Most scholars have stated that Luke and Mark was written with Gentiles in mind, and Matthew with Jews in mind as their readers.
The wording alone backs that assessment up primarily in the way Luke and Mark will say, “the kingdom of God” but Matthew states the “kingdom of Heaven”. Remember Jews did not and still to this day write God out in fear of spelling it wrong or dishonoring His name. So when they write it the write it like, “G-D”.
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Also, Luke’s genealogy for Jesus goes all the way back to God Creator of mankind, but Matthew goes to Abraham the father of Israel.
Matthew starts his book off with the genealogy which is very important to the Jews, thus showing Jesus’ legal right through the genealogy. Showing Him to be a seed of Abraham, from the tribe of Judah, the root of Jesse, through the loins of David.
Gentiles did not obey the Laws of Moses, most did not even know them. Jews did and were very familiar with them. Keep that in mind as you read the scriptures below.
Divorce and Remarriage
Luk 16:18 Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery.
Whosoever
G3956πᾶςpaspasIncluding all the forms of declension; apparently a primary word; all, any, every, the whole: – all (manner of, means) alway (-s), any (one), X daily, + ever, every (one, way), as many as, + no (-thing), X throughly, whatsoever, whole, whosoever.Total KJV occurrences: 1238
This is not for Jews only this is not for Christians only this is FOR ALL, EVERYONE, sinner or saint, Jew or Gentile.
The wording is very important, very.
In Mark, this is what Jesus said.
Teaching About Divorce
Mar 10:1 And he arose from thence, and cometh into the coasts of Judaea by the farther side of Jordan: and the people resort unto him again; and, as he was wont, he taught them again. Mar 10:2 And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him. Mar 10:3 And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you? Mar 10:4 And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away. Mar 10:5 And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. Mar 10:6 But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. Mar 10:7 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; Mar 10:8 And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. Mar 10:9 What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. Mar 10:10 And in the house his disciples asked him again of the same matter. Mar 10:11 And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her. Mar 10:12 And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.
Marriage is a covenant created by God and when a man and woman marry they are no longer TWO PEOPLE BUT ONE…NO MAN CAN SEPARATE THEM…
Gen 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
Now let’s read Matthew, it is this account people believe they have an excuse to not only divorce but remarry. After all, we all want to justify our wrongs but let’s read this as it is written. We would rather look for a “loophole” than to obey the Word as it is written.
Now, remember Matthew’s readers at that time were primarily Jews do not forget that.
Divorce
Mat 5:31 It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: Mat 5:32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication (Greek:porniea), causeth her to commit adultery (Greek: moicheia): and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
Teaching About Divorce
Mat 19:1 And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these sayings, he departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judaea beyond Jordan; Mat 19:2 And great multitudes followed him; and he healed them there. Mat 19:3 The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? Mat 19:4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, Mat 19:5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Mat 19:6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. Mat 19:7 They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? Mat 19:8 He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. Mat 19:9 And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication (porniea), and shall marry another, committeth adultery (Greek: moicheia) : and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery. Mat 19:10 His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry. Mat 19:11 But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. Mat 19:12 For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother’s womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.
It is very obvious by Jesus using two different words, fornication and adultery that He is NOT referring to the SAME SEXUAL SIN. Though they are similar they are different in meaning.
Remember Matthew is addressing the Jewish people and they would have immediately thought of the Law of Moses.
Laws Concerning Sexual Immorality
Deu 22:13 If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, and hate her, Deu 22:14 And give occasions of speech against her, and bring up an evil name upon her, and say, I took this woman, and when I came to her, I found her not a maid: Deu 22:15 Then shall the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring forth the tokens of the damsel’s virginity unto the elders of the city in the gate: Deu 22:16 And the damsel’s father shall say unto the elders, I gave my daughter unto this man to wife, and he hateth her; Deu 22:17 And, lo, he hath given occasions of speech against her, saying, I found not thy daughter a maid; and yet these are the tokens of my daughter’s virginity. And they shall spread the cloth before the elders of the city. Deu 22:18 And the elders of that city shall take that man and chastise him; Deu 22:19 And they shall amerce him in an hundred shekels of silver, and give them unto the father of the damsel, because he hath brought up an evil name upon a virgin of Israel: and she shall be his wife; he may not put her away all his days. Deu 22:20 But if this thing be true, and the tokens of virginity be not found for the damsel: Deu 22:21 Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die: because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father’s house: so shalt thou put evil away from among you.
Moses had written this stipulation, which was if she is found NOT TO BE A VIRGIN. But the woman if found guilty was stoned to death. The Jews had already been to Babylon and back in Jesus’ day, and the Scribes and Pharisees added and took away for the Law of Moses by adding the Oral Tradition later known as the Mishna and Talmud once written.
