Matthew 19:3

The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? THE PHARISEES ALSO CAME UNTO HIM, TEMPTING HIM, AND SAYING UNTO HIM, IS IT LAWFUL FOR A MAN TO PUT AWAY HIS WIFE FOR EVERY CAUSE? Two rival schools (as we saw at ) were divided on this question-a delicate one, as de Wette pertinently remarks, in the dominions of Herod Antipas....

Matthew 19:3._And the Pharisees came to him, tempting him. _Though the Pharisees lay snares for Christ, and cunningly endeavor to impose upon him, yet their malice proves to be highly useful to us; as the Lord knows how to turn, in a wonderful manner, to the advantage of his people all the contrivances of wicked men to overthrow sound doctrine. For, by means of this occurrence, a question arising out of the liberty of divorce was settled, and a fixed law was laid down as to the sacred and indissoluble bond of marriage. The occasion of this quibbling was, that the reply, in whatever way it were given, could not, as they thought, fail to be offensive. They ask, _Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever? _If Christ reply in the negative, they will exclaim that he wickedly abolishes the Law; and if in the affirmative, they will give out that he is not a

3-12 The Pharisees were desirous of drawing something from Jesus which they might represent as contrary to the law of Moses. Cases about marriage have been numerous, and sometimes perplexed; made so, not by the law of God, but by the lusts and follies of men; and often people fix what they will do, before they ask for advice. Jesus replied by asking whether they had not read the account of the creation, and the first example of marriage; thus pointing out that every departure therefrom was wrong. That condition is best for us, and to be chosen and kept to accordingly, which is best for our souls, and tends most to prepare us for, and preserve us to, the kingdom of heaven. When the gospel is really embraced, it makes men kind relatives and faithful friends; it teaches them to bear the burdens, and to bear with the infirmities of those with whom they are connected, to consider their peace...

Verse Matthew 19:3. _TEMPTING HIM_] Trying what answer he would give to a question, which, however decided by him, would expose him to censure. _IS IT LAWFUL - FOR EVERY CAUSE?_] Instead of αιτιαν, _fault, cause,_ _reason_, three MSS. and the _Coptic_ version read αμαρτιαν, _sin_ or _transgression_: this was probably the original reading-the first syllable being lost, αρτιαν alone would remain, which a subsequent transcriber would suppose to be a mistake for αιτιαν, and so wrote it; hence this various reading. What made our Lord's situation at present so critical in respect to this question was: At this time there were two famous divinity and philosophical _schools_ among the Jews, that of SHAMMAI, and that of HILLEL. On the question of _divorce_, the school of _Shammai_ maintained, that a man could not legally put

THE PHARISEES CAME - See the notes at Matthew 3:7. TEMPTING HIM - This means, to get him, if possible, to express an opinion that should involve him in difficulty. IS IT LAWFUL ... - There was the more art in the captious question which they proposed, as at that time the people were very much divided on the subject. A part, following the opinions of Hillel, said that a man might divorce his wife for any offence, or any dislike he might have of her. See the notes at Matthew 5:31. Others, of the school of Shammai, maintained that divorce was unlawful except in case of adultery. Whatever opinion, therefore, Christ expressed, they expected that he would involve himself in difficulty with one of their

EXPOSITION MATTHEW 19:1 _The beginning of the last journey to Jerusalem_._ The question concerning divorce_._ _(Mark 10:1.) MATTHEW 19:1 WHEN JESUS HAD FINISHED THESE SAYINGS. This is the beginning of a new section of the history, commencing, as usual, with the formulary, AND IT CAME TO PASS. "These sayings" must refer to what was recorded in Matthew 18:1. But St. Matthew's narrative omits many events that happened in the interval between the account of the Galilaean ministry and the history of these last days, that i

THE PHARISEES ALSO CAME UNTO HIM,.... Either from the places round about, or from Jerusalem: these came unto him, not for the sake of learning, or to be instructed by him; but as spies upon him, to observe what he said and did, and watch every opportunity to expose him to the contempt and hatred of the people; TEMPTING HIM with a question about divorces, in order to ensnare him: AND SAYING TO HIM, IS IT LAWFUL FOR A MAN TO PUT AWAY HIS WIFE FOR EVERY CAUSE? be it ever so trivial, as said the school of Hillell: for there was a difference between the school of Shammai and the school of Hillell about this matter; the former insisted that a man might not put away his wife but in case of uncleanness; but the latter allowed putting away for very trifling things; as if she spoiled her husband's food by over roasting, or over salting it; and, as one of the doctors say, if he found another woma...

7. DEPARTURE FROM GALILEE. Concerning Divorce. Little Children Blessed and the Rich Young Man. CHAPTER 19 _ 1. The Departure from Galilee. (Matthew 19:1 .) 2. Concerning Divorce. (Matthew 19:3 .) 3. The Blessing of Little Children. (Matthew 19:13 .) 4. The Rich Young Man. (Matthew 19:16 .) 5. The Rewards in the Kingdom. (Matthew 19:27 .)_ In the first part of the nineteenth chapter we find a continuation of teachings concerning the kingdom. This, we repeat, is not the same kingdom promised to Israel, as it w

THE QUESTION OF DIVORCE (Mark 10:1 *). In Matthew 19:2 healed replaces Mk.'s taught. Mt. makes Jesus give His own opinion, based on Gen., at once, and it is the Pharisees who bring the Deuteronomic modification into the debate. MATTHEW 19:3. FOR EVERY CAUSE: peculiar to Mt. Mk. makes the questions as to divorce absolute; Mt. gives it a Jewish and more likely form, having in mind the difference between the view of Shammai that a man could put his wife away for serious misconduct _only,_ and that of Hillel that he could do so for any reason, _e.g._ a spoiled dinner or a physical defect. Jesus lifts the subject out of these quibbles to an ideal plane. Note how ...

When Jesus had finished these words, he left Galilee, and came into the districts of Judaea which are on the far side of the Jordan. Many crowds followed him, and he healed them there. Pharisees came to him, trying to test him. "It is lawful," they said, "for a man to divorce his wife for any cause?" He answered, "Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator made them male and female, and he said, 'For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? They are therefore no longer two, but one flesh. What, then, God has joined together, let no man separate." They said to him, "Why, then, did Moses lay it down to give her a big of divorcement, and to divorce her?" He said to them, "It was to meet the hardness of your heart that Moses allowed you to divorce your wives; but in the beginning that was not the sta...