And in the house his disciples asked him again of the same matter.
In the house the disciples asked Jesus again privately about his teaching on divorce and remarriage. In the same chapter Jesus loved the rich young man when he saw him, for the young man was lovely and promising, not corrupted by many leading sins of his age, sincere in wanting to be saved, thinking he had kept the commandments and having tried to keep them as far as he understood them. But the test given him showed he had not kept them all, since full keeping would have meant loving the Lord supremely and his neighbor as himself, being willing to give of his substance to those in need to have treasure in heaven, and following as requested. The answer given there in the house is that a husband who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and a wife who divorces her husband and marries another also commits adultery.
This broad statement gives the general rule and is read together with Matthew's fuller statements, which allow an exception for fornication or sexual immorality, so that under the original moral law in God's sight a man should divorce his wife only for fornication. The exception applies because such conduct truly breaks the marriage bond. The teaching is connected with God's design for marriage, in which husband and wife are joined in a bond that no one but God can sunder, becoming one flesh as each complements the other and shares in the other's joys and cares. In the same chapter the bitter experiences of Abraham, Jacob, David and Solomon with divided, plural and mercenary unions are held up as types and living lessons for admonition, establishing the inviolable sanctity of the marriage relation as one whole heart in true, loyal, unselfish love.
The teaching is strict: marriage is not a temporary contract, and divorce and remarriage are not justified on grounds outside the scriptural standard, so Christians must not divorce merely because they do not agree on everything. Selfishness, determination to have one's own way, constant irritation over little things, and marrying from selfish motives to be pleased and served must never be made grounds for divorce. In true marriage husband and wife must stand for principle, respect each other's conscientious convictions without asking violation of conscience, and agree to disagree where conscience differs. The husband stands at the head of the home as protector and responsible father and the wife stands at the head of the household within to be honored and not treated as slave or plaything, with fair provision and counsel over income and home matters. Where wishes differ without compromising conscience each must yield, excuse the other, confess faults, settle differences in kindly conversation, and seek the Lord together and separately, so that differences healed in this way leave no right to divorce.
The teaching about divorce was given as instruction to the individual conscience rather than as an attempt to change civil law, and following this instruction does not violate civil law. The teaching states the New Testament law respecting divorce, which exposes the divorce doctrine and practice of the Protestant churches as loose and unfaithful, farther from the New Testament standard than Roman Catholic doctrine and practice, to the shame of Protestants, and Protestant churches ought to bring their practice nearer to this New Testament standard. Roman Catholic doctrine and practice respecting divorce keeps that New Testament law much more closely than the doctrine and practice of the Protestant churches have, and an earnest effort is now being made to bring Protestant practice nearer to the Roman Catholic standard.
In the house the disciples asked Jesus again privately about his teaching on divorce and remarriage. In the same chapter Jesus loved the rich young man when he saw him, for the young man was lovely and promising, not corrupted by many leading sins of his age, sincere in wanting to be saved, thinking he had kept the commandments and having tried to keep them as far as he understood them. But the test given him showed he had not kept them all, since full keeping would have meant loving the Lord supremely and his neighbor as himself, being willing to give of his substance to those in need to have treasure in heaven, and following as requested. The answer given there in the house is that a husband who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and a wife who divorces her husband and marries another also commits adultery.
This broad statement gives the general rule and is read together with Matthew's fuller statements, which allow an exception for fornication or sexual immorality, so that under the original moral law in God's sight a man should divorce his wife only for fornication. The exception applies because such conduct truly breaks the marriage bond. The teaching is connected with God's design for marriage, in which husband and wife are joined in a bond that no one but God can sunder, becoming one flesh as each complements the other and shares in the other's joys and cares. In the same chapter the bitter experiences of Abraham, Jacob, David and Solomon with divided, plural and mercenary unions are held up as types and living lessons for admonition, establishing the inviolable sanctity of the marriage relation as one whole heart in true, loyal, unselfish love.
The teaching is strict: marriage is not a temporary contract, and divorce and remarriage are not justified on grounds outside the scriptural standard, so Christians must not divorce merely because they do not agree on everything. Selfishness, determination to have one's own way, constant irritation over little things, and marrying from selfish motives to be pleased and served must never be made grounds for divorce. In true marriage husband and wife must stand for principle, respect each other's conscientious convictions without asking violation of conscience, and agree to disagree where conscience differs. The husband stands at the head of the home as protector and responsible father and the wife stands at the head of the household within to be honored and not treated as slave or plaything, with fair provision and counsel over income and home matters. Where wishes differ without compromising conscience each must yield, excuse the other, confess faults, settle differences in kindly conversation, and seek the Lord together and separately, so that differences healed in this way leave no right to divorce.
The teaching about divorce was given as instruction to the individual conscience rather than as an attempt to change civil law, and following this instruction does not violate civil law. The teaching states the New Testament law respecting divorce, which exposes the divorce doctrine and practice of the Protestant churches as loose and unfaithful, farther from the New Testament standard than Roman Catholic doctrine and practice, to the shame of Protestants, and Protestant churches ought to bring their practice nearer to this New Testament standard. Roman Catholic doctrine and practice respecting divorce keeps that New Testament law much more closely than the doctrine and practice of the Protestant churches have, and an earnest effort is now being made to bring Protestant practice nearer to the Roman Catholic standard.