MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE

In Matthew 19, Jesus is questioned about the legitimacy of divorce.  The question came from the Pharisees who had pursued him to an isolated region on the other side of the Jordan River.  They interrupted His work there:  Large crowds followed him and he healed them there.  [v.2]  These Pharisees came to test him.  [v.3]  Their question was carefully worded:  Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?  [v.3]

I love Jesus' response:  

Haven't you read...that at the beginning the Creator made them male and female, and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh?  So they are no longer two, but one.  Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."  [vs.4-6]

OBSERVATIONS:

1. There is a gentle chiding in the words, Haven't you read?.  These are religious leaders!  Jesus knew that they were familiar with these verses.  His implication seems to be that they read these verses without really understanding them.
2. We've all noticed the phenomenon in recent decades where young people seem to be struggling with the concept of 'leaving'.  Gaining financial independence is certainly part of the cause for this trend.  Movies have been made regarding this situation:  Failure to Launch. As a pastor, I have used a phrase taken from the King James Version of the Bible:  A man must leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife.  [cleave = cling or hold tightly].  Both actions are essential!  The man must emotionally and physically leave his parents.  There must be a break.  He must exert his independence!  Then, consequentially, he must fully embrace his new wife, emotionally and physically.  They are beginning a new family and must now make decisions on their own.
3. ...they are no longer two, but one.  The Apostle Paul takes up this concept in Ephesians 5:31-32, For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.  This is a profound mystery...  Like trying to understand the mystery of the Trinity, we can't fully understand how God views a married couple as one instead of two.  It is a mysterious truth!  
4. Then comes Jesus' divine blessing on marriage which we hear so often when we attend a wedding:  Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.  You may be interested to know that the word used here is not actually "joined", but "yoked".  This teaching is unambiguous.  The marriage bond is more than a human contract;  it is a divine yoke.  Although Moses permitted divorce for a serious offense, Jesus called it a concession to the hardness of human hearts:  It was not this way from the very beginning... [v.8]

Although dating and courting has changed significantly over the years, I'm encouraged that marriage is still a valued relationship in our culture.  It is still a cause for a celebration - and often in a Christian context.  Couples are still deciding to spend their lives yoked to each other.  Many will produce and raise children and enjoy the fulfillment of bringing life into this world and raising them to independence.  

The culture and its pressures haven't made it easy for couples.  Financial stress and the challenges of making a home are increasingly stressful, but they can take joy in knowing that their relationship is blessed by God