King Jesus on Marriage and Divorce
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
Mark 10:1-12 NASB
1Getting up, He went from there to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan; crowds gathered around Him again, and, according to His custom, He once more began to teach them.
2 Some Pharisees came up to Jesus, testing Him, and began to question Him whether it was lawful for a man to divorce a wife. 3 And He answered and said to them, “What did Moses command you?” 4 They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.” 5 But Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. 6 But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. 7 For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother, 8 and the two shall become one flesh; so they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.”
10 In the house the disciples began questioning Him about this again. 11 And He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her; 12 and if she herself divorces her husband and marries another man, she is committing adultery.”
OUTLINE
- The Trap 10:1-2
- The Tables Turned 10:3-4
- The Truth 10:5-9
- The Trouble 10:10-12
QUESTIONS
- In America it seems everyone has been impacted by divorce somewhere in their story. Where has divorce impacted you? How does the Gospel interact with your experience?
- The real issue in marriage according to Jesus is hardness of heart. How does a hard heart manifest itself? Do you struggle to admit when you are wrong and need to apologize? Do you hold onto wrongs done to you? Do you repay evil for evil? Do you struggle to listen to others? Do you struggle to encourage or compliment others? Do you compromise rather than confess sin?
- Marriage isn’t about avoiding divorce, but pursuing oneness. Many of us who aren’t divorced are still not pursuing oneness, which reflects the Trinity. What does pursuing the heart of our spouse and pursuing oneness look like? What is one step you can take toward oneness today?
- God hates divorce. He doesn’t hate those who have been through divorce. What does it look like to join in with God to see others hurting through a divorce or lacking oneness in marriage like He does? Who do you know going through a time of divorce that you can love, serve, care, and pray for?