Luke 16:18 (Marriage, Divorce, and the Law of God)
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-We’re going to be all over the place this morning...
But, we are going to begin...
...with our next verse in Luke 16 (Verse 18).
(So let me encourage you to go ahead and be turning there)
If you’re not yet aware...
...our typical way of doing things, here...
...is to do verse-by-verse expositions...
...through entire books of the Bible.
And that has many benefits...
...to both the expositor and the listener!
The greatest benefit, being...
...that it forces you to deal with...
...EVERY WORD AND STATEMENT...
...that’s contained within the book!
And that’s something we desperately need...
Amen?
-But, there’s a downside to expository preaching too...
...(at least for the expositor):
What’s that?
It’s the same thing as the benefit:
It forces us to deal with...
...EVERY WORD AND EVERY STATEMENT...
...that’s contained within the book!
-I’ll be honest with you...
...I’ve been dreading coming to this text...
...for a really long time.
And there are a number of reasons for that:
1.) Almost every single person today...
...is in someway, affected by the issue of Divorce.
And it’s often very painful and emotional for them.
2.) It’s really, really complicated in some ways.
There isn’t a universal consensus on every facet of the issue...
...among Conservative, Bible-Believing Christians!
People have written entire books on the subject!
(I’ve been studying on this for months...
...and still don’t feel prepared)
So, hear me when I say, that...
...I approach this subject with...
Great Caution
A fair amount of fear and trepidation.
These are not the kind of sermons...
...where I can make everyone happy in the end.
In fact, these might be the kind of sermons...
...where NO ONE is happy with me in the end!
And I say that, because...
I may end up differing (in places)...
...with where the mainstream conservative resurgence...
...has landed on this issue today.
Don’t get me wrong...
...they/we ought to be commended...
...for pushing back so hard against the errors of...
Feminism
No Fault Divorce
Other assaults on Marriage and the Nuclear Family.
But, at the end of the day...
...the Christian’s duty is...
...NOT simply to be as opposite as possible...
...from that which is false...
Rather, the Christian’s duty is...
...to be as biblical as possible!
And those two things are not always the same.
Brethren, can we all agree...
-That we need to be biblical?
-That we need to submit to the word of God...
Even if it convicts us?
Even if it hurts our feelings?
Even if it causes some of our peers...
...to accuse us of being too soft...
...on important moral issues?
The fear of the Lord constrains me to...
...(at least try to) do that, this morning.
-Alright, here’s what we’re going to do:
We’re to break it up into at least two parts:
1.) Jesus’ Upholding of the sanctity of marriage (Today)
2.) His Permitted Grounds for its Dissolution (Next Sunday)
And then (if we need more time) we’ll come back...
...and do a more in depth study...
...during the next two evening sermons...
...as the conclusion to our study of...
...Marriage, Family, and Sexuality.
For now, let’s read our text...
...and ask for the Lord’s help:
We’re going to need it!
Amen?
18 “Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.
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Pray
-I think it’s important for us to remember...
...that Verse 18 is being spoken...
...in the context of what Jesus had said in the previous 2 Verses:
16 “The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it.
17 But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void.
So, it would appear to me...
...that Verse 18 is meant to be...
...an illustration/example...
...of that reassurance Jesus had given in Verse 17:
That he wan’t the enemy of the Law...
But rather, its friend!
That his teaching didn’t contradict the Law...
But rather, upheld it!
His Messianic Kingdom wouldn’t water down God’s Moral Standards...
But rather, strengthen them...
And that, it was actually the Scribes and Pharisees...
...who were diminishing the essence and intent of the Divine Law
-Now, we’ll look at the historical context in more detail later...
But for now, consider this summary of it at the outset:
These men, who claimed to be pillars of the Old Testament law, were violating that law every day, and nowhere more noticeably than in their utter disregard for Old Testament legislation about marriage. They were quick to grant divorces. Why?
Because that is what the people wanted. These men were more concerned to receive the applause of the people than to receive the blessing of God. — R.C. Sproul
So, with that in mind...
...let’s consider carefully...
...what Jesus is saying in Verse 18...
...and see who is the greater preserver of the Divine Law!
Jesus is making essentially two statements in Verse 18:
18 “Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery...
18 ...and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.
Now, before we see how this...
...relates to the Civil Law of the Mosaic Economy...
...let’s first be clear about its underlying Moral Law:
The 7th Commandment:
14 “You shall not commit adultery.
Now, what does that mean?
Well, being as discreet as possible...
...in its most basic sense...
