Tag Archives: Religion

Matthew 21- The Fig Tree

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Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered. And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away. And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away! Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. Matthew 21:18-22

When Jesus rebuked the Fig Tree and it immediately withered it reminded me of Christ teachings from Matthew 7, Jesus said “Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down and thrown in the fire” (Matthew 7:19) I believe the reason Christ cursed this Fig Tree in the presence of his Apostles, was to hammer home this point. Obedience to Jesus Christ is essential in our walk of faith. We can’t claim to love The Lord and be disobedient to his commands. 

Another thing that Christ is demonstrating here is his deity as God in the Flesh (John 1:14) Remember when Jesus commanded the winds and the sea to obey him, and they did (Matthew 8:23-27) Jesus did the same here with the Fig Tree, he demonstrated his sovereignty and power as God. Who else can command the trees and sea to obey him? Christ demonstrated He is Lord over All, Lord over the natural world and the supernatural world. 

Now coming to the subject of faith, Jesus said “If you have faith and don’t doubt, you shall be able to move mountains” Of course I’m paraphrasing here, but this is Jesus point, if you truly have faith, God will move mountains for you if you remain in complete faith with Christ.! You might ask “How is this possible”? Well remember as a Born Again Christ, the Holy Spirit is living inside of You (Romans 8:11) The same Spirit that rose Jesus from the dead! Often as Christians, we forget that we are the Temple of God (1 Cor 3:16) and the Holy Spirit is living inside of us!

The original Greek word for Faith is “Pistis” , its a word that mean belief, trust, allegiance, and confidence. The word faith goes alot deeper than the way we view it in English, such as the same with the word Love or Agape in Greek. It’s a much deeper word than what our translation can convey. What’s my point? When we say we have “Faith in Christ” this is not just a shallow or philosophical statement, this is a way of life. Faith in Christ doesn’t mean you just repeat a few words and your saved, it means your follow and obey the Lord Jesus Christ with all your heart, mind, and soul

So when Jesus makes the statement “Whatever you ask in prayer, you shall receive” Many carnally abuse this scripture to get worldly things, however only those who are Born Again and have full allegiance to Christ , will be answered. Somebody who is not in the Will of God, is not in faith in Christ. This is what separates the Sheep and the Goats, the Wheat and The Tares, the Sinners and the Saints, it’s full faith in Christ alone!

Let the Fig Tree be a reminder to us all, that those who don’t produce good fruit in Christ, will be eventually chopped down and thrown into Hell Fire! (Matthew 7) May you be filled and led by the Holy Spirit in Jesus name, Amen!

Matthew 21- Cleanse The Temple

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And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them. And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased, Matthew 21:12-15

Jesus didn’t just Cleanse The Temple once, he actually did this twice, Christ cleansed the Temple at the beginning of his ministry in John 2, and Christ is cleansing the Temple here during Holy Week, right before He is going to the cross. To understand why Jesus Cleansed The Temple , we need to understand the purpose of The Temple

Before Christ came to Earth, The Temple was the only place where God dwelled with His people on Earth. The Temple of God was to be a sacred space, however the Jews made The Temple a “Den of Thieves”. The Jews turned Gods Temple into a marketplace, selling merchandise and making profit, this is why Jesus famously flipped the tables and chased the merchants with whips. The Jews were bringing sin into Gods sacred space on Earth.

We see this alot today in Christianity, the Church sanctuary , should be a sacred space for Christians to gather and worship The Lord, however many Pastors have allowed their sanctuaries to be polluted with sin and idols. You can’t expect The Holy Spirit to dwell in a sinful space, this is why alot of Churches today have lost the Holy Spirit. The candlestick has been removed from their congregation , just as Christ warned to the Churches in Revelation

The Apostle Paul taught us that our bodies are the Temple of God and the Holy Spirit lives inside of us (1 Corinthians 3:16, Romans 8:11) We must treat our bodies as a sacred space also, we can’t allow sin to pollute our bodies and expect the Holy Spirit to remain in us

