Love Changes Everything
It seems that divorce has been a touchy subject since the beginning. So volatile was this topic that the Pharisees used it in an attempt to turn public opinion against Jesus. At this time, there were two main trains of thought concerning divorce. One side of the argument (the far less popular one) came from a man named Rabbi Shammai. This side of the argument stated that divorce was only lawful if the spouse was caught in adultery. The other, and quite popular, view came from Rabbi Hillel who claimed that a man could cast his wife away for any infraction – even burning his breakfast.
The argument stems from Deuteronomy 24:1 which says, “When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some uncleanness in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house.” (This was the law given by Moses the Pharisees referenced in their inquisition of Jesus.) The great debate was over what Moses considered to be an uncleanness. William Barclay expounded further on the opinion of those who followed Rabbi Hillel. He said, “They said that it could mean if the wife spoiled a dish of food, if she spun in the streets, if she talked to a strange man, if she spoke disrespectfully of her husband’s relations in his hearing, if she was a brawling woman (who was defined as a woman whose voice could be heard in the next house). Rabbi Akiba even went the length of saying that it meant if a man found a woman who was fairer in his eyes than his wife was.” If these were grounds for divorce, I have no idea why I am still married. I have spoiled many a dish of food… I dance in the street with my daughter almost every day… and, though I am not an arguing woman, I am a rather loud one… I am very glad my husband never followed Rabbi Hillel’s advice. Though his was the more popular theory, it certainly was not the most loving… especially towards women.
Jesus’ answer to the Pharisees’ question was quite simple and beautiful. Does God promote divorce? No. Malachi 2:16 clearly says, “For I hate divorce,” says the Lord, the God of Israel.” God also hates violence. He hates unfairness and manipulation. He hates lies… basically all sin breaks God’s heart. Divorce should never be an easy decision. It should never be a way to try to catch a better spouse. If we were not sinful creatures by nature, we would never need a law about divorce. We would never need any of the laws Moses laid out for us. If love motivated our actions, our lives would look drastically different and so would our world. God knows we are a fallen people. Our world is broken by sin. That is why we need Jesus. Though he has paid our price, we should be working towards righteousness. We should do the best we can to live in a way that brings God glory and promotes unity and love. That means working towards reconciliation and healing. A marriage restored brings God glory, but it isn’t always in our power. We can’t control others, but we can make sure that no matter what we go through, our lives reflect the loving attitude of our God.
(Written by Keegan Harkins)
Commentaires