In The Word
Read: Matthew 19:1-22
Concerning Divorce
19 When Jesus had finished these words, He left Galilee and came into the region of Judea beyond the Jordan; 2 and large crowds followed Him, and He healed them there.
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?” 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 his mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no person is to separate.” 7 They *said to Him, “Why, then, did Moses command to give her a certificate of divorce and send her away?”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. 9 And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”
10 The disciples *said to Him, “If the relationship of the man with his wife is like this, it is better not to marry.” 11 But He said to them, “Not all men canaccept this statement, but only those to whom it has been given. 12 For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother’s womb; and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by people; and there are also eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who is able to accept this, let him accept it.”
Jesus Blesses Little Children
13 Then some children were brought to Him so that He would lay His hands on them and pray; and the disciples rebuked them. 14 But Jesus said, “Leave the children alone, and do not forbid them to come to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”15 After laying His hands on them, He departed from there.
The Rich Young Ruler
16 And someone came to Him and said, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do so that I may obtain eternal life?” 17 And He said to him, “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you want to enter life, keep the commandments.” 18 Then he *said to Him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not commit murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not give false testimony;19 Honor your father and mother; and You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man *said to Him, “All these I have kept; what am I still lacking?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22 But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
I always tell my students that the ages of 17 to 21 are very important in our lives; these are the years in which many decide what we will do about our education, what type of career we want, and who we choose, if we choose, to marry. So many life-effecting decisions made in such a short time of our life, but the decision about marriage needs to be addressed. Do you look at marriage as your Heavenly Father views marriage?
The Pharisees at this time were divided by two views of what could permit someone to divorce. One view restricted divorce only to the act of indecency or sexual immorality when one partner committed adultery. The other view believed divorce was acceptable for any reason a husband had. Both believed it was a right that Moses granted (Deut.24:1-4). Jesus informed the Pharisees that it was never the Father’s intent, that marriage was a joining together that was never meant to be separated. It is so sad to see how, nowadays, marriage vows mean nothing at all; no commitment and no desire to work things out. I can’t tell you how many spouses I’ve counseled that would later on admit that they couldn’t believe they ended their marriage over such a small issue. I myself have had to fight through a season of misery in my marriage, and when I look back, now I’m so grateful that I fought for my marriage. Today, my wife and I are the happiest we’ve ever been, even after 35 years together. Both of us are changing, but we believe in the commitment we made to one another before God so many years ago. If you are in a marriage and you’re considering leaving, please think of the consequences. Remind yourself of the commitment you made before God, because He remembers.