Matthew 19:1-11
Read Matthew 19:1-11
Helpful Background Information:
The Gospel of Matthew was written by, obviously, the Apostle Matthew, likely anywhere from 50 to 60 A.D. He most likely wrote the book from the city of Antioch, due to the high number of Greek-speaking Jews living in the city, as seen in the Book of Acts. Matthew’s primary audience was Jewish Christians. Several pieces of evidence support this: Matthew often cites Jewish customs without explaining them, in contrast to other gospels, he constantly refers to Christ as the “Son of David,” and He quotes the Old Testament more than any other Gospel writer.
Our passage for today, Matthew 19:1-11, begins the fourth narrative section of the book: his ministry in Jerusalem. The Pharisees attempt to “test” Jesus on the topic of divorce - they were not seeking information in good faith, but rather posing a question that they hoped Jesus would not be able to answer satisfactorily, thus making the Lord look foolish. In first-century Judea, where this debate between the Pharisees and Jesus took place, there were contrasting rabbinical views on divorce. Again, the trap that the Pharisees had set for Christ was trying to get him to offend one of these views, thus causing Christ to lose influence.
However, Jesus masterfully answers their question, remaining faithful to God and his Word, and destroys the supposed trap. Jesus takes the Pharisees back to Genesis 2:24 - the same verse Paul quotes in Ephesians 5 and the one we studied yesterday - and says God’s design for marriage is always for one man and one woman for life. The Pharisees attempt to counter Jesus by misrepresenting Deuteronomy 24:1-4, where the Law of Moses allows for divorce. The Pharisees claim that Moses demanded divorce in certain cases. Jesus corrects them, stating that Moses didn’t demand divorce, but permitted it because of hard-heartedness. But even then, this was a provision accounting for human sinfulness, not in line with God’s original intent for marriage (Matt. 19:8).
On a final note, Jesus states here that sexual immorality is an exception that allows for divorce. It must be stated that this is not a demand to divorce one’s spouse if they fall into sexual immorality. Similar to Moses, this is a concession to the fallen human condition. Although sexual immorality may allow for marriage to end in divorce, the Gospel hope is that forgiveness and reconciliation will take place between the couple. The word “divorce” should never be on the minds and tongues of Christians; it is a tragedy and corruption of God’s good design, only done mournfully when necessary.
Reflection Questions:
Compare and contrast the use of Genesis 2:24 by Jesus and Paul. How do they use this verse differently to make their respective points? How do the points Jesus and Paul make relate to each other and give us a fuller understanding of marriage?
How does Jesus’ response to the Pharisees challenge our culture’s view of marriage and divorce today?
What does Jesus’ faithful handling of the Scriptures teach us about how we should engage with difficult or controversial topics in our own lives, including marriage?