[Peace-discuss] RE: Jesus on sexual immorality and divorce

[Phil Stinard]

>From: Karen Medina <kmedina at uiuc.edu>
>To: Phil Stinard <pstinard at hotmail.com>
>CC: peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
>Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] RE:Wesley etc.
>Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2006 09:40:46 -0600
>
>Phil Stinard wrote:
> > some of it reiterated previous teachings (e. g. on divorce and sexual 
>morality).
>
>Let us discuss these. You start naming your scriptures.
>
>-karen medina

Let's start with these:

Sexual immorality (adultery):  John 8.  Jesus admonishes the Pharisees not 
to be