Daily Devotional For Friday, January 2, 2026

Good morning and it is my prayer that your 2026 is a great year for all of you. We are making our way through the Gospel of Matthew. We are picking up with the same passage we looked at yesterday because of the content and length of it – Matthew 19:1-12:

“When Jesus had finished these words, He departed from Galilee and came into the region of Judea beyond the Jordan; (2) and large crowds followed Him, and He healed them there. (3) Some Pharisees came to Jesus, testing Him and asking, ‘Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all?’ (4) And He answered and said, ‘Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, (5) and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? (6) So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.’ (7) They said to Him, ‘Why then did Moses command to give her a certificate of divorce and send her away?’ (8) He said to them, ‘Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way.(9) And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.’ (10) The disciples said to Him, ‘If the relationship of the man with his wife is like this, it is better not to marry.’ (11) But He said to them, ‘Not all men can accept this statement, but only those to whom it has been given. (12) For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother’s womb; and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men; and there are also eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to accept this, let him accept it’” (NASB).

The topic is Jesus’ teaching about divorce. Jesus is asked a question about divorce. He is being set up by two different schools of rabbis who had opposing teachings on the issue of divorce: the School of Hillel (liberal) and the School of Shammai (Conservative). Hillel school taught a man could divorce his wife for any reason and Shammai said a man could only divorce his wife for her infidelity. Instead of getting caught in the cross fire of 2 different schools theology on divorce and knowing this was a trap, Jesus’ answer is go all the way back to God’s intent for marriage rather than divorce.

Jesus references Genesis 1:27 and Genesis 2:24. Jesus goes all the way back to the beginning of God’s intent and purpose for marriage. In doing this, Jesus was using what scholars call “weightier” text. A biblical text from the beginning was weightier than the Law, which came later. With Jesus using the words “male” and “female” or “man” and “wife,” Jesus reminded them that God had created Adam and Eve to compliment each other so that one flesh could occur in an intimacy that could not be separated or broken prior to sin. 

The union of marriage is to be permanent until death. The only reason divorce was tolerated years later in the law is due to the “hardness of the people’s heart.” Both schools of thought saw Deuteronomy 24:1 as a proof text for divorce. Instead of focusing on divorce, Jesus chose to intentionally focus on marriage. Jesus reminded them that divorce is not just a legal issue; it is also a spiritual one. To Jesus, marriage and divorce were more than just a financial transaction where a dowry was given and returned. 

So the religious leaders question Jesus with, “Okay Jesus, if that is true, then why did Moses allow it in Deuteronomy 24:1-4? Was Jesus implying that Moses, the giver of God’s Law, had contradicted God Himself? If so, this would be heretical. Since Jesus took the religious leaders back to God’s intent for marriage rather than get caught up in a discussion on divorce, what is God’s intent for marriage according to Scripture? New Testament scholar Bruce B. Barton gives us these reasons:

• “Marriage is a committed partnership between a man and a woman. God’s creative work was not complete until he made woman. He could have made her from the dust of the ground, as he had made man. God chose, however, to make her from the man’s flesh and bone. In so doing, He illustrated for us that in marriage, a man and a woman symbolically become one flesh. This is a mystical union of the couple’s hearts and lives. Throughout the Bible, God treats this special partnership seriously. If you are married or planning to be married, are you willing to keep the commitment that makes the two of you one? The goal in marriage should be more than friendship; it should be oneness.
• Marriage is a cooperative effort between equal partners. God forms and equips men and women for various tasks, but all these tasks lead to the same goal—honoring God. Man gives life to woman; woman gives life to the world. Each role carries exclusive privileges; there is no room for thinking that one sex is superior to the other.
• Marriage is a gift from God. God gave marriage as a gift to Adam and Eve. They were created perfect for each other. Marriage was not just for convenience, nor was it brought about by any culture.
• Marriage was designed by God. The marriage relationship that God designed has three basic aspects: (1) The man leaves his parents and, in a public act, promises himself to his wife; (2) The man and woman are joined together by taking responsibility for each other’s welfare and by loving the mate above all others; (3) The two become one flesh in the intimacy and commitment of sexual union that is reserved for marriage. Strong marriages include all three of these aspects” (Source: Bruce B. Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary, “Matthew,” p. 370).

It was sin that made divorce inevitable. Moses had simply included laws to help those victimized by it. As we read yesterday, in that day, everything was in the man’s favor. A woman or wife had no rights and only a husband could initiate and divorce his wife. Therefore, the laws created gave these women rights as well. The husband was required to write out a certificate of divorce and return her dowry. This then would allow her to remarry and be protected and limit the abuses by unloving husbands. With this allowance and rights given to Jewish women, many men would think twice about throwing out his wife.

Therefore, Jesus held up the sanctity of marriage. Before considering divorce, Jesus reminded everyone of God’s intent that marriage be a lifetime of stable, loving and monogamous marriage. So strong should that bond be that each should view it as being one – to divorce would be similar to cutting yourself from head to toe in half. That’s the oneness Jesus presented. Tomorrow we will look at this issue again.

Assignment: Statistics show that Christians divorce as frequently as non-Christians. This is a sad commentary. Why do you think this is true? If you knew a young couple that was going to get married, (knowing what you know so far from today and yesterday’s devotional), and they came to you for premarital counseling, how would you counsel them to have the kind of marriage God desires in their lives? So many couples glamorize the wedding with no thought of guarding the marriage. They focus on a few hours of a service and celebration and ignore the lifetime hours of connectedness. What would you do to help a couple do just the opposite?

Scripture To Meditate On: Genesis 2:24, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh” (NASB). 

Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, help me to be true and honor all vows I have made in Your name, especially ones made for my marriage. Lord, I know the evil one will do everything he can to convince me to compromise and even break these vows made to You. Please help me to stay sanctified in my vows rather than ruining them through any sin. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”

I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly