Show Don't Tell: Matthew 19:1-12

Instead of saying "Jesus taught about divorce," feel the test coming. Pharisees approach: "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?" A hot-button debate—the rabbis were divided. Jesus goes back to Genesis: "Haven't you read that at the beginning the Creator made them male and female? 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." They push back: why did Moses command divorce certificates? "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning." God's intent versus human hardness. The disciples conclude: better not to marry! Jesus: not everyone can accept this word—some are called to celibacy for the kingdom's sake.