Divorce Command?
October 17, 2010
The life of Jesus. Read Today: Pharisees question Jesus about divorce; Matthew 19:3-9; Mark 10:2-9
I like to tease my kids sometimes. They may ask me a question like, ‘can I go out to play?’ and I will reply, ‘I do not know, do you have the ability?’ They will always turn around and put may in for the can making it asking permission in place of having ability.
So it is with Jesus and the Pharisees in today’s reading. They are wanting to trap Jesus so the bring up divorce, they know that law so well. Can a man divorce his wife for any case? He tells them that God’s plan is not for divorce but what had been joined should not be torn apart. They put back to him:
Matthew 19:7 (Webster Bible)
7 They say to him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?
But they had put in to the scriptures their own spin. It was not a command to do it, it was an escape clause to be used if necessary. Here it is:
Deuteronomy 24:1 (Webster Bible)
1 When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it shall come to pass that she findeth no favor in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give [it] in her hand, and send her out of his house.
That uncleanness was a grave sin, not just because she overcooked the eggs this morning. Yet, how much like them am I. I look at scriptures and I want to read into them my agenda. I have to not do that, to learn to read them and follow them, not what I want them to be.
Read for next time: Disciples question Jesus about divorce; Matthew 19:10-12; Mark 10:10-12
Visit http://dailydevotionbob.blogspot.com/ for more tools and sign up for mailing list
The life of Jesus. Read Today: Pharisees question Jesus about divorce; Matthew 19:3-9; Mark 10:2-9
I like to tease my kids sometimes. They may ask me a question like, ‘can I go out to play?’ and I will reply, ‘I do not know, do you have the ability?’ They will always turn around and put may in for the can making it asking permission in place of having ability.
So it is with Jesus and the Pharisees in today’s reading. They are wanting to trap Jesus so the bring up divorce, they know that law so well. Can a man divorce his wife for any case? He tells them that God’s plan is not for divorce but what had been joined should not be torn apart. They put back to him:
Matthew 19:7 (Webster Bible)
7 They say to him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?
But they had put in to the scriptures their own spin. It was not a command to do it, it was an escape clause to be used if necessary. Here it is:
Deuteronomy 24:1 (Webster Bible)
1 When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it shall come to pass that she findeth no favor in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give [it] in her hand, and send her out of his house.
That uncleanness was a grave sin, not just because she overcooked the eggs this morning. Yet, how much like them am I. I look at scriptures and I want to read into them my agenda. I have to not do that, to learn to read them and follow them, not what I want them to be.
Read for next time: Disciples question Jesus about divorce; Matthew 19:10-12; Mark 10:10-12
Visit http://dailydevotionbob.blogspot.com/ for more tools and sign up for mailing list
