The
unrepentant Pharisees came to Jesus in Mark 1:1-12, asking Him if it was
LAWFUL to divorce? We read in the Bible...
"And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him. And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you? And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away. And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. And in the house his disciples asked him again of the same matter. And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her. And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery."
Carefully notice that Jesus DIDN'T answer, "yes" to their question. Clearly divorce is not lawful. Jesus directs them to the law of Moses. The Pharisees stated that Moses allowed divorce. Jesus COUNTERS their claim by telling them that Moses reluctantly permitted divorce, only allowing it because of the demands of the people, i.e., because of the wicked HARDNESS of their hearts. It couldn't be any clearer that Jesus was completely against divorce. So in answer to the Pharisee's question, of whether divorce is "lawful" or not, we have already made 3 observations:
- Jesus DIDN'T permit divorce.
- Moses DIDN'T want to permit divorce either, but the people gave him no choice.
- Divorce only happens because of people's rebellion against God.
How ridiculous that so many people today, even the saved, are misquoting the Bible in a selfish attempt to justify the sin of divorce. It cannot be accomplished. Try as they may, sin is still sin, and divorce will always be a horrible sin just like abortion, homosexuality, and adultery.
Jesus solidified his stand against divorce in Mark 10:7-9...
"For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder."
Did you read that? Jesus said that a husband and wife become ONE FLESH in the eyes of God! Jesus further stated that NO MAN had better dare tamper with someone else's marriage... What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. Woe unto the fools who help break up marriages--recommending divorce, mis-counseling the wife, and contributing to the break-up of a family. Woe unto the scum-of-the-earth lawyers, and the ruthless judges (many of whom are lesbians), and the vile government handout programs that encourage, nurture, and cause divorce. Is it any wonder that America has the highest divorce rate in the world? Is it any wonder that American women file for divorce at least TWICE the rate of men? Woe unto the United States of America! We are living in a cesspool of iniquity, where lesbians and feminists lurk around every corner, even in our churches, just waiting for their chance to destroy another marriage. Jesus condemned divorce, and said it only occurs when someone is hardhearted enough to QUIT their marriage, and break their wedding vows.
Tragically, divorce is a sin that perpetuates for a lifetime, i.e., causes lasting consequences. Jesus taught that a man leaves his father and mother, for the purpose of CLEAVING to his wife. The word "cleave" is the Greek proskollao, and literally means, "to glue upon, glue to." In other words, a marriage is bonded together stronger than superglue. Whether you want to accept it or not, in God's eyes every married couple is GLUED together as one. Looking at the sin of divorce from this perspective, it is clearer to understand why God hates divorce...
"For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away..." -Malachi 2:16
"Putting away" is a Biblical term often used for divorce, such as in Mark 10:11 and Luke 16:18... "Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery." Divorce is a sin that God HATES!!! That's what Malachi 2:16 states, and just a few Scriptures later in Malachi 3:6 we read that God's NEVER changes... "I am the LORD, I change not..."
It must be noted that in Mark 10:1-12, Jesus NEVER once mentioned the so-called "exception" to divorce―fornication, which some people allege Mathew 5:32 and Matthew 19:9 allow. If this were the case, then surely Jesus would have addressed the issue in Mark 10:1-12, and the Pharisees would have brought it up, but they didn't. Jesus NEVER allowed any exception to the sin of divorce, which is clearly evidenced by His statement in Mark 10:9, "What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." Marriage is not an agreement, it is a lifetime commitment sealed by a sacred wedding VOW... "For better; for worse; 'til death do us part."
For anyone to teach that Jesus permits divorce in the case of fornication, is to say that Jesus also approves of breaking lifetime commitments and sacred wedding vows made. This is not the Lord of the Bible. Jesus is not a hypocrite, like those filing for divorce today, who think they are more righteous than their spouse, and have a right to condemn their spouse in court. James 2:10 testifies against every person who has ever filed for divorce... "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." Divorce is a sin rooted in self-righteousness. There were no disclaimers in you wedding vows. You made a promise on your wedding day, plain and simple. There was nothing in your wedding vows stating that you didn't have to honor your vows if your spouse didn't. Marriage is a lifetime commitment, and Jesus Christ would NEVER give anyone permission to renege on their wedding vows.
