 2

Permitted (NASB, CSB) Suffered (KJV) Vs. 4

1. Is it disobedient to God to divorce? (LAWFUL?) Vs. 2

2. Why did Moses Permit it? (Hardness of heart) Vs. 5

3. From the beginning, Male and Female Vs.6

4. Become one flesh. Vs. 8

5. What God has put together let no man separate. Vs. 9

6. To remarry is adultery. Vs. 11-12

Literary Typing

Mark 10:1-12 - gospel narrative (Conversation between Jesus and Pharisees and Jesus and His Disciples.

Mark 10:1-12 - Controversy (Pharisees offended that multitudes are coming to Jesus for proper teaching)

Mark 10:4 Pharisees allude to the OT (Deut. 24:1,3) (Matt 5:31)

Mark 10:5-12 Jesus' view on OT Law and what God really requires of people.

Mark 10:6 Jesus' paraphrases an OT quote. (Gen. 1:27) (Gen. 5:2)

Mark 10:7-8 Jesus Quotes OT (Gen 2:24)

Mark 10:9 Jesus' ruling on divorce (What God has joined together let no one separate)

Boundaries

NASB, NLT, ESV, NIV, and NKJV all agree on the pericope Mark 10:1-12

There are different emphasis found

NASB - Jesus teaches on Divorce

NLT - Divorce and Marriage

ESV - Teaching on Divorce

NIV - Divorce

NKJV - Divorce and Marriage

Propositions

1. Jesus' action role of teaching Vs.1

2. Pharisees (speech) question. Vs. 2

3. Jesus Response Vs.3

4. Pharisee's question (Request) of Moses permitting Divorce. vs. 4

5. The purpose. Vs. 5

6. Sets Precedent (From the beginning) Vs. 6

7. Divine action. (male and Female) Vs. 6

8. cause (For this reason) Vs.7

9. Jesus' pronouncement (Leave and become) Vs. 7,8

10. Result (One flesh) Vs. 8

11. Mandate (let no man seperate)

12. topic (Divorce) vs.11

13. Topic (Remarry) Vs.11

14. Result (Adultery) vs. 11

* Events

1. Moses permitting divorce. Deut. 24:1,3

A divorce certificate was permitted because otherwise man would send his wife away for no reason. The Law made the man give report of an indecency in the nakedness of his wife. Blemish or uncleanliness in her nakedness.

if a man finds some indecency in her ʿervâh, er-vaw´ Blemish or uncleanliness. THIS INDECENCY IN HER NAKEDNESS OR GENTILE AREA. Could this mean She does not please him? (Finds no favor in His eyes) Dissatisfaction.

Divorce certificate was made to protect the woman, a husband had to justify a divorce action against his wife by citing something indecent about her.

The right of divorce was grudgingly granted as an accommodation to the principle of male rulership that had resulted from the fall. But God’s original design, reflected in the “one flesh” marital relation, remained the standard for the union of man and woman in marriage.

Neither rulership nor divorce was part of God’s original design for the marriage relationship. The Mosaic regulation on divorce was a concession made by God to the fallen condition of mankind

Walter A. Elwell and Barry J. Beitzel, “Divorce,” Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988), 636.

God HATES divorce

For I hate divorce,” says the Lord, the God of Israel (Mal. 2:16)

2. First marriage - Adam and Eve - by design marriage was not to end, it was a covenant relationship between Man and woman and God (God joined them together). The two were to become one body. If you split one body that body can not survive.

3. Adultery

Important words

1. Divorce - Release, set free ..... 5x Vs. 2,4,11,12

2. Hardness of heart...................1x Vs. 5

3. Permitted VERB......................1x vs. 4

3. Teach.......................................1x Vs. 1

4. Testing..(put to the test, tempted). 1x vs. 2

5. Lawful..(Permitted, authorized) ... 1x Vs.2

6. Made.... (VERB)....................... 1x Vs.6

7. One Flesh................................ 2x Vs. 8

8. Joined.... (VERB)..... (Yoke)..... 1x Vs.9

9. Separate... (VERB)... (Divide)... 1x Vs. 9

10. Adultery...... commit.......2x Vs. 11&12

11.Marries (Remarriage...... 2x Vs. 11&12

Cross References

Mark 10:7-8. reference Gen.2:24 - Shows God's design for marriage is to be between 1 woman and 1 man and that it is a union that can't be broken. They become one with each other.

Mark 10:6 reference Gen. 1:27 - Shows in the beginning divorce was not to exist.

Deut. 24:1 Moses gives permission to divorce, this is for the protection of the woman so their husbands could not so easily send them away.

Parallel NT passages

Matt. 19:1-12

Mark 10:11-12 reference Matt.5:31 and Luke 6:18 OT Mal. 2:16

Most important Cross References

Gen. 2:24 Joining of the flesh "One Flesh" in marriage

Gen. 1:27 The beginning

Deut. 24:1 Certificate of divorce is introduced

Mal. 2:16 God hates divorce

Intertextual relations

Jesus is teaching Marriage is not to end in divorce and He uses the OT to make His case, going all the way back to the beginning. Creation.

The Pharisee's quote Deut. 24:1 which helps me better understand why Moses permitted divorce, it was to protect vulnerable women from the sinfulness of sending them away.

Parallel passages

Matt. 19:1-12

Matt 19:3 Pharisees ask Jesus "is it Lawful to divorce for any reason" Mark 10:2 asks if it is lawful in General.

The chronology is different - the Pharisees ask Jesus why then did moses command to give her a divorce certificate (Matt. 19:7) Jesus explains that it was not a command but an allowance, he permitted it due to the hardness of man. HE STATES FROM THE BEGINNING IT WAS NOT THIS WAY.

Matt. 19:10-12 The disciples ask if it is better not to marry at all, Jesus explains saying if you can live that way then accept it.

Commentaries

The New American Commentary brought up a good point from vs. 2. If Jesus was in Judea then he was in the jurisdiction of Herod Antipas. the reason mark says Jesus was Tested about divorce is perhaps he would offend Herod Antipas as John the Baptist did and He would meet the same fate as John.

Mark 10:3-4 Apparently a man could divorce his wife by a mere word but by Moses permitting a certificate to be issued the husband had to go through the trouble of geting a bill of divorce drawn up by witnesses and formally presented to the woman.

Mark 10:5 Moses did not command or encourage divorce. he merely permitted it.

Mark 10:6-8 Just as God is inseparably One being He intended for Male and Female to be become one being who would not be divided. The design of marriage is the permenant union of a man and woman with no divorce what so ever.

Mark 10:11 Jewish custom was a man could not commit adultery by being unfaithful to his wife. The only way a man could commit adultery is by having sex with another man's wife. But a woman could commit adultery by being unfaithful to her husband.

Reason for the text

To teach the divine standard for biblical marriage and to correct ideas on divorce.

The sinfulness of a fallen people seen by their breaking a covenant relationship.

Problems addressed

Hardness of the human heart in regards to divorce due to sin.

Divorce is impossible in God's eyes.

CPS

God's design for marriage was an everlasting covenant but He permitted divorce because of the sinfulness of man as a way to protect the helpless.

Application

God intended marriage to be a lifelong union.

Does your marriage honor God? Is God the center of your marriage? Will you stand on the truth of God's Word and preserver through good times and bad always drawing closer to your spouse each day. Are your eyes only for your spouse and do you love him/her with a love that is sacrificial? Do you realize the victims of divorce are those you love most, your children? Do you understand the pain in causes and life time of trust issue they experience?

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