Divorce: Jesus’ Response to this Volatile Topic

“When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan. . . . Some Pharisees came to him to test him.”

Matthew 19:1, 3

Dear Family & Friends,

The religious leaders of Jesus’ day spent tons of energy trying to discredit Jesus. Over and over they posed difficult questions to trip Him up. Jesus, the Master of wise answers, always responded purposefully. In one such case He answered a tricky test question about divorce by pointing to God’s purpose for marriage.

Avoidance-Avoidance Questions

Tricky topic questions such as this have regularly appeared in election years as both parties seek to come out on top in the polls and eventually win the election. Avoidance-avoidance questions are a typical strategy used now and in Bible times to discredit the opponent. The posers of these “no good answer” questions put the respondent at a disadvantage by seeking to throw them off their game.

I recently read an article by Raf Weverbergh explaining several techniques politicians use to avoid answering difficult interview questions. Question dodging is prevalent as the politician being questioned tries to navigate around unfavorable answers.

Avoidance-avoidance questions have been around for ages and the religious leaders of Jesus’ time used them with a vengeance. But Jesus knew how to combat these attempts to discredit Him. He didn’t shy away from difficult topics but always responded wisely according to the truth.

The Pharisees Question Jesus About Divorce

One such question used by His crafty opponents on a particular occasion was about divorce. “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?” they queried. Considering that John the Baptist had been beheaded because of his persistence that Herod had no right to be in a relationship with his brother’s wife and the differing opinions on the topic in general, Jesus’ enemies carefully crafted this avoidance-avoidance question to put their opponent in a difficult position. They had no desire to know God’s thoughts on this issue; their only design was to ruin Jesus’ credibility and decrease His following.

But Jesus never wavered! Rather than acknowledging the question without answering it, attacking the interviewers, ignoring the question altogether, or refusing to answer, Jesus redirected the people to God’s ideal for marriage as written in the law of Moses.

“Haven’t you read,” He replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”

Pressing the issue further, Jesus’ opponents then asked a follow-up question. “Why then,” they asked, did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”

Rather than dodge the question, Jesus pointed out that in the beginning marriage was not designed with an option for divorce. Moses only permitted divorce because of the hardheartedness of sinful mankind. Yet, Jesus warned, those who divorce their wives for anything, except marital unfaithfulness, and marry another woman commit adultery. I wonder how an answer like this would go over on today’s campaign trail.

Jesus Always Spoke God’s Truth

But Jesus had not come to win an earthly election. His kingdom was a heavenly one with different values. His purpose on earth was to speak God’s truth to a lost world and to secure salvation for all who believed. While His opponents would soon condemn Him to a horrible death on the cross, He knew they would not have the final victory, for He would be raised to life three days later. There was no question-dodging for the Son of God.

Whether it was an avoidance-avoidance question about marriage, divorce, healing on the Sabbath, or any other controversial topic, Jesus spoke the truth. I wonder what our world would be like if today’s politicians would do the same.

Love,

Mama

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