“Now when Jesus had finished these sayings, he went away from Galilee and entered the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. 2 And large crowds followed him, and he healed them there. 3 And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” (Matthew 19:1–3 (ESV)
‘So, we see how neatly the Romanists deal with the Scripture, making of it just what they want, as if it were a wax nose, that one can pull this way and that.” – Martin Luther
Returning to our study in the Gospel of Matthew, today’s text reveals Jesus traveled into Judea from the northern region of Galilee. His Galilean Ministry was completed.
“Though He has made a few excursions into Gentile areas (Matt. 8:28–34; 15:21–39), Jesus’ roughly three years of public ministry have thus far been confined mostly to the region of Galilee (4:12–25; 9:1–7; 10:5–42; 17:24–27). But we see now that He has left Galilee for Judea (19:1–2), the place where His time among His disciples will conclude with His death, resurrection, and ascension,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.
The phrase “beyond the Jordan” refers to an area immediately east of the Jordan River called Perea. While technically Perea was not a part of Judea, Herod the Great and his sons ruled both areas. Jesus’ ministry in Perea lasted only a few months. It was from there that He would travel to Jerusalem for His crucifixion (Matthew 20:17-19).
It is in this extended discourse (Matt.19:1-20:16) that Matthew recorded Jesus’ various encounters with people and teaching opportunities. Large crowds followed Him. He also healed many individuals.
The first teachable moment occurred regarding the subject of divorce and remarriage (Matt. 19:3-12). The discussion began when the Pharisees came up to Jesus to test Him, as they often did ((Matt. 12:1–14; 15:1–20). To test (πειράζω; periazo) means to explore or to prove. The Pharisees did not want biblical answers to their questions. Rather, they wanted to trap Jesus in His biblical responses to their questions.
Their question was, ““Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” Talk about entrapment. This is like asking someone, “Have you stopped beating your wife? Yes or no!” On the surface, it appeared to be a no-win situation no matter how Jesus answered.
The phrase “is it lawful” (ἔξεστιν; exestin) means to have authorization or permission. The Pharisees repeatedly asked Jesus if there was authorization for a man to divorce his wife for any and all reasons, charges and accusations? For example, there were some who taught that if a wife broke a dish, a husband would have sufficient grounds to divorce her.
“Now the issue is divorce, and the Pharisees’ question (19:3) is rooted in the controversy over marriage in their day. First-century Jews interpreted Deuteronomy 24:1–4, which allows for divorce on the grounds of “indecency,” in two major ways. Rabbi Hillel and his students understood “indecency” liberally, allowing a husband to divorce his wife for anything not up to snuff, even the quality of her cooking. More conservative were Rabbi Shammai and his disciples. They generally read the divorce-permitting ground of “indecency” as lewd sexual behavior. Even so, Shammai allowed those who divorced for other reasons to remarry. For reasons of their own, the Pharisees want to know whose view Jesus prefers,” explains Dr. Sproul.
“A hotly debated difference of opinion existed between the rabbis Shammai and Hillel (both near-contemporaries of Christ). The Shammaites interpreted the law rigidly, and permitted a man to divorce his wife only if she was guilty of sexual immorality. The Hillelites took a wholly pragmatic approach, and permitted a man to divorce his wife indiscriminately,” explains Dr. John MacArthur.
However, a wife was not permitted to divorce her husband for even biblical reasons. She could not initiate divorce proceedings. This indicates a discriminatory and hypocritical culture existing at this time.
When next we meet, we will examine Jesus’ biblical answer from Genesis 1:27 and 2:24. We must always strive to not only seek to know what the Bible says, but also what a particular biblical passage means, and how we may apply it in our lives. Have a blessed day in the Lord.
Soli deo Gloria!
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