Matthew 19:1-9

Scripture Reading: Matthew 19:1-9

Introduction

We’re Taking the Kiddie Gloves Off this Morning

In Our Text, Jesus is Going to Teach Us an Important Truth…

On MDR

MDR has Never Been a Simple Subject

Because of that, There’s a Lot for Us to Look at…

So We’re Going to Jump Right in

Matthew 19:1-9

Matthew 19:1–2 (NASB95)

1 When Jesus had finished these words, He departed from Galilee and came into the region of Judea beyond the Jordan; 2 and large crowds followed Him, and He healed them there.

“When Jesus had Finished These Words”…

Was Matthew’s Way of Saying:

“Jesus’ Teaching Discourse is Over”

Jesus is Now Leaving the Region of Galilee…

Where He has Been for the Majority of Matthew’s Account…

And He’s Heading to Judea

The Time of His Exaltation is Drawing Near

While He was Making His Way to Judea…

Large Crowds Followed Him and He Healed Them

Matthew 19:3 (NASB95)

3 Some Pharisees came to Jesus, testing Him and asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all?”

As Usual, the Pharisees are Hoping to Trap Jesus with a Loaded Question

They Want to Put Jesus in a Tough Spot

They Want a Simple “Yes” or “No” From Jesus

Because Either Answer will Upset a Lot of People

It was Widely Accepted Throughout Judaism…

That a Man had the Right to Divorce His Wife

The Rules were Different for a Woman, of Course

They Didn’t have the Right to Divorce Their Husbands

But it was a Widely Accepted Belief…

That Men were Allowed to Divorce Their Wives

Their Proof-Text for this was Deuteronomy 24:1

Deuteronomy 24:1 (NASB95)

1 “When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that 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 from his house,

They Interpreted that Passage to Be God’s Endorsement of Divorce

The Pharisees Question Wasn’t:

“Is it Lawful for a Man to Divorce His Wife?”

The Right to Divorce was Assumed/Taken for Granted

Their Question was:

“Can a Man Divorce His Wife for Any Reason?”

This was a Highly Debated Question in Jewish Rabbinic Circles

And That’s Why the Pharisees Knew this Question…

Would Be a Good One to Trap Jesus with

There were 2 Prominent Rabbis Who Interpreted Deuteronomy 24:1 Differently

Mainly Because the Word “Indecency” is Difficult to Define

You’ve Got Rabbi Shammai Who Interpreted it One Way

And Then You’ve Got Rabbi Hillel Who Interpreted Another

Later on, Rabbi Aqiba Takes it in Another Direction

And We can Read Their Interpretations in the Mishnah

(Written Collection of Jewish Traditions)

The Mishnah (Gittin) 9:10

The House of Shammai say, “A man should divorce his wife only because he has found grounds for it in unchastity, “since it is said, Because he has found in her indecency in anything.”

Shammai Took a More Conservative Position

A Man can Only Divorce His Wife if She’s Been Unfaithful

But Then There’s Some Possible Issues with that Interpretation Because…

Just 2 Chapters Earlier in Deuteronomy 22:22, We Read…

That the Unfaithful Wife is to Be Put to Death, Not Divorced

So, that’s Led to Other Interpretations, Like Rabbi Hillel:

And the House of Hillel say, “Even if she spoiled his dish, “since it is said, Because he has found in her indecency in anything.

Hillel Took a More Liberal Approach

He Claimed “Indecency” could Mean Just About Whatever You Want it to Mean

The Old Joke of Divorcing Your Wife Because She Burned Dinner…

Is Not Something People Just Made Up

That was Literally the Position of Rabbi Hillel

And it Seems that Many, if Not Most, Jews…

Sided with Rabbi Hillel

Because, Why Not?

Why Seek a Divorce Through Shammai…

Who Requires the Cause of Unfaithfulness…

When You can Just Go to Hillel…

And Get Divorced for Just About Any Reason

Then Lastly There’s Rabbi Aqiba:

R. Aqiba says, “Even if he found someone else prettier than she, “since it is said, And it shall be if she find no favor in his eyes.”

He Took it as Far as Hillel, or Maybe Even Further

If You’re Walking Down the Street and See a Woman Prettier Than Your Wife…

You can Just Divorce Your Wife and Marry Her

I Think We Tend to Look at Divorce in America and Think:

“It’s Never Been this Bad Before!”

“People are Getting Divorced Left and Right!”

