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Matthew 19:1-12

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1When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan.

2Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.

3Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”

4“Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’

5and 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’?

6So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

7“Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”

8Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning.

9I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”

10The disciples said to him, “If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.”

11Jesus replied, “Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given.

12For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others—and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”

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1)       According to verses 1 and 2 what did Jesus do when large crowds followed him after he left Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan?

o   Jesus healed them there.

 

2)       According to verse 3 how did some Pharisees test Jesus?

o   They asked Jesus if it was lawful for a man to divorce his wife for

§  Any.

§  And every reason.

 

3)       According to what Jesus said in verse 4 what genders did God make people to be?

o   God made them

§  Male.

§  And female.

 

4)       According to what Jesus said in verses 4 to 6 what is the consequence as a result of God making people male and female?

o   A man will

§  Leave his

Ø  Father. 

Ø  And mother.

§  And be united to his wife.

o   And the two will become one flesh.

o   Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.

 

5)       In accordance with what Jesus said in verses 4 to 6 how does God regard divorce?

o   God is against divorce.

 

6)       According to what the Pharisees said in verse 7 what contradiction did they see in light of the conversation they had with Jesus?

o   Why did Moses command that a man

§  Give his wife a certificate of divorce.

§  And send her away?

o   If God is against divorce.

 

7)       From the Pharisees’ perspective how did Moses regard divorce since he commanded that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?

o   Moses must approve of divorce.

 

8)       According to what Jesus said in verse 8 how did Moses regard divorce?

o   Moses permitted divorce.

o   Because

o   The hearts of the Jews were hard, implying that he

§  Only let a man divorce his wife.

§  But did not command it.

§  And therefore did not approve of it.

 

9)       What is the basis for the Pharisees’ understanding that Moses commanded divorce, given Deuteronomy 24:1-4?

o   Let’s take a look at the passage.

 

·  The facilitator asks a specific participant to read out loud Deuteronomy 24:1-4 that says,

+++++++++++++++++++++

1If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house,

2and if after she leaves his house she becomes the wife of another man,

3and her second husband dislikes her and writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, or if he dies,

4then her first husband, who divorced her, is not allowed to marry her again after she has been defiled. That would be detestable in the eyes of the Lord. Do not bring sin upon the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.

+++++++++++++++++++++

 

10)   What kind of proceedings were the Pharisees talking about when they mentioned a man giving his wife a certificate of divorce and sending her away?

o   They were talking about the proceedings for divorce.

 

11)   What is the verbiage of the proceedings for divorce found in Deuteronomy 24:1?

o   A man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him.

o   Because

o   He finds something indecent about her.

o   And he

§  Writes her a certificate of divorce.

§  Gives it to her.

§  And sends her from his house.

 

12)   What purpose do the proceedings for divorce found in the conditional clause in Deuteronomy 24:1 serve?

o   The proceedings for divorce in the conditional clause are set up for the stipulation of forbidding remarriage between the divorced husband and wife in the main clause.

o   If

o   The divorced wife

§  Remarried.

§  And then was divorced again.

 

13)   What loophole of morality does the stipulation in Deuteronomy 24:1-4 plug?

o   It plugs the loophole of

§  Legally passing around wives.

§  And sharing wives through serial

Ø  Divorce. 

Ø  And remarriage.

 

14)   Are the proceedings for divorce found in the conditional clause in Deuteronomy 24:1 for the purpose of commanding divorce and why?

o   No, because the proceedings were set up for the purpose of plugging the loophole of

§  Legally passing around wives.

§  And sharing wives through serial

Ø  Divorce. 

Ø  And remarriage.

 

15)   Can the proceedings for divorce be found anywhere else in the law of Moses?

o   No.

 

16)   Since the proceedings for divorce cannot be found to stand alone anywhere in the law of Moses, what can we say about Moses commanding divorce?

o   Moses did not command divorce.

 

17)   According to what Jesus said in verse 8 why did Moses permit divorce?

o   Moses permitted divorce.

o   Because

o   The hearts of the Jews were hard.

 

18)   How did Moses permit divorce?

o   Moses permitted divorce through the conditional clause in Deuteronomy 24:1.

 

19)   According to what Jesus said in verse 8 what was God’s intent for marriage from the beginning in regard to permitting divorce?

o   Permitting divorce in marriage was not intended by God from the beginning.

o   It was a later development.

o   Because

o   The hearts of the Jews were hard.

 

20)   According to what Jesus said in verse 9 how does a man commit adultery?

o   Anyone who

§  Divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality.

§  And marries another woman.

o   Commits adultery.

 

21)   According to what the disciples said in verse 10 what is a better choice in light of the situation between a husband and wife?

o   It is better not to marry.

 

22)   According to what Jesus said in verse 12 what are the different kinds of eunuch?

o   There are eunuchs who were born that way.

o   There are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others.

o   There are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven.

 

23)   According to what Jesus said in verse 12 what should those do who can accept living like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven?

o   The one who can accept this should accept it.

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Matthew 19:1-12

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