And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise? And he left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and he lodged there. Matthew 21:16-17

Jesus declared himself The Christ and King, The Lord cleansed his Fathers House, The Temple, Christ is now ready to go to the cross, to pay for the sins of the world! Notice also the Apostle Matthew is revealing Jesus is fulfilling another Messanic Prophecy referencing Jeremiah 7:11 and  Isaiah 56:7. Matthew continually does a great job of bringing together the Old and New Covenants

The Children in The Temple were shouting “Hosanna to the Son of David” instead of the religious leaders. All the theological knowledge of the religious leaders couldn’t save their souls, only faith like a child in Christ, can save you! Amen!

Matthew 21- Palm Sunday

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And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. Matthew 21:1-7

Palm Sunday is one of my favorite days of the year, when we wave the Palm Branches at Church, it’s like stepping back in time when Jesus rode down the streets of Jerusalem. It’s an incredible event before it’s a fulfillment of prophecy in Zechariah, but it’s also a future event in Revelation 7, when the Great Multitudes are waving their Palm Branches for the King of Kings, Lord Jesus Christ! Palm Sunday is an event that connects Christians from the past, present , and future, it’s almost like when Christians partake in Communion

Another interesting detail is the topic of Palm Sunday has been one of the most popular topics on my blog. Of all the things I wrote about, Palm Sunday drew the largest views, and other articles I have written on Palm Sunday are some of the most viewed on my website. What that tells me is Christians understand the importance and significance of this event. Christ is bringing total fulfillment of the Old Covenant, and sharing a revelation of the New Covenant

The Apostle Matthew confirms to us that the event of Palm Sunday is a fulfillment of the Zechariah prophecy “All this was done, that is might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet” The disciples at the time probably didn’t understand why Jesus demanded a donkey, but they were faithful and obedient. The donkey was symbolic of peace and meekness, as Christ didn’t come to destroy the Roman Empire but to bring salvation to the world

And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee. Matthew 21:8-11

We notice “The Great Multitude” spread their garments and cut down the Palm Branches, this is the same language we see in Revelation 7, “The Great Multitude”, crying Hosanna, to the Son of David” We see the multitude are affirming that Jesus is The Christ by calling him Son of David, which is a Messianic Title. The Palm Branches has multiple meanings, as they meant Victory and Eternal Life, both which are fitting for the coming of The Lord and King Jesus Christ

This was the very first time Jesus publicly declared himself the Christ and King! At the beginning of the week, the crowds were shouting “Hosanna”, by the end of the week they will be shouting “Crucify Him”! The question still today is which crowd are you a part of? Is Jesus your Lord and King? Or do you stand with the sinners who crucified The Lamb of God? The King of Kings is returning again soon! Amen!

Matthew 20- The Blind Receive Sight

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And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him.And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David. And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David. Matthew 20:29-31

There are alot of things that can be said about this story, the two blind men crying out to The Lord Jesus to heal them. First we recognize that they know who Jesus is, they call him Lord and Son of David, which is a title for the Messiah (Christ) So they understand that Jesus is Lord and Christ. Secondly, by faith they are pursuing Christ, even though the crowd is rebuking them, they keep calling out to Jesus in faith to be healed

What are the signs of the Messiah? If we remember from Matthew 11, John the Baptist asked the question “Are You (Jesus) the One (Christ)?” And notice the response by Jesus, he quotes Isaiah “The blind receive sight” (Matthew 11:4-6) By Jesus healing these blind men, he is actually also fulfilling the prophecy of the Christ, Jesus is giving signs that he is the Son of God, the Messiah

Now we can also look at this in a spiritual sense, even though these men were physically healed, we were all spiritually blind. And when we became Born Again, we were all healed from our blindness. The Holy Spirit removed the scales from our eyes, and now we can see righteously. 