“What Happened to the Sanctity of Marriage?”

Guess What - This isn’t New

Divorce for Any Reason was Just as Prominent and Accepted in Jesus’ Day

So, Let’s Get Back to the Pharisees’ Question:

Matthew 19:3 (NASB95)

3 Some Pharisees came to Jesus, testing Him and asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all?”

How’s Jesus Going to Answer this Question?

Will He Side with Shammai or Hillel?

Matthew 19:4–6 (NASB95)

4 And He answered and said, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined 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 no man separate.”

Jesus Didn’t Point Them Toward Shammai

Jesus Didn’t Side with Hillel

Jesus Didn’t Even Deal with Deuteronomy 24

Jesus Took Them All the Way Back to the Beginning

Jewish Rabbis had a Saying, “The More Original, the Weightier”

That is to Say:

Original Commands/Principles are More Important…

Than Subsequent Commands/Principles

That’s the Kind of Argument Jesus is Making Here

What God Said in the Creation Narrative…

Is Weightier Than What Moses Said Later

That Doesn’t Mean Jesus is Disregarding Deuteronomy 24

It Means that Passages Like Deuteronomy 24…

Need to Be Interpreted in Light of the More Original Principles of Creation

Genesis Holds God’s Original Intention for Marriage

Deuteronomy is Giving Instruction on How to Handle…

The Problems that Occur When the Original Intention isn’t Followed

The Original Intention should Take Precedence Over the Later Instruction

When Dealing with the Topic of Marriage and Divorce…

The Jews were Starting in Deuteronomy…

When They should’ve Started in Genesis

When You Start with Deuteronomy 24…

You Presuppose that Divorce is Something to Be Expected

And the Only Question to Ask Then is:

“When is Divorce Allowed?”

But When You Start with Genesis/Creation…

Divorce is Not Even on the Table

If God has Joined Something Together…

Why would We Ever Seek to Separate it?

The Focus shouldn’t Be on When I’m Allowed to Get a Divorce…

But on How can My Marriage Serve the Purpose/Will of God

Jesus’ Answer to the Pharisees’ Question is This:

When God Created Humanity, He Created Marriage

This Relationship is to Be Closer Than Any Other Human Relationship

It’s the Closest of Human Unities

2 People Becoming 1

Marriage is Not Some Casual Union that can Be Bound and Broken Whenever You Want

It’s Sacred and Permanent

In Answer to the Pharisees’ Question…

Jesus Didn’t Take a Side in the Debate…

Because the Debaters had Lost Sight of the Original Intention of Marriage

“You Want to Know When You can Divorce Your Wives?”

“You Were Never Meant to!”

But the Pharisees Still have One Last Trick Up Their Sleave

Matthew 19:7 (NASB95)

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

“Oh Yeah! Well if God Doesn’t Want Us to Divorce…”

“Then Why Did Moses Command Us to Give a Divorce Certificate?”

First Off, Moses Never Commanded Anyone to Divorce

He was Regulating a Practice that was Already Going on

The Practice of Divorce in the OT is Similar to the Practice of Slavery

Slavery was Never Commanded or Intended By God

But, it was Something that the People were Practicing…

So God Placed Regulations on the Practice of Slavery

These Regulations were for the Purpose of Stopping Injustices…

From Taking Place Within Slavery

God Never Wanted Men to Divorce Their Wives…

But They Were

So He Commanded for Regulations to Be Followed

If a Man is Going to Divorce His Wife…

He Must Give Her a Divorce Certificate

Why?

To Stop Injustices From Taking Place

It was for the Woman’s Protection

The Purpose of a Divorce Certificate was to Say:

“This Woman is No Longer My Wife, and She is Free to Marry Another”

We Read this in the Mishnah

The Mishnah (Gittin) 9:3

The text of the writ of divorce [is as follows]: “Lo, you are permitted to any man.” R. Judah says, “Let this be from me your writ of divorce, letter of dismissal, and deed of liberation, that you may marry anyone you want.” The text of a writ of emancipation [is as follows]: “Lo, you are a free girl, lo, you are your own [possession].”

