[Pastor Ralph]

Q4. (Matthew 19:10) Why do you think Jesus' disciples reacted so negatively to his teaching on marriage and divorce? Did they misunderstand it?

[Elwood C O'Dell]

I think the disciples reacted negatively to Christ’s teaching because mankind likes to call the shots, be in charge of situations and determine by themselves what is right and wrong. Perhaps they felt that Christ ought to in some way gave his blessing to divorce and have left “a way out” of this type of situation for those who were faced with it. Do I feel they understood His teachings? I believe they full well understood the intent of what He had to say, but at the same time struggled with putting the truth into action.

[Tabatha]

Q4. (Matthew 19:10) Why do you think Jesus' disciples reacted so negatively to his teaching on marriage and divorce? Did they misunderstand it?

I believe they reacted negatively to his teaching on marriage and divorce because they probabaly were already practicing it., and I believe they understood clearly. It is very clear through out the bible the reason for Moses's law. It was because of the hardness of their hearts. In Gen. 2: 24 God made it quite clear what was to be between Man and woman.

The law of Moses allowing divorce for the hardness of men's hearts. and the law of Christ forbidding it, intimate, that Christians being under a dispensation of love and liberty, tenderness of heart may justly be expected among them, that they will not be hard-hearted, like the Jews, for God has called us to peace. There will be no occasion for divorces, If we forbear one another and forgive one another, in love, as those that are, and hope to be forgiven, and have found God not forward to put us away ( Isa. 50:1 ). No need of divorces , if husband, and they live together as heirs of the grace of life: and these are the laws of Christ, such as we find not in all the law of Moses.

[Eudora]

Q4. (Matthew 19:10) Why do you think Jesus' disciples reacted so negatively to his teaching on marriage and divorce? Because they hadn’t been taught this truth before. The Pharisee's had been the teacher of the law and they had added to the word of God and had also taken away from the word of God. It wasn’t until Jesus came on the scene to explain and to give the law true meaning, that people really knew truth.

Did they misunderstand it? Yes, because they knew of their culture and their traditions, but not the truth and the meaning until Jesus came and spoke spirit to spirit to all of them.

In Hebrew marriage customs, the betrothal occurred when the man left his father's home and went to the home of the prospective bride to arrange the purchase price for the bride of his intentions.. This price, the "mohar," had to be paid prior to any other arrangements in their discussion.

In comparison, Christ left heaven, His Father's house, and came to earth, the home of His bride, to pay the price for a world lost in sin and fallen state. The "price" was His life's blood. The redemption of sin, by His blood: "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.

The groom obtained his bride through the transaction of a marriage covenant. Likewise, Christ came to the earth to establish a covenant, foretold in the Old Testament by the prophet Jeremiah. This covenant was established the same night He gave the promise to His disciples in the renewed covenant established by the shedding of His blood on the cross. The shared cup of wine. “This do in remembrance of Me” In the Hebrew ceremony a shared cup of wine is the symbol of the marriage covenant.

Once the father and the groom reached the agreed price, ‘the bride to be’ was set apart as the grooms bride to be. She was now set apart solely for her husband, whom had paid for this right. Those who choose to live according to His truth and accept the rules of the kingdom as theirs, as a token of their love to Him, are also set aside for the groom. In Ephesians Paul teaches, "Husbands love your wives even as Christ loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word." Jesus has paid the price for His bride.

[charisbarak]

The disciples reacted strongly because they saw that marriage was very hard and that there was no "escape hatch!"

They may have misunderstood it, or were not taught the original teachings on marriage--they had become accustomed to men at that time being able to get out of a marriage easily.

[Cee]

Q4. (Matthew 19:10) Why do you think Jesus' disciples reacted so negatively to his teaching on marriage and divorce? Did they misunderstand it?

The disciples did not understand the way Jesus was explaining it to them. Jesus replied to them in verse 11, that marriage it not for everyone. Jesus even gave His disciples 3 examples in verse 12 why marriage is not for everyone.

[Stan]

Q4. (Matthew 19:10) Why do you think Jesus' disciples reacted so negatively to his teaching on marriage and divorce? Did they misunderstand it?

They may have misunderstood but I can see where they may have been of the same attitude as the rest of the people wanting that escape hatch. I would think that they may well have had the same hardness of heart.

