THE ASTONISHMENT OF THE DISCIPLES
We come now to examine the reaction of the disciples to the answers Jesus had given to the Pharisees in Matt 19:3-9Matt 19:3-9 3 ¶The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? 4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, 5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? 6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. 7 They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? 8 He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.. To say they were surprised by his words would be an understatement. They were completely taken aback! "If the case of a man be so with his wife, it is not good (R.V. 'expedient') to marry" (Matt 19:10). The disciples would have been surprised if Jesus had supported the liberal views of the school of Hillel, and the Pharisees would not have asked their second question if he had supported the view of the school of Shammai. We cannot be selective in what parts we accept. It is all, or nothing!It was obvious that Jesus was taking a view held by neither of these schools of Jewry, a view to which the Pharisees took exception, and which astonished the disciples. The fact that they were so astonished can only be explained by the fact that he was taking an even stricter view than the school of Shammai, which only allowed divorce in the case of an unfaithful wife. Christ's position was obviously stricter than this.
Christ's answer to his disciples confirms this. "All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given (i.e. his disciples). For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb; and there are some eunuchs which were made eunuchs of men; and there be eunuchs which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it" (verses 11 & 12). Jesus is saying this in the context of marriage. It must mean that if a man's wife leaves him for any reason, he must remain single, and not take another partner while his wife is alive. Jesus says that it is only those to whom this saying is given, who can receive it. The Pharisees could not accept the teaching of Jesus because of the hardness of their hearts. It is hardness of heart which prevents those who are not followers of Jesus from receiving (i.e. accepting) his teaching on the matter. The teaching of Jesus is for his followers, and if any man would be his disciple he must observe and follow his teaching. We cannot be selective in what parts we accept. It is all, or nothing!
No provision is made for divorce, or remarriage after divorceA comparison with Matt 13:9-16Matt 13:9-16 9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. 10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? 11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. 13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. 14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: 15 For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. 16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. will demonstrate that when Jesus used the phrase "to whom it is given" he was referring to his followers. "It is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them (unbelievers) it is not given", and, "Who hath ears to hear, let him hear". It is "they to whom it is given" — the followers of Jesus, who are called upon to observe and obey his teaching.
That the teaching of Jesus allows for no divorce is confirmed by the words of the Spirit through Paul at 1 Cor 7:10 & 11, "And to the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband; but and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife". This is not just my teaching, says Paul, but the teaching of Jesus. As a summary of Christ's teaching on the matter of divorce and remarriage, it must be a true reflection of his doctrine. No provision is made for divorce, or remarriage after divorce. So the Apostle Paul understood that Jesus made provision for neither.
It has been suggested that Paul's words in 1 Cor 7:15 allow a believer whose partner has deserted them to divorce and remarry, but this would not only deny his words above, but would militate against the teaching of the rest of Scripture. "But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases; but God hath called us to peace". "Barnes On The New Testament", vol 5, says that if an unbelieving partner is determined to depart, the believer is not bound to go to extremes in seeking to prevent their departure. They can accept the separation, but it does not give licence to divorce and remarry!