Divorce & Remarriage
Divorce and Remarriage
Our topic today is a hot and controversial one. From the onset, I acknowledge that the body of Christ is divided on this topic and many do not want to discuss nor talk about it. But if you were attending Church service in the New Testament times and Jesus was the pastor preaching, all that we have been reading in the Gospel of Luke are his sermons including divorce and remarriage. In that case, let’s hear directly from Jesus on this topic of divorce and remarriage. Let’s go into this study with the background statistics that puts the rate of divorce in America at about 50-51% for the general population. The unfortunate thing is that the rate of divorce is no different in the Church or among those who claim to be “born again” Christians. I therefore enter this study with most humble attitude that says I am equally as vulnerable as you in keeping my marriage intact.
Luke 16: 13-18:
13"No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."
14The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. 15He said to them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight.
16"The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. 17It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.
18"Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
Here are my observations on the passage in addition to the ones you may have:
1. In the context of teaching about being shrewd and a good steward, Jesus drops a bomb on the Pharisees who were listening along with his disciples. Jesus’ message within this segment (13-18) is focused on the Pharisees but I believe His message is for all there then and for we here now.
2. Jesus likes to go to the root of problems and He states it. “No servant can serve two master…You cannot serve both God and money” The scripture says that “the love for money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (1 Timothy 6:10). Is there pain and grief in divorce? You bet. Most marriage counselors will tell you that most of the divorce problems can be traced to money problems.
3. “The Pharisees who loved money”. Did you see the link? When you love money, you are bound to have the problems and propensity to use people and discard them for self gain. This is the issue at hand and that is the issue for divorce.
4. Why was Jesus direct about this issue of divorce? Many probably would not believe that Jesus said what he said regarding divorce in this passage. “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery” Did Jesus really mean what he said? Divorce and no remarriage? I will let you be the judge. Before you answer lets agree on what Jesus did not say. He did not say if you are divorced you will not be forgiven? We cannot put unnecessary guilt on a divorcee that Jesus never intended and did not put on.
5. Listen to Jesus in another place on this topic. Matthew 5:31-32 "It has been said, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.'[f] 32But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery”. Based on this statement it sounds like Jesus is giving some caveat to the earlier statement in Luke namely, “marital unfaithfulness” Yes, marital unfaithfulness is grounds for divorce, but I don’t believe Jesus is saying you must always use it.
6. Let’s get more clarity from Jesus. 3Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?" 4"Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,'[a] 5and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'[b]? 6So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." 7"Why then," they asked, "did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?" 8Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. 9I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery." 10The disciples said to him, "If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry." 11Jesus replied, "Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. 12For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage[c]because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it."
7. Apostle Paul writes and affirms Jesus' teaching. 1 Corinthians 7:12To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. 13And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. 14For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. 15But if the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace. 16How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?
The bottom line is that Jesus is saying don’t divorce and if you do, then it is best not to remarry. Is there life after divorce? Certainly yes just like we have much life after any sin and we ask God for forgiveness and cleansing and restoration. We are being encouraged to do everything to keep our marriage and not harden our hearts against each other and thus not able to forgive in marriage. If you are already divorced and you think you must remarry, then talk to God about it and hear from Him directly on remarriage. May God help us to say big no to divorce in our marriage. May we help those struggling in marriage to say no to divorce. Amen.
Our topic today is a hot and controversial one. From the onset, I acknowledge that the body of Christ is divided on this topic and many do not want to discuss nor talk about it. But if you were attending Church service in the New Testament times and Jesus was the pastor preaching, all that we have been reading in the Gospel of Luke are his sermons including divorce and remarriage. In that case, let’s hear directly from Jesus on this topic of divorce and remarriage. Let’s go into this study with the background statistics that puts the rate of divorce in America at about 50-51% for the general population. The unfortunate thing is that the rate of divorce is no different in the Church or among those who claim to be “born again” Christians. I therefore enter this study with most humble attitude that says I am equally as vulnerable as you in keeping my marriage intact.
Luke 16: 13-18:
13"No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."
14The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. 15He said to them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight.
16"The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. 17It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.
18"Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
Here are my observations on the passage in addition to the ones you may have:
1. In the context of teaching about being shrewd and a good steward, Jesus drops a bomb on the Pharisees who were listening along with his disciples. Jesus’ message within this segment (13-18) is focused on the Pharisees but I believe His message is for all there then and for we here now.
2. Jesus likes to go to the root of problems and He states it. “No servant can serve two master…You cannot serve both God and money” The scripture says that “the love for money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (1 Timothy 6:10). Is there pain and grief in divorce? You bet. Most marriage counselors will tell you that most of the divorce problems can be traced to money problems.
3. “The Pharisees who loved money”. Did you see the link? When you love money, you are bound to have the problems and propensity to use people and discard them for self gain. This is the issue at hand and that is the issue for divorce.
4. Why was Jesus direct about this issue of divorce? Many probably would not believe that Jesus said what he said regarding divorce in this passage. “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery” Did Jesus really mean what he said? Divorce and no remarriage? I will let you be the judge. Before you answer lets agree on what Jesus did not say. He did not say if you are divorced you will not be forgiven? We cannot put unnecessary guilt on a divorcee that Jesus never intended and did not put on.
5. Listen to Jesus in another place on this topic. Matthew 5:31-32 "It has been said, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.'[f] 32But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery”. Based on this statement it sounds like Jesus is giving some caveat to the earlier statement in Luke namely, “marital unfaithfulness” Yes, marital unfaithfulness is grounds for divorce, but I don’t believe Jesus is saying you must always use it.
6. Let’s get more clarity from Jesus. 3Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?" 4"Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,'[a] 5and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'[b]? 6So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." 7"Why then," they asked, "did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?" 8Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. 9I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery." 10The disciples said to him, "If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry." 11Jesus replied, "Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. 12For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage[c]because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it."
7. Apostle Paul writes and affirms Jesus' teaching. 1 Corinthians 7:12To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. 13And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. 14For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. 15But if the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace. 16How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?
The bottom line is that Jesus is saying don’t divorce and if you do, then it is best not to remarry. Is there life after divorce? Certainly yes just like we have much life after any sin and we ask God for forgiveness and cleansing and restoration. We are being encouraged to do everything to keep our marriage and not harden our hearts against each other and thus not able to forgive in marriage. If you are already divorced and you think you must remarry, then talk to God about it and hear from Him directly on remarriage. May God help us to say big no to divorce in our marriage. May we help those struggling in marriage to say no to divorce. Amen.
Comments
He has written a 43 page paper that reviews the changes in the Greek made by Erasmus that effect the way Matthew 19:9 has been translated. I reviewed McFall's paper at Except For Fornication Clause of Matthew 19:9. I would love to hear some feedback on this position.