Matthew 19:3-12
And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” 4 He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” 7 They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” 8 He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.” 10 The disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” 11 But he said to them, “Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. 12 For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it.
Initially I thought it said that the Pharisees said that it would be better for man not to marry at all if divorce was not possible. I then wondered if the Pharisees were married and just really hated it, or had had a couple of divorces each (I don't know much about Pharisees and their rules). Now I realize that it was the disciples actually who made that comment. That seems crazy harsh to say, without the option of divorce, I might as well not even try for a marriage. Maybe back in the day there was an even lower view of marriage.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)

1 comment:
i wonder if this is just one of those overeager things by the disciples. i find that often when you read the Bible the disciples are really over-eager and sometimes jump to conclusions... ? maybe, i don't really know.
Post a Comment