“ It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery. “ - Matthew 5:31,32 The Sermon on the mount

“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?

And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?

He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.

His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry.

But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given.For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.
“ - Matt 19:3-12

“And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage:

But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage:Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.” - Luke 20:34-36

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BIBLICAL LIVING 101 - Marriage & Divorce
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We are back to our series and this week we will look closer at Marriage and of necessity, Divorce. Complicated and sensitive subjects, and one with which most of us are all too intimately familiar - so let’s begin by asking the Word, a basic question-

1. Why the institution of Marriage?

The first one was a pretty intimate affair - just the husband, bride and one Person representing both sides! There was no rehearsal or reception, no vows of fidelity were exchanged, nor was it recorded in any formal document (yet!).... but for all that ... a bride was given away, and a son found his other half, establishing a pattern of leaving his parents to become a parent himself.

So, when the Pharisees ask about the finer points of regulated divorce (text #2), Christ points them back to the Genesis account - to first understand marriage. Please note that He not only quotes it, He interprets it literally,exactly as written... ( as should we ! ) and here’s a hidden gem ... ADAMS words are attributed to God Himself!

These words of Adam “son will leave etc..” are the one and only prophetic ones spoken by him ( check it out! ) and here we have proof from Christ’s own lips - when He says that HE said it!

Paul calls this a great mystery ... which we now know of course... the Bride is the church and there is a Marriage Supper with the Son ! He does this in, Ephesians 5: 22-5:32 , where he references the Genesis account AS WELL... and.... that section of scripture is Paul’s manual on Marriage counseling !! (Husbands love your wives, wives submit etc... )

Looks like we are on the right track.... so what about the Genesis account? Here it is... ( answer to the Pharisees )

“He which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man...etc.”

Do you see it? .... read it again.... ? you’re looking right at it ...

Humankind is “them” (plural but grouped together) and the plurality or only difference is gender - MADE ...THEM ..male and female . Man and woman are equally human in all other respects!

Now when you look at Christ’s response on marriage to a second group of theologians ( the Sadducees ) it is clear as crystal. ( Our last text this week )

Do you see the words He, She, Son, Daughter in there? NO! CHILDREN, and THOSE/THEY.... He is talking about human spirits raised from the dead, perfect, -as He is perfect-, and physical gender is no longer a concept, so therefore , is Marriage!!! To further reinforce the fact , we are told “the children of -this world- marry etc...” ... but not in the Resurrection - no sir... That is a level of cosmic existence we yearn to experience!

So we have our answer to question #1.

A. Marriage is a “Type” (/mystery) that shows us Gods foreordained plan of Redemption.

B. It was also a consequence of an INTENTIONAL decision to make humankind male/female ( see A )

C. It is a temporary institution ( like gender ), which will pass away - as Christ says to the Sadducees, to ask that silly question is to confess ignorance of the Scriptures!!!!

Yes we will have a new body , but what if you could choose whatever you wanted it to look like at any moment ? .... just look how far we go with our automobiles ... but why stop there.. ?

“But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” - 1 Cor 2:9

( Now... Since we just did write it down... we can be sure it’s going to top even that !)

2. What does that mean for Divorce?

Again, back to the Word ... “they are no longer two, but one flesh. What God has joined together let no man put asunder”.

What’s going on here?... given the gender discussion it’s fairly obvious ... we are talking about a physical relationship! Here’s a big takeaway ...as per the Bible...

You are “married” to someone the moment you have a physical relationship with them... any additional/subsequent physical relationship you have outside that makes you an adulterer ( per Christ’s own words in the sermon on the mount AND to the Pharisees. The problem is not divorce , it’s remarriage !!! ( By our definition physical relationships in, or out of, social/formal wedlock count as marriage/adultery - so yes - pre/post/extra-marital relationships- are not allowed.)

Does that sound old fashioned? Well,as we said, in the first marriage, there was no other social function... we are not left to conjecture as to how He defines marriage.

The good news? If you and your partner have been living together... congratulations- you don’t need a religious ceremony in church ! God considers you married already...you can save a ton of money ... good, practical,consumer advice from the Bible!

So now we can see divorce more clearly. Allowed because of Mans sinful nature, but with warnings to not add adultery to this sin, by then remarrying. You can see the issue clearly laid out - the one who divorces and remarries is charged with adultery, as well as he that marries her who was previously married! An innocent person becomes charged with adultery by remarrying ....

Paul in 1 Corinthians 7:8-10 first gives us the Lords guidance - to the unmarried and widows ( death is valid as a release from obligation - (Theology Alert but no space ...)- staying celibate is best - but it’s not for everyone. Christ says exactly the same thing to His disciples ( text #2 ), people are celibate for a variety of reasons but again, ...it’s not for everybody. If it’s a problem for you ,it’s better to remarry and be faithful to that one partner, as opposed to sinning even more.

Ruth in Christ’s genealogy was a widow , but she remarried Boaz. Christ witnessed to, and forgave a Samaritan woman who had been married 5 times! ... so remarriage was never marked as completely taboo, you were told it is a sin, but can be atoned for... so don’t worry about it...young unattached widows were a problem for everyone ( esp. other wives ) in the Corinthian church... hence Paul’s advice.

If you are unhappy and unfulfilled being single again, the Word permits you to remarry, but be sure to know the seriousness of the original commitment, and do better with the new one!

Paul then goes on to give us his own 2c on a related topic ... if you have an unbeliever as a partner, don’t split on that account.. you may be the means to their salvation! But if they want out, you are free to let them depart! You are not under any obligation!

3. Any advice on how to have a happy marriage? Yes, and this will be short .. not because of how tough it is ( ! ? ) , it’s because the same Law applies to all human relationships!

Marriage is a picture of a covenant , of completeness, of redemption - and is as dear to Gods heart as His own Glory, manifested in the image of man.

Just as God hates for His image to be marred and perverted by acts of murder, sodomy, bestiality, cross dressing - He views transgressions against the sanctity and holiness of marriage - AT THE SAME LEVEL - which is why adultery carried the death penalty! We are drenching this land in sin... and there will be an accounting...

Marriage should reflect the relationship between Christ and His church, and that’s the loving mutual submission we see in the Trinity, between Christ and His Bride, and is the model for husband and wife! Your partner is your “closest” neighbor ... so Love is commanded there!

A final thought... the first human marriage was an “arranged” marriage - the romantic love came later... ? ... loving someone is not a function of how well your dating profiles line up ... it’s a choice and a commitment!!!

Hallelujah!!!