If a Man Were to Send Away His Wife and Kick Her Out of the House…

And Not Give Her a Divorce Certificate…

No Other Man would Marry Her Because She was Still Technically Married

So She would Be Without a Husband and Provider…

Due to No Fault of Her Own

But with a Divorce Certificate…

She had Proof that She was Free to Remarry and Be Provided for

God Commanded this Regulation of Divorce for the Woman’s Protection

But the Pharisees Looked at God’s Regulation of Divorce…

As God’s Approval of Divorce

Jesus Whole-Heartedly Rejected that

Matthew 19:8 (NASB95)

8 He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way.

They Said: “Why Did Moses Command Us…”

Jesus Said: “Moses Permitted/Allowed You…”

Why Did God Allow Them to Divorce Their Wives?

Because of Their Hardness of Heart

They were Victimizing Their Wives

That’s Why God Placed Within the Law…

The Necessity of the Divorce Certificate

So Wives would No Longer Be Victimized…

By Their Cruel, Hard-Hearted Husbands

God Allowed Divorce Because His Hard-Hearted People…

Were Rebelling Against God’s Covenant of Marriage…

And Against His Command to Love Others as Themselves

But, None of this should’ve Ever Been the Case

Divorce was Never a Part of God’s Original Intention for Marriage

It was Only Because of Human Weakness and Hard Hearts…

That God Allowed and Regulated Divorce

Marriage was Never Meant to Be Entered into with a Mindset of:

“I can Get Out of this Anytime I Want”

It was Meant to Be Permanent

Matthew 19:9 (LSB)

9 “And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”

This View of MDR that Jews had Simply Taken for Granted…

Jesus Called Adultery

This Practice of Divorcing Your Wives for Just Any Reason…

And Marrying Another Woman is Adultery

God Never Intended for Humanity to Treat Marriage this Way

This Jewish Debate Over When a Man can Divorce His Wife…

Should Never have Been a Debate in the First Place

But, Because of Hard Hearts and Sinfulness, it was

And Because of that, Jesus Does Give an Exception in this Passage

If Your Spouse Commits Sexual Immorality/Adultery…

They have Broken the Marriage Covenant…

And You are Free to Divorce and Remarry

Under Jewish Law at that Time…

Divorce on the Grounds of Adultery wasn’t Just Allowed…

It was Required

But Jesus isn’t Requiring Divorce of His Followers

In a Perfect World, Divorce wouldn’t Exist

But, in this Fallen World of Weakness, Sin, and Hard Hearts…

Jesus Allows for Divorce

But I Guarantee You that He would Prefer…

Repentance, Forgiveness, and Reconciliation

The Very Thing He was Teaching Immediately Before this Text

Application

There are Lots of Questions that We Like to Ask on the Topic of MDR

“What About in Cases of Abuse?”

“What About When I’m the Innocent Party in an Unwanted Divorce?”

These and More are All Really Good Questions

I Believe the OT & NT Provide Some Answers to Some of Those Questions

But that’s Not What Jesus is Dealing with Here

He is Dealing with the Overall Concept of Divorce

And that’s All I’m Going to Deal with in this Lesson

If You have Questions, Ask Me in Private and We can Discuss

The Point Jesus Wants Us to Understand is:

When the World was in a State of Perfection…

Divorce Didn’t Exist

Husband and Wife Joined Together in a Divine Covenant of Love…

And They Never Sought for that Covenant to End

Marriage Wasn’t Just About Personal Happiness

It was About Mutual Love and Service

It was About Procreation and Creating New Image Bearers of God

It was About Representing the Character of God and Glorifying Him

Only After the Fall of Humanity into Sin…

Did the Evil of Divorce Enter the Picture

Jesus Came to Make All Things New

He Came to Restore the World to God’s Original Intention

In Christ, We are Now Considered a New Creation

Our Sin has Been Forgiven/Erased

Our Spirit Shares its Home with God’s Holy Spirit in Our Bodies

As Newly Created Citizens of Jesus’ Heavenly Kingdom…

Divorce should Once Again No Longer Exist to Us

In New Creation, Divorce Didn’t Exist

In Renewed Creation, Divorce should No Longer Exist

That Sounds Impossible to Many People

Jesus Sounds Radical to Our Modern Society

But, FYI, Jesus Sounded Just as Radical to His Own Society

Just Read the Very Next Verse (Verse 10)

Jesus was Challenging the Accepted Norms of His Own Culture

He was Teaching Them to have a Transformed View of Marriage

And He Teaching Us the Same

Stop Asking, “Under What Circumstances can I Divorce My Spouse?”

Start Asking:

“How can I Better Love & Serve My Spouse?”

“How can My Marriage Be a Blessing to God and His Kingdom?”

“How can My Marriage Lead Others to Jesus?”