[sisterlily]

Because man wants it his way. Man fails when they leave God out, only when we place God first will everything else flow.

[UncleBlake]

Q4. (Matthew 19:10) Why do you think Jesus' disciples reacted so negatively to his teaching on marriage and divorce? Did they misunderstand it?

I don't believe Jesus' disciples misunderstood what Jesus was saying, but more to the point, over simplified it. In saying what Jesus did, I believe He was signifying the seriousness of the nature of the relationship between a man and a woman as designed by God. The Disciples over simplified Jesus message in that in order to keep from doing what God did not intend, one would keep away from it all together. I don't believe that this is what God had intended in the first place.

[JustJeff]

The disciples reaction was because they were Jews and still under the law not having received the Holy Spirit. Secondly, they didn't believe that men could restrain themselves from the commands regarding adultery that Jesus issued.

[Dar]

Q4. (Matthew 19:10) Why do you think Jesus' disciples reacted so negatively to his teaching on marriage and divorce? -- Did they misunderstand it?

A disciple is one who wants to learn, the disciples are asking the Master a good question, is it better not to get married? As we have already seen, the Jewish leaders had different teachings on adultery, on marriage, etc.
Jesus is teaching God's truth, it is understood through spiritual ears. Do we want to hear the answer, to learn the truth of what God desires for us, as the disciples did?

[JanMary]

Q4. (Matthew 19:10) Why do you think Jesus' disciples reacted so negatively to his teaching on marriage and divorce? Did they misunderstand it?

1) They heard what He said, but couldn't accept that there was no escape route. They didn't misunderstand, but didn't like what they heard. They were still steeped in the tradional teaching on marriage and divorce prevalent in their day and accepted that, making Jesus' teaching of God's original intent a stumbling stone to them.

[Loisb]

Q4. (Matthew 19:10) Why do you think Jesus' disciples reacted so negatively to his teaching on marriage and divorce? Did they misunderstand it?

1. I think that some of the disciples reacted so negatively because they were probably guilty themselves regarding divorce. I'm sure that they understand, but this would have been hard for someone to do when this was the normal practice during that day. In those days, the men were in charge and did whatever they felt like doing. It's just like today. If you marry and get tired of your wife or husband, just divorce them, but this is not God's plan.

[sahala p.s.]

Q4. (Matthew 19:10) Why do you think Jesus' disciples reacted so negatively to his teaching on marriage and divorce? Did they misunderstand it?

Jesus' disciples reacted so negatively to his teaching on marriage and divorce because they did not accept it, not misundertand it

[PATJOE]

Q4. (Matthew 19:10) Why do you think Jesus' disciples reacted so negatively to his teaching on marriage and divorce? Did they misunderstand it?

Jesus often spoke in parables and/or statements that were not easily understood. I think his disciples had some trouble understanding Jesus' meaning and possibly had no choice but to take a literal viewpoint. This would cause them to ask many questions. Yes. I think the disciples had as much trouble totally understanding Jesus' words on marriage and divorce as we do to-day.

[Lisa Rupert]

Q4. (Matthew 19:10) Why do you think Jesus' disciples reacted so negatively to his teaching on marriage and divorce? Did they misunderstand it?
The disciples were a clear example of why Moses had to bring about the certificate of divorce in the first place, their hearts were hardened and they liked the law because it benefited their cause. The right thing doesn't come easy and God's intention is that a man and woman unite and become one forever allowing no one to undo this union.
But their hearts were hardened. Instead of understanding what God's intentions were on marriage from the beginning they wanted a exit from whatever they desired or didn't desire in a marriage. Their hearts were hardened with self-centeredness, selfishness, or self absorption, etc..... The only misunderstanding was why was Jesus being so strict and Moses was so lenient to their cause of divorce. They didn't understand what God's intentions were from the beginning .

[June]

I think they understood it and reacted that way because they were so use to having more than one woman. There was no escape hatch, so rather than sin --- just don't marry.

[Patricia A]

Q4. (Matthew 19:10)



Why do you think Jesus' disciples reacted so negatively to his teaching on marriage and divorce? Did they misunderstand it?



I believe the disciples did misunderstand Jesus’ teaching on marrage and divorce.

Jesus' disciples got the point loud and clear.