And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you? They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened. So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him. Matthew 20:32-34

Jesus asked the men “What do you want me to do for you?” They replied “Lord that are eyes may be opened” Are you asking Christ for the same thing? Are you seeking for our eyes to be spiritually opened by the Holy Spirit, so you can understand God and his word? So that you can discern good and evil from a Biblical perspective. This is why we must become Born Again to enter the Kingdom of God (John 3:3)

Once they received their healing, they followed Christ. Once you are Born Again, there is no going back , you are a New Creature. Are you calling upon The Lord for salvation? Lord Jesus may our eyes be opened! Amen!

Matthew 20- Right Hand of Christ

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Then came to him the mother of Zebedee’s children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him. And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom. But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able. Matthew 20:20-22

 Over and over again we talked about humbling ourselves as Christians, Jesus told us to “deny ourselves and carry our crosses” (Matthew 16:24) However the Zebedee brothers did not seem to get the memo, in fact they had their mother make a special request to Christ, to have one of her sons to sit at the right hand of Jesus. The fact that somebody would ask this, would indicate they either didn’t know what they are requesting or they are very arrogant with pride. 

Notice Jesus’ response “You don’t know what your asking” no offense mother Zebedee, but your totally out of your mind. However this shows you how our own human pride and ego can be so dangerous to think we could even comprehend a position of this authority. To sit at the right hand of Christ, would elevate yourself to almost a God-like position. Christ asked “Are you able to drink of the cup I shall drink”? Now I’m going to assume they had no idea what Jesus was referring to, however we know Christ it talking about his position as the Son of God, to lay down his life for the sins of the world, and then resurrect defeating death forever

Nobody can even come close to being able to sit at the right hand of Christ , however our human pride and egos want us to believe that. Notice the Zebedee brothers response “We are able”, these guys are Apostles, however their sinful flesh has overtaken them. Nobody is able or worthy except Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords

And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father. And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren. But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. Matthew 20:23-28

Many ask why are there so many different Church denominations? Well look here, the 12 Apostles are already being divisive, as the Zebedee brothers tried to elevate themselves greater than all the Apostles, this obviously caused alot of friction between the disciples. As the scriptures say “They (Apostles) were moved with indignation” what is happening? The Zebedee brothers were putting their will and pride ahead of Gods, we must remain in God’s will to receive God’s blessings. 

Jesus summed it up when he said “The Son of Man came not to be served (ministered) but to serve (minister) and give his life as a ransom for many” Think about that, God in the flesh came to give his life for his elect. Christ didn’t look to exalt himself but he humbled himself to the cross to save us from our sins! Amen!

Matthew 20- The Gospel

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And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again. Matthew 20:17-19

Here we see for the third time, Jesus prophesied about his death and resurrection to his disciples. Even after he told them this, time and time again, they still didn’t get it. When Jesus finally went to the cross, as Christ predicted, they were shocked and felt defeated. The disciples felt defeated, even though this is exactly what God told them he was going to do! They just didn’t understand God’s plan, just as we still don’t understand God’s plan for our lives, however we need to keep the faith in Christ, because God knows what he is doing!

Today’s reading is only 3 scriptures, and we could have easily skipped over it, but these 3 scriptures are the entire gospel, it’s the foundation of the entire BIble. Without the gospel message there is no hope or salvation for humanity. Why is the gospel message so difficult to grasp? No matter how many times we heard the gospel, why does it seem almost impossible? 

Here’s the reason why the gospel is so radical, because first we need to acknowledge our sinful state. Most people believe they are “good” people and there sin is not that bad, but they are wrong. All wages of sin lead to death, there is a price to pay for our sinfulness, someone has to pay the penalty! But first we need to acknowledge our sins against God and repent (turn away from our sins). Many people can’t get past this first step, they love their sin more than they love God or eternal life

Next we need to understand that God became a man to pay for the penalty of our sins (John 1:14, Isaiah 53) This is almost impossible for our minds to grasp, that God can become human, fully God and fully man (Philippians 2) and die on the cross for our sins. But this is exactly what Jesus did for us!  The fact that Christ knew you before the foundations of the world, choose you, and died for you to redeem you (Ephesians 1:4) 

