Divine Design: Marriage and Divorce
Matthew 19:1-9 (ESV)
Teaching About Divorce
Now when Jesus had finished these sayings, he went away from Galilee and entered the 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 one 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.”
Study Guide Questions:
Observation Questions
Observation Questions focus on gathering facts and identifying key details. This can include repeated words, themes, and characters). Observation asks "what does the text say?" not "what does the text mean?" It is not intended to go into interpretation or life application yet. Observations provide a crucial foundation for accurate interpretation and application, preventing misconceptions.
When asked about divorce, Jesus redirects the conversation to God’s design for marriage in Genesis. What specific details does He highlight about marriage’s purpose and permanence?
How does Jesus contrast Moses’ allowance for divorce with God’s original design?
What two biblical allowances for divorce are explicitly named in Scripture?
Interpretation Questions
Interpretation Questions focus on interpreting what has been observed. The goal is to try to understand the original author's intended meaning and purpose for the intended audience. Interpretation bridges observations with life applications. It will consider key terms, explores context, and answers "why" to uncover the main point.
Why does Jesus focus on God’s design for marriage (Genesis 1-2) rather than directly answering the Pharisees’ question about divorce laws?
How does hard heartedness reflect humanity’s brokenness? How might a “soft heart” (transformed by the gospel) change how we approach marital conflict?
Life Application Questions
Life Application questions are intended to transform knowledge gleaned from observations and interpretations to practical application in your life. These questions are intended to move the facilitator and the participant from understanding what the text meant to how it applies to daily life. Life application questions are intended to transform listeners into doers, bridging biblical truth with current circumstances to foster personal transformation and spiritual maturity.
The sermon emphasizes that marriage creates a “new, one-flesh reality.” What practical steps can married individuals take to prioritize their spouse over parental relationships or other loyalties?
Forgiveness in marriage is described as a “slow labor” requiring repentance and time . If you’ve been deeply hurt in a relationship, how can you discern when to pursue reconciliation versus when to set boundaries for safety or healing?
For those who have experienced divorce or know someone who has: How does the truth that “Christ never divorces his bride” offer hope and reshape how we view God’s grace in the midst of failure?
Where does God's gift of grace fit into your view of your relationships?