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Intermediate Sunday School Lesson 115 : Divorce

Text: Matthew 19
16 June 2024

INTERMEDIATE SUNDAY SCHOOL 16 June 2024
STUDIES IN THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
Text: Matthew 19

Topic: Divorce

1Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these sayings, that He departed from Galilee and came to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan.
2 And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them there.
3 The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?”
4 And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’
5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?
6 So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Matthew 19:1-6

1. Galilean ministry

a) Sea of Galilee
b) Capernaum
c) Bethsaida

2. Judean Ministry

a) Jerusalem
b) Temple
c) Nearby cities like Bethany

3. Great Multitudes

a) This reflects the strength of the Lord’s ministry
b) Many came to the Lord Jesus to seek healing

4. The Pharisees

a) These were known for their fastidious focus on keeping religious customs
b) They formed a significant negative force against the Lord Jesus
c) They were always trying to outwit the Lord Jesus

THE QUESTION OF DIVORCE

The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?”

Matthew 19:3

1. They sought to test the Lord Jesus

2. They wanted to hear from the Lord Jesus His view on the subject of Divorce

3. Divorce was easy to come by

a) “Just for any reason”
b) This was a popular way of thinking

4. Divorce disadvantaged:

a) The wife
b) The children

THE RESPONSE OF THE LORD JESUS

4 And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’
5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?
6 So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Matthew 19:4-6

1. Have you not read?

a) This is a reference to the Scriptures Genesis 1-2
b) The Pharisees kept traditions and customs
c) That does not mean they kept the Scriptures

2. God’s original plan

a) He made male and female
b) In marriage they become one flesh
c) They were meant to be one
d) Divorce was not part of the original plan

THE RESPONSE OF THE PHARISEES

They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?”

Matthew 19:7

1. They did not care for the Lord’s answer

2. They cited Moses instead

3. Why did Moses allow for divorce (Deuteronomy 24) ?

THE LORD’S FURTHER REPLY

8 He said to them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.
9 And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.”

Matthew 19:7-9

1. Reasons for Divorce

a) Because of the hardness of the heart
b) It was permitted
c) But this was not in the original plan of God

2. A word of warning

a) Divorce allowed because of immorality
b) The danger of committing adultery

A COMMENT FROM THE DISCIPLES

10 His disciples said to Him, “If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry.”
11 But He said to them, “All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given:
12 For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother’s womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He who is able to accept it, let him accept it.”

Matthew 19:10-12

1. “Better not to marry:”

2. The Lord’s response

a) Not an easy statement to accept
b) But it is possible
i) Some are born eunuchs
ii) Others are castrated
iii) Still others have chosen not to marry
c) Ultimately, it is a personal choice

CONCLUSION

1. Marriage is serious and sacred

2. Never make this decision quickly

3. It is a life-long commitment