And then we have the Resurrection of Christ, that Jesus not only paid the penalty for our sins on the cross, but Christ also defeated sin and death by rising from the dead  to live forever! (Luke 24, Matthew 28) Because Christ is Risen , we can also be risen forevermore at the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15) We can be redeemed and restored because of Jesus Christ

This is the gospel message , the only message that can bring hope to the entire world, a message that Satan doesn’t want to be heard or preached, so the world will continually have a strong resistance to the gospel message, but the gospel must be preached because it’s the living hope for our faith in Jesus Christ, Amen!

Matthew 20- Parable of The Workers

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For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive. Matthew 20:1-7

Notice this is the “Parable of the Workers” this is not a parable of the couch sitting Christians or closet Christians. We as Christians need to get to work, if you are truly a Christian you are a servant of Christ. What did Christ command us to do at the Great Commision? Go and preach the gospel to all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19) It’s time to get to work for The Lord, time is running short and souls are perishing on a daily basis

Now in this parable, we see many different workers, who are symbolic of The Church. Many Christians have done different ministries and different degrees of work for God. However we all have the same destination, the Kingdom of God. We need to be careful not to allow our egos being the inspiration for our ministries. We are servants of Christ, we shouldn’t be concerned how much glory we receive or how much others receive, all glory belongs to God

So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen. Matthew 20:8-16

When it came time for the laborers to get paid, they all got paid the same. Some complained, I did more than this person, as Jesus said “Is it not lawful for me (Christ) to do what I will with my own” Who are we to tell God how he should do things? This is exactly what we do many times as humans, and this is what many Christians do also. Instead of us just serving The Lord, we want credit and praise, but we shouldn’t expect anything in return for serving The Lord

Pride leads to destruction (Proverbs 16:18) we see this over and over again, whenever sin is involved it usually begins with pride. Remember Jesus said “Anyone who wants to be my disciple must deny themselves, carry their cross, and follow Christ” (Luke 9:23) Your true reward is eternal salvation with our Lord and God, Amen!

Matthew 19- Are You A Good Person?

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And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Matthew 19:16-20

Often when people hear of the story about the “Rich Young Ruler” they get hung up on the man being rich, but this is not the heart of this story. There is alot being revealed here by Christ, first notice the man asks “What do I need to do to inherit eternal life”? , this is a great question and gets right to the point, what do people need to do to become saved

Now the first thing is Jesus says “Why do you call me good, nobody is good except God” the word “good” here means “morally excellent” basically perfect. Jesus is saying nobody is morally excellent but God, hence since Jesus is sinless Christ is God. Many often don’t catch this, that Jesus actually declared he is God here. If you reject that Christ is perfect and sinless, then you reject the atonement for your sins, hence your not saved then. It’s important to understand who Jesus truly is, God in the flesh (John 1:14), the sinless Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29)

What is Jesus first response here to the man, Christ gives him the Ten Commandments, why? Because The Law reveals our sin (Romans 7:7) The Law is a mirror  (James 1:23) Before somebody can understand they need Christ, they first need to understand they are a sinner in need of saving, before they can understand they are a sinner they need to understand what is sin, hence the Ten Commandments.

Now notice this man’s response “Oh yeah I kept all the commandments” Right here , Christ knows the man is lying and deceiving himself. Scripture tells us “We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) This man is not acknowledging his sin and has not come to repentance. Hence he will not truly receive Christ because he doesn’t believe he’s a sinner

Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. Matthew 19:21-24

Since the man won’t acknowledge his sin and repent, Jesus tests the man. Christ said “Go and sell all your stuff and give it to the poor” Of course the man walks away because he doesn’t truly love The Lord, he loves the thought of eternal life. This is the same with most false converts in the Church today, everyone loves the thought of Jesus and eternal life, but how many have truly repented of their sin, and follow Jesus with all their heart, mind, and soul?

