The Bible Study Podcast, episode 447. Today, the Bible Study podcast continues the study of the

Gospel of Matthew with Chapter 19. Welcome to the Bible Study podcast. I'm your host, Chris

Christensen. We're going to get into one of those touchy subjects today, divorce. Matthew 19 goes like this. When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan. Large crowds followed him and he healed them there. Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked,

Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason? 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 flesh. Therefore, what God has

joined together, let no one separate. Why then did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate

of divorce and send her away.

Jesus replied, Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard.

But it was not this way from the beginning.

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

The disciples said if this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry. Jesus replied, not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it

has been given. For 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.

So we should understand right up front that the Pharisees knew when they came to Jesus

with this issue that it would be controversial.

What they were hoping is that Jesus would get himself in trouble with the people, that it would be controversial. What they were hoping is that Jesus would get

himself in trouble with the people, that he would say something that people wouldn't like.

And he did. This is one of those times where he doesn't try and get out of this trap, if you

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