3 The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?”
4 And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at 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 then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”
7 They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?”
8 He said to them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.”
10 His disciples said to Him, “If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry.”
Oh, yeah. They got it. Note the amazing reaction they had to Jesus' pronouncement:
"And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.”
They understood the finality of covenant commitment. They understood the limits of God's "winking". They realized that if you cannot divorce for just any reason and expect grace to flow,
then it is better not to marry at all. You can read Jesus' intent in the reaction of his disciples.
The insanity, the serial adultery that fills what passes for Christendom is painful to see. The Old Covenant rebuilders of the Jerusalem walls and temple were required to put away their unsanctioned (foreign pagan) wives. If the church were to get serious about obedience rather than relying upon the false salve of greasy grace, there would be an upheaval the likes of which has not been seen since Nehemiah snatched them bald, who dared marry the pagans.
Jesus is all about grace and forgiveness, but He also said: If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
How much do we love Jesus?
1 comment:
Which leaves me in a quandry! I'm ionterested in a woman who's been divorced. Twice I think. I know, I'm pondering having my head examined. I also have trouble with that scripture. According to it, I can't see this woman in anything other than friendship. I wouldn't want to be an adulterer. I did enough of that before I was saved. How you been, btw?!
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