Money can become an idol just like anything else you put in place of God. Have you acknowledged you are a sinner and turned away from your sins? Have you truly placed all your faith and trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord? Do these things and you will inherit eternal life, Amen!

Matthew 19- Jesus Love The Children

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Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence. Matthew 19:13-15

We often heard the Sunday School song “Jesus loves the Little Children” and it’s Biblical. As we see in the scriptures here, Jesus does love the Little Children”, and as we see in the world today, Satan hates Children, this is why all the evil agendas of this world are aimed at Children. 

Jesus often says we should have “Childlike Faith” (Matthew 18:3) we need to humble ourselves, unharden our hearts and minds, and listen to The Lord. Notice when the Children were coming to Jesus, the disciples rebuked. However Jesus said “Let the little children come to me, and don’t hinder them” We shouldn’t be a stumbling block for anyone coming to Christ, including children. We can actually learn alot from children, most of the time we hinder ourselves due to pride and ego. 

Jesus said “For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these” think about that! While Children are often the ones who are hidden during Church services, these are the ones that Christ is seeking the most. People with a clean heart and a clean mind, not corrupted by this world. Children don’t need a lot to be content, however the older we get, the more it seems we need to satisfy ourselves. We need more possessions, we need more money, we need more friends, however nothing ever seems to fill our void. Because the void can only be filled with Christ!

Are you seeking Christ with an open heart and open mind like a Child? Or are you coming to Jesus with a bitter heart and a mind full of corruption of this world? We need to be Born Again (John 3:3) we need to be reset, we need to be renewed in our minds and not conformed to the ways of the world (Romans 12:2) We remember when the disciples were arguing over “Who was the greatest in Gods Kingdom”? Jesus pointed to a child, said “Whoever humbles themselves like this little child, is the greatest in the Kingdom of God (Matthew 18:4)

We can learn alot from children, we need to have Child-like faith in Christ, because in Christ we are Children of God, Amen!

Matthew 19- Jesus On Divorce

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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? And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, 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?Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? 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. Matthew 19:3-8

The topic of divorce is obviously a very complicated topic and is not black or white by any means. But Jesus did touch on this subject, so we can gain wisdom into his teachings. It’s important to note though, Jesus didn’t teach on this topic totally in depth, so I think there are alot of gray areas where many people make assumptions, we need to be careful in making wrong judgements on divorce.

Notice it says the Pharisees came to “test” or “tempt” Christ, we see this over and over again in the gospels, the religious leaders trying to trap Jesus with his interpretations of The Law. Now The Lord reveals a few things about marriage right here, first he declares God established the Covenant of Marriage in Genesis. Humans don’t have the power or authority to change the rules of marriage. Secondly, marriage is between One Man and One Woman, period. Any other arrangement outside of this is not a valid marriage in God’s eyes and is immoral. The third thing Christ reveals is marriage was designed to be eternal, “what God has joined, let nobody separate”

The religious leaders than came back to challenge Christ, “Why did Moses then allow divorce” ? And Jesus replied “Because of the hardness of your hearts” So to sum this up, Marriage was originally designed by God to be eternal, but because we live in a fallen world (Genesis 3) because we are sinners , God has allowed divorce under different circumstances.

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. His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry. But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. 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. Matthew 19:9-12

Now comes the gray areas of divorce, Jesus mentions adultery as a valid reason to get divorced, but is that the only reason? Now honestly I don’t think Jesus was doing an in-depth teaching on this topic, he was just listing a valid reason. Meaning I believe there are other valid reasons you can get divorced such as abuse, ect. Now with that said, we shouldn’t strive to get divorced, however sometimes divorce is necessary in some circumstances. Again living in a fallen world as fallen people

Don’t get me wrong I know “God hates divorce” (Malachi 2:16) however God also understands and has mercy and compassion. God divorced Israel (Jeremiah 3:8-10) Divorce is an unfortunate and painful separation that was not part of Gods original design, however there is mercy and healing through Jesus Christ, Amen!