"The disciples said to him, 'If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry'" (19:10).

They were saying, "If there's no escape hatch allowed at all, then we'd better not marry at all."

Jesus' reply is interesting. He says,

"Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has en given." (19:11) .

Jesus' disciples got the point loud and clear.

"The disciples said to him, 'If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry'" (19:10).

They were saying, "If there's no escape hatch allowed at all, then we'd better not marry at all."

Jesus' reply is interesting. He says,

"Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given." (19:11)

The key issue for interpreting this verse is whether "this word" refers to what precedes it about divorce, or what comes after it, about being a eunuch for the kingdom of heaven. Which is the teaching that everyone can't accept? The no divorce part or the eunuch part? In fact, people have trouble accepting either. I expect, however, that Jesus was referring to marriage in general -- that many couldn't accept Jesus' teaching about God's intention for marriage.

[diane120164]

Q4. (Matthew 19:10) Why do you think Jesus' disciples reacted so negatively to his teaching on marriage and divorce? Because they hadn’t been taught this truth before. The Pharisee's had been the teacher of the law and they had added to the word of God and had also taken away from the word of God. It wasn’t until Jesus came on the scene to explain and to give the law true meaning, that people really knew truth.

Did they misunderstand it? Yes, because they knew of their culture and their traditions, but not the truth and the meaning until Jesus came and spoke spirit to spirit to all of them.

In Hebrew marriage customs, the betrothal occurred when the man left his father's home and went to the home of the prospective bride to arrange the purchase price for the bride of his intentions.. This price, the "mohar," had to be paid prior to any other arrangements in their discussion.

In comparison, Christ left heaven, His Father's house, and came to earth, the home of His bride, to pay the price for a world lost in sin and fallen state. The "price" was His life's blood. The redemption of sin, by His blood: "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.

The groom obtained his bride through the transaction of a marriage covenant. Likewise, Christ came to the earth to establish a covenant, foretold in the Old Testament by the prophet Jeremiah. This covenant was established the same night He gave the promise to His disciples in the renewed covenant established by the shedding of His blood on the cross. The shared cup of wine. “This do in remembrance of Me” In the Hebrew ceremony a shared cup of wine is the symbol of the marriage covenant.

Once the father and the groom reached the agreed price, ‘the bride to be’ was set apart as the grooms bride to be. She was now set apart solely for her husband, whom had paid for this right. Those who choose to live according to His truth and accept the rules of the kingdom as theirs, as a token of their love to Him, are also set aside for the groom. In Ephesians Paul teaches, "Husbands love your wives even as Christ loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word." Jesus has paid the price for His bride.

THANK YOU FOR THIS COMMENT - I have appreciated all of your comments (and others) throughout this study - you have provided me much insight and I am thankful!

[Don W]

I don’t think that they misunderstood it as much as not accepting this teaching in its fullest extent in that marriage is very hard for any couple to be together and it may be much easier for one to be unmarried before the Lord then to try to stay married together. I don’t accept Dr. Wilson’s teaching above that keeps stating that there is not any “escape clause” in Jesus’ teaching that does not allow for divorce and remarriage because that’s not in reading the whole Word of God and applying it to your life. There are actually two reasons for divorce (and I believe they also allow for remarriage), adultery and desertion (1 Corinthians 7:15) and there are many biblical based churches who teach the same thing. I have been through both causes for divorce, and in the last one, I didn’t have a chance or choice to defend my marriage because of California State laws that grant divorces for any reason whatsoever so my ex-wife just up and walked out on me and got a “no-fault” divorce simply because she wanted to go back home to Washington State and I had to remain here to work for a few more years. Anyway, I believe that State laws add to this confusion about divorces and remarriage, and even though I believe from God’s Word that I can remarry another Christian woman, I am entirely fed up and through with marriage at my age and really think that I can do far more for the glory of God single then if I got married again which I’m not going to do ever again! But I still believe that the fullness of the Scriptures allows us to be divorced and remarried if we are the innocent partners of a marriage; and that is what the Apostles later found out to be the truth when the Apostle Paul wrote 1 Corinthians 7. Praise the Lord for His complete and worthy Word to us in it’s fullness and completeness. When we are studying God’s Word, we need to consider the whole Word of God and not just the parts that fit our particular doctrinal beliefs. Amen!