‘ “You have heard the law that says, ‘A man can divorce his wife by merely giving her a written notice of divorce.’ But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman also commits adultery. ‘ Matthew 5:31-32
As we continue through the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tackles the subject of divorce.
Here are the links to the previous posts in this series:
‘ “You have heard the law that says, ‘A man can divorce his wife by merely giving her a written notice of divorce.’ But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery.
In those days, when Jesus addressed the crowd with His sermon, there were two sects of Pharisees: the very conservative group called Shammai and the liberal sect called Hillel.
The conservative Pharisees considered it okay to divorce your wife because of uncleanliness, which would have come from adultery or sexual immorality. And the liberal group stretched the reasons for divorce to whatever they didn’t like about what their wife was doing.
It could have been anything from how their wives prepared their meals to how they kept the house.
The more liberal Pharisees took a narrow reason to divorce to whatever the defense they found to divorce their wives.
Isn’t that just like us, though? We find a way to skirt the things we don’t like doing by finding ways around it.
And anyone who marries a divorced woman also commits adultery.
I am thankful for God’s grace. I am divorced and remarried to a wonderful Godly woman. And I know many others who are as well.
Thankfully, there is only one unforgivable sin: resisting the Holy Spirit. Jesus knew this when He was preaching the Sermon on the Mount. He was preaching the IDEAL, and this should force us to see the need for Jesus himself as our Savior.
Here is an exchange and widely preached about encounter with the woman at the well:
‘“Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.” “Go and get your husband,” Jesus told her. “I don’t have a husband,” the woman replied. Jesus said, “You’re right! You don’t have a husband— for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!” “Sir,” the woman said, “you must be a prophet. So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?” Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” The woman said, “I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Then Jesus told her, “I Am the Messiah!” Just then his disciples came back. They were shocked to find him talking to a woman, but none of them had the nerve to ask, “What do you want with her?” or “Why are you talking to her?” The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?” So the people came streaming from the village to see him. ‘ John 4:15-30
Jesus confronted this woman with her marital status. But He didn’t condemn her for it. Scripture doesn’t record the rest of this woman’s story, but by God’s grace, she worked these things out in her life, either by leaving the man she was living with or marrying him. This is strictly conjecture, but I know this happens in the lives of those whom Jesus enters.
Heavenly Father, please give me the courage to look at Your Word as a complete revelation, not simply picking and choosing the things I want to live by.
I ask You to give me a sensitive spirit to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Please give me the courage to react to the Spirit’s moving in my heart.
I am thankful for Your grace, mercy and forgiveness.
In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray, Amen!!
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