Adultery was the ONLY way a person could divorce and marry again while the other person was still alive and it was not considered ADULTERY, that was according to Shammai a rabbi of Jesus’ day.
Excerpt taken from REMARRIAGE IS ADULTERY UNLESS by David Pawson
SHAMMAI This rabbi took a strict view, claiming that the one and only ground allowed by Moses was adultery by the wife. Such was the ‘indecent’ thing justifying her dismissal with a certificate. Nothing else was serious enough to dissolve the marriage. Needless to say, his was not the most popular opinion! But we have already seen that this was one thing the Deuteronomic reason could not possibly have been. The compulsory penalty for adultery was death by stoning. This certainly set the husband free to remarry, as later divorce also would. However, the claim that adultery justifies divorce can hardly appeal to Moses or the Torah. It is a ‘tradition of men’ (Mark 7:7-8).
Let’s go back to the conception of Mary because in that account we will have the full picture of what Jesus was talking about.
The Birth of Jesus Christ
Mat 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Mat 1:19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. Mat 1:20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. Mat 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Mat 1:22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Mat 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. Mat 1:24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: Mat 1:25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.
When Joseph found out Mary was pregnant he was going to put her away, which means divorce.
G630ἀπολύωapoluōThayer Definition:1) to set free2) to let go, dismiss, (to detain no longer)2a) a petitioner to whom liberty to depart is given by a decisive answer2b) to bid depart, send away3) to let go free, release3a) a captive, i.e. to loose his bonds and bid him depart, to give him liberty to depart3b) to acquit one accused of a crime and set him at liberty3c) indulgently to grant a prisoner leave to depart3d) to release a debtor, i.e. not to press one’s claim against him, to remit his debt4) used of divorce, to dismiss from the house, to repudiate. The wife of a Greek or Roman may divorce her husband.5) to send one’s self away, to departPart of Speech: verbA Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: from G575 and G3089
When Jews are betrothed or engaged as we call it, they are considered as married even before the actual wedding feast or consummation takes place. But when Joseph was informed that Mary did not do wrong but was carrying the baby the Holy Ghost placed in her, then he immediately married her officially but did not consummate the marriage until after Jesus was born and the days of purification were up.
He would have had grounds for divorce though if she had committed fornication. for·ni·ca·tion | \ ˌfȯr-nə-ˈkā-shən \Definition of fornication: consensual (see CONSENSUAL sense 2) sexual intercourse between two persons not married to each other.
Jesus who IS GOD knows the difference between fornication and adultery. The Jews did too and if someone was caught in adultery their sentence was DEATH BY STONING they did not even have a chance to remarry!
So in truth where does, that lead us today? Jesus pointed back to Genesis about us no longer being two but one flesh after marriage, and even says let no man put asunder/separate. So even if we do divorce, we are not to get remarried until our spouse dies. Because only death is what dissolves the marriage in the eyes of God. Jesus told the Sadducees when they were trying to tempt Him about the woman who had no children after marrying 7 brothers and whose wife would she be at the resurrection, He said there is no marriage after death. Death is the only way a divorced person can remarry, and as Jesus said this is for ALL, EVERYONE NOT JUST JEWS, or BELIEVERS, BUT FOR ALL sinner and saint alike.
This topic has been on the minds and mouths of many people of late, and it is not a coincidence. God is revealing sin in the Church that many have been told is a “loophole” and they are ok to remarry. What God called adultery then He calls adultery now. God does not change with the times as some want you to believe.
I have not added one thing to the Word of God in this study, nor have I taken anything away from the Word of God.
The marriage vows that say, till death do us part is ABSOLUTE BIBLICAL.
I am not in any way condemning ANYONE as I have said before and I will say again, I am a 5-time divorcee. I have been praying and asking the Father about this divorce and remarrying issue since 2017 and now in 2020, He has opened it up. He has left ZERO ROOM for wiggle in this area. I can’t go on “feelings” or I can’t go what my heart says, I must go with what His Inspired Written Word says.
I urge everyone to please study these scriptures as well as Malachi and Hosea in-depth praying constantly as you do.
If you have small children please teach them the utmost importance to seeking God when looking for a spouse. They must understand that in God’s eyes marriage is between one man and one woman and they become one flesh and are bound together till death. Whether He chooses your spouse or not He considers your marriage a covenant and God is against covenant breakers. Romans 1.
I can sympathize with everyone who is remarried and still have their first spouse still alive. But I cannot answer your questions and I cannot give you any advice. All I am able to do is what I have done and that is to be obedient to the Father and leave this truth in your hands. You are to go to Him for answers for clarification so I am politely asking not to flood my inbox with questions. I am not being insensitive I am letting you know right now God has the answers to your questions, not me.
All He has given me I have written here the rest is between you and Him.
There are no loopholes or hidden excuse. Go to the Father.
I love you all very much.
God’s servant and your sister in Christ,
Pamela JoyousNJesus McDonald
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