Divorce

16. June 2008 by Bernice Davis.

Hello:

Welcome back from the weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let’s return to our study on divorce.  Our study takes place in Matthew 5^th chapter.  This is the first time that Jesus addressed the issue of divorce since he began his ministry.  In Matthew 19^th chapter, however, Jesus confronts this issue again.  Today, we will look at that Matthew 19^th chapter. 

Our text today is Matthew 19: 1 “And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these sayings, he departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judaea beyond Jordan; 2 And great multitudes followed him; and he healed them there. 3 The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?”

To properly understand this text, we must first place it in its historical context.  As you see, the text says that the Pharisees came unto Jesus to tempt him.   One would have to think why is asking Jesus about divorce a temptation?  

Earlier, when I begin this study on Matthew, I talked to you about four major groups that existed during the time of Jesus.  These groups were the Pharisees, Sadducees,  Essenses, and Zealots.   

The Pharisees were the more conservative group.  They were the legalists.  They followed the law to the “letter” yet often neglecting the spirit of the law and had become hypocritical and pious in their acts of worship. 

The Sadducees were the more liberal group and they were the more “political” group.  Whatever was “politically” correct is what they had a tendency to follow. 

I brought these two groups up to explain the temptation.  These groups varied in their beliefs.  One of the main area of differences were concerning divorce.  The Pharisees taught and believed that you could only get a divorce in the case of adultery.  The Sadducees believe that you could get a divorce for any reason.    

Are you getting the picture?  The question that was raised to Jesus was “Is it a lawful for a man to put away his wife for any cause.”  The Pharisees were trying to see if he was liberal in his thinking and would he side with the Sadducees in his theology on divorce.   This subject was a major battle between the religious leaders and the Pharisees were trying to draw Jesus into this age old conflict.   

This is why it is a temptation.  They were not trying to be educated on divorce; they were trying to trap Jesus. 

Tomorrow, we’ll deal with Jesus’ response.  God Bless. Don’t forget to pray and read God’s word daily. 

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »