Disciples Know Jesus’ Heart Regarding Unity, Marriage, and Divorce
Matthew 5:31-32
It has been said, “Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.” But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
~ Jesus
A fuller treatment of this topic is found in Mark 10 (or Matthew 19), where Jesus brings up hardness of heart as a root cause for divorce.
Mark 10:2-12
2 Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?”
3 “What did Moses command you?” he replied.
4 They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.”
5 “It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law,” Jesus replied. 6 “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ 7 ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, 8 and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
10 When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this. 11 He answered, “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. 12 And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.”
As with other areas of sin, Jesus draws attention to the motive lurking behind a situation rather than the action alone. Though not in God’s original plan, divorce is permitted in certain circumstances due to people’s hardness of heart – from which comes all kinds of evil.
Consider the chilling, but candid possibility of a divorced woman versus a dead wife.
Dallas Willard addressed this teaching of Jesus in one of his books:
Hard hearts may make divorce necessary to avoid greater harm, and hence make it permissible. But kingdom hearts are not hard, and they together can find ways to bear with each other, to speak truth in love, to change – often through times of great pain and distress – until the tender intimacy of mutual, covenant-framed love finds a way for the two lives to remain one, beautifully and increasingly.
"The Divine Conspiracy", Willard, p. 172
Ezekiel 36:26
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
Prayer
Jesus Christ, can we sit and ponder any hardness in my heart – not just with marriage, but with life in general? Kingdom hearts are not hard hearts, and I want a kingdom heart like You. Where I need it, help me to soften my attitudes, question my motives, and love well in my relationships. In Your name I pray, Amen. Don’t end this devo time without stopping to meditate with Jesus about your heart.
Psalm 119: Immersed in the Word of God
An explanation of the connection between Psalm 119 and the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet was provided in a previous devotion.
Micro-Meditation Scripture
Psalm 119:169-176 (Taw, 22nd letter)
ת
- May my cry come before you, LORD; give me understanding according to your word.
- May my supplication come before you;
deliver me according to your promise. - May my lips overflow with praise,
for you teach me your decrees. - May my tongue sing of your word,
for all your commands are righteous. - May your hand be ready to help me,
for I have chosen your precepts. - I long for your salvation, LORD,
and your law gives me delight. - Let me live that I may praise you,
and may your laws sustain me. - I have strayed like a lost sheep.
Seek your servant,
for I have not forgotten your commands.
Micro-Meditation Action
Read the verses of the Psalm two times. Focus on what you see differently on the second reading.
Mark any words or phrases that catch your attention.
Meditate: Talk (or write in a journal) with God about the words that catch your attention. Ask Him to impress things upon your heart and mind; expect a response.
Micro-Meditation
Pondering Point
Talk with God about the words in Psalm 119:169-176. Ask Him to impress things upon your heart and mind in response.