Matthew 19:1 – 9 ESV Now when Jesus had finished these sayings, He went away from Galilee and entered a region of Judea beyond the Jordan. And large crowds followed Him, and He healed them there.
And Pharisees came up to Him and tested Him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” He answered, “Have you not read that He Who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore, a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So, they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore, God has joined together, let not man separate.” They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning, it was not so. And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”
Jesus was teaching and ministering to large crowds. People were being blessed hearing God’s truth and being healed. Some Pharisees chose that time interrupt Jesus with a test.
Did the Pharisees care about Jesus’ views on divorce. No, they wanted to distract the crowd from Jesus’ teachings and the miracles God was doing. They purposely chose a controversial topic that would divide the crowd and cause some people to reject Jesus. Whenever God is working, we can expect the enemy to try and distract people from what God is doing.
Jesus used the opportunity to teach what was to some, an unpopular truth. While the Bible doesn’t say it, I assume some in the crowd were upset with Jesus’ words because He was holding them to a higher standard than they were used to. Jesus didn’t back down though. As always, He told the truth, no matter how unpopular it was.
Christians should follow Jesus’ example. We should be careful not to water down God’s truth for the sake of popular acceptance. At the same time, we should speak the truth with a humble attitude with the intention of edifying the hearer, not bludgeoning them.
God, give me the strength and courage to hold fast to my convictions, even in the face of rejection, disapproval, and persecution. Let me speak Your truth in love and humility.