...it means to be physically unfaithful...
...to the one flesh marriage union.
Remember the idea from Genesis:
24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
So, in this foundational sense...
...those two statements in Verse 18...
...seems like the only logical conclusion...
...that one could come to, right?
So, in one sense, these are really simple statements.
But, let’s not pass over them too quickly...
...because of that.
Let’s take the time...
...to break it down in statutory form:
1.) Any man who:
divorces his wife
gets remarried
(With no mention of the reason for it yet)
...Has violated the Seventh Commandment.
-Is that fair enough from that first clause?
2.) Any man who:
Marries a woman
Who herself has been divorced from a previous husband
(With no mention of the reason for it yet)
...Has also broken the Seventh Commandment.
Brethren, what does this tells us...
...about the essence of the 7th commandment?
It’s involves more than the mere physical act.
This shouldn’t surprise us.
Jesus had said in the S.O.M.:
27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’
28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
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So, in that sense, there’s nothing...
...new or complicated about what he said in Verse 18.
-And indeed, if that was...
...all that Jesus had ever said about it...
...it would be a pretty simple issue
But, that isn’t the case.
He said quite a bit more about it, actually...
And the only way to paint the full picture...
...is for us to harmonize...
...everything he said about it together.
So, that’s what we’re going to attempt to do.
-But first, think about this:
1.) How does what we just read in Verse 18...
...illustrate Jesus’ commitment...
...to upholding the Divine Law in Verse 17?
2.) How did it serve as a rebuke to the Pharisees?
Well, to find those answers...
...I think we need to do two things:
1.) Be aware of a theological debate...
...that was raging at the time.
2.) We need to look at...
...the Old Covenant Civil Law...
...that was behind that debate:
I think that better understanding those two things...
Will help us to better understand Jesus’ emphasis in our text...
Will help us to more accurately harmonize...
...the things that Jesus said about it elsewhere.
-Alright, first consider this:
The Pharisees were all in agreement that the OT permitted a man to write a certificate of dismissal and divorce his wife (not vice-versa) and that remarriage was therefore sanctioned.
But the two rabbinic schools of Shammai and Hillel differed on the grounds for divorce.
Shammai was much stricter than Hillel and permitted divorce only in the case of sexual immorality. Hillel permitted divorce for almost any reason. — NET Notes
You can see that backdrop in places like:
3 And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?”
-But, before we look back at the law that they were debating...
Consider what that already shows us...
...about Jesus’ emphasis in Verse 18:
18 “Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.
Do you see how Jesus’ marriage ethic...
...was transcending the ethic of the Pharisees?
They were trying to find loopholes TO divorce.
They were to be trying to find a way...
...to justify their unholy desires for other women...
...through a legal technicality!
But Jesus tells them that...
Even if they didn’t commit the physical act of adultery...
...before they divorced their wives...
...they had nevertheless broken the commandment...
...because of the desires of their hearts.
Brethren, God isn’t fooled by sophistry and legal maneuvering...
He commands faithfulness!
-Now, here was the primary OT law...
...that was in view:
1 “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, . . .
The meaning of that phrase was the debate
(Give possibilities)
...and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house...
What would that do?
Allow her to prove that she wasn’t still bound to a husband
Clarify the reason for her being put away...
Prevent any false/criminal reasons from being assumed.
Thus:
Allowing her to remarry
Keep her from becoming destitute
Keep her from being forced into prostitution
(Even being prostituted by her husband)
(elaborate)
Prevent her husband from making a claim on her later.
(It was a gracious protection for an undesirable situation)
-But, reading on...
...and she departs out of his house,
2 and if she goes and becomes another man’s wife,
Notice that remarriage is assumed here
Why?
Only two options (that, or her father’s house)
What if he’s dead, or doesn’t live in the same country?
This probably IMPLIES that...
...the idea behind a LAWFUL divorce was that...
...it dissolved the union...
...and left one free to marry again.
(That’s pretty debated)
(Needs a lot of qualification)
3 and the latter man hates her and writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, or if the latter man dies, who took her to be his wife,
Notice that both the divorce and the death...
...are seen as equally putting an end to the marriage.
4 then her former husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after she has been defiled...
This is the main directive of this command!
(Also, it would prevent the “sharing” of wives (like Islam))
...for that is an abomination before the Lord. And you shall not bring sin upon the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance.
So, what is this civil law doing?
1.) It’s mitigating the adverse effects of divorce
2.) It’s protecting the innocent party in a divorce...
...or at least, the more vulnerable party.
(she might, in fact, be guilty of some misconduct)
But remember that, Adultery was punished by stoning:
10 “If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.
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3.) It’s promoting the general welfare of society.
-Now, what is Deuteronomy 24 NOT doing?
It’s NOT promoting divorce!
(in fact, it would have GREATLY reduced it)
(It made it harder, more costly, more difficult)
What it’s doing is...
...much like the OT regulations for slavery did...
...it’s affording mercy and protection...
...in a situation that is inevitable in a fallen world...
...but is most certainly NOT...
...God’s IDEAL scenario for mankind.
Here is his heart in the matter in the OT:
13 ...You cover the Lord’s altar with tears, with weeping and groaning because he no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand.
14 But you say, “Why does he not?” Because the Lord was witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant.
15 Did he not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union? . . . So guard yourselves in your spirit, and let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth.
16 “For the man who does not love his wife but divorces her, says the Lord, the God of Israel, covers his garment with violence, says the Lord of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not be faithless.”
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That’s God’s desire and intention for marriage.
-Now, back to the Gospels...
...and how Jesus weighed in on this debate:
There appears to have been...
...two other occasions where...
...Jesus specifically addressed Marriage and Divorce.
During The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5)
After Jesus was asked to weigh in on that rabbinical debate (Matthew 19, Mark 10)
All three bring important considerations to the table.
We’re going to start with Mark:
-Mark presents the question to Jesus in more basic terms than Matthew:
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.
So, the provision was never something...
...that brought pleasure to the heart of God.
If men weren’t evil, divorce wouldn’t exist
That means:
EVERY divorce is a consequence of at least one person’s sin (if not both)
It’s NEVER morally neutral or benevolent.
“No Fault Divorces” are blatantly unbiblical!
Now, after that...
...Jesus then gives a strong defense of the sanctity of marriage...
One that transcended the civil law of Deuteronomy 24:
5 . . . “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.”
Notice that Mark doesn’t include ANY exceptions to the rule.
He simply says (like Malachi and Luke):
God made the Union
You have no authority to dissolve it
So, what does that tell us?
Only GOD… can say if/how a marriage can be dissolved!
Why?
Because he created and ordained it!
He’s the master of it!
Is that a high view of marriage?
Higher than both rabbinical schools?
Now, watch this:
10 And in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter.
(Notice that Mark includes something we haven’t seen yet):
11 And he said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her,
The Jews at the time only saw the offense...
...as occuring in the other direction.
(i.e., adultery was something a woman committed against a man...
...but not vice versa)
(That would be true if...
...a man’s wife was seen merely as his property)
(That dog won’t hunt in the Word of God)
She is...
Bone of his bones
Flesh of his flesh
And as such...
She’s not his chattel.
She’s his helpmeet.
She shares in the singular Divine image!
And God intends for...
BOTH man and woman to be committed to marital fidelity
BOTH of them to be protected from the sin of adultery
12 and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”
That wasn’t even in a thing in the Jewish world at the time...
And I think that shows us...
...that Mark, by including it...
...is intending to broaden out its application...
Beyond those under the Law of Moses
To the whole world.
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Guys, I hope you can see...
...that Jesus isn’t downgrading marriage in the Gospels.
He’s protecting it!
He’s upholding its sanctity!
His ultimate directive, desire, and intent for marriage...
...is that it be a lifelong, faithful, covenant union.
And that ought to be our desire too!
We ought to strive with all our might...
(dependent on his grace and power, of course)
To strengthen, preserve, and cultivate our marriages...
...so that they would become lifelong, Christ-Honoring-unions.
-Let me remind you:
We’re going to look at exceptions to the rule next week...
(They’re very few, btw)
Death
“Pornea” (Sexual Immorality)
Abandonment by an unbeliever.
But, even if exceptions do exist...
(some debate that)
They shouldn’t be our desire.
They shouldn’t be what we look for.
We ought to desire lifelong unions...
That bring Glory to God
Paint a picture of the Gospel for the world to see.
That’s what’s at stake, brethren.
That’s what’s at stake.
So, before we consider the possibility of exceptions...
Let’s first make sure that...
...our hearts align with the heart of God...
That we prioritize faithfulness and fidelity...
...over freedom and happiness.
Let’s make sure that the honor of Christ...
...is the first priority in our decision making.
Does that come naturally to us...
...in our fallen state?
But, we serve a supernatural Savior, don’t we?
He can make us...
Desire the right things!
He can give us the strength...
To DO the right things!
Amen?
Let’s ask for his help.
