The Strand Study Bible

MATTHEW

MATTHEW

1530

to forgive yourself. If God has forgiven you He expects you to extend that forgiveness to others. 1 Forgiveness for the Christian is always mandatory, never optional (Lk 6:27). Failure to forgive others who want forgiveness (vs 29) constitutes being turned over to one of three torments: (1) depression (mental suffering - I Sam 16:14-16 & 18:10 & 19:9 and II Pet 2:6-8); (2) demons (demonic oppression - I Cor 5:5, Mt 18:34 and Rev 9:1-6); or (3) disease (bodily suffering - Mt 8:5-6). THE ADAGE IS TRUE: Those who can’t let go of the past can’t hang on to the future… no future-no hope 19:3 Because the meaning of the word “uncleanness” in Deuteronomy 24:1 was unclear ( for every cause? ) and often disputed among the Rabbis ( Deut 24:1 ), the Pharisees, hoping to bring more trouble for Christ, sought to make Him openly choose a meaning of the passage. 19:4 Interestingly enough, Jesus ignored their trap and simply referred back to God’s ideal and initial purpose for marriage by quoting Genesis 1:27 & 2:24 ( Have ye not read ). In the beginning God authored marriage, not divorce. In fact, God never made one allowance for divorce when He established marriage back in the beginning. If man truly sees woman the way God designed her, why would man want to divorce something “greater” than himself? ( Gen 2:18 b ). 19:6 This term ( one flesh ) deals with the sexual union between a man and a woman ( Gen 2:24 ). According to God, the sexual union between a man and a woman is what constitutes a marriage, not vows, contracts, or religious ceremonies (Exo 22:16, Deut 21:10-14 and I Cor 6:15-16). Charles John Ellicott in Ellicott’s Bible Commentary notes: According to the Apostle Paul (Eph 5:25-32), marriage between a couple is supposed to be a picture of the permanent union that exists between CHRIST and the Church. Therefore sex outside the boundaries of God-ordained standards always bring about judgment upon a people ( Gen 13:13 , Prov 5 :1- 11 , I Cor 5:11 & 6:18 and Heb 13:4 ). Watch out America! 19:7 So eager are the controversialists to misquote Scripture. Moses did not command to give a bill of divorcement; he permitted it because of the hardness of their hearts (vs 8). The Law of Moses is never final (Mt 12:1-8, Acts 10:8-16 and Colo 2:14 -17). Lawrence O Richards in B ible Reader’s Companion notes: Jesus showed that Moses’ Law was not the highest standard, but in fact showed God’s grace, for He was willing to stoop to meet human beings where we are rather than requiring us to live up to an ideal. Grace, not a self- righteousness won by performance, is key to relationship with God. 3 NOTE – Jesus only pointed to two scriptures to explain divorce (Gen 2:24 and Deut 24:1-4). While Genesis 2:24 tells us that God is not the author of divorce, Deut 24:1-4 tells us why He permits it. 19:8 To better understand God’s original design for marriage, it is crucial that we take a thoughtful look at what God had in mind when Jesus said, “ but from the beginning it was not so .” According to Genesis, God began with one, made two from the one, and then made one from the two in order to celebrate their oneness in likeness to their Creator, thus giving us a three-fold process for building oneness within a marriage ( Gen 2:24 ). 19:9 Called the “exception clause,” Bible scholars differ over the meaning. Can a believer who commits adultery and becomes divorced ever marry again? Those who say “no” refer to this one statement made by Jesus. The Pulpit Commentary notes: The Lord distinctly forbids divorce, “except it be for fornication.” He does not sanction remarriage even in that case. 4 Others, using Deuteronomy 24 and I Corinthians 7 as their basis for why they believe a person can remarry after being divorced, say “yes.” John R. Rice in The King of the Jews notes: The essence of the marriage is made to depend not on laws, contracts, or religious ceremonies, but on the natural fact of union. Strictly speaking, that constitutes, or should constitute, marriage. The sin of all illicit intercourse is that it separates that union from the relations and duties which the divine order has attached to it, and makes it simply minister to the lusts of man’s lower nature. The evil of every system that multiplies facilities for divorce is that it treats as temporary what was designed to be permanent. 2

Divorce is a terrible thing, and when the marriage is already broken by fornication, to break it for a second marriage on the part of either companion causes adultery. That is a terrible sin. But it is not an unpardonable sin, not a sin which has no forgiveness, or no remedy. It may be confessed to God and forgiven. After the second marriage is consummated and settled, the sin, grievous as it is, cannot be helped. It can be confessed and forgiven. It cannot be undone. 5

NOTE – The reason marriage is so holy, and not to be taken lightly, is because marriage symbolizes the mystical union between Jesus and His Church (Eph 5:23-32). Thus, marriage was intended for nobler reasons than merely the pleasing of the senses and the preserving of the seed. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck in The Bible Knowledge Commentary note:

Whatever view one takes on the exception clause, Jesus obviously affirmed the permanence of marriage. Those who heard His words understood Him in this way, for they reasoned that if there were no grounds for divorce one would be better off never to marry . 6

1 Stanley, Charles. God’s Way Day by Day , Nashville, TN, Thomas Nelson, 2004. Print. 2 Ellicott, Charles John. Ellicott’s Bible Commentary , Grand Rapids, MI, Zondervan, 1971. Print. 3 Richards, Lawrence O. Bible Reader’s Companion , Colorado Springs, CO, Cook Communications, 1991,2004. Print. 4 The Pulpit Commentary . Grand Rapids, MI, Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1950. Print. 5 Rice, John R. The King of the Jews , Murfreesboro, Tenn., Sword of the Lord Pub, 1975. Print. 6 John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck. The Bible Knowledge Commentary, USA, Scripture Press Pub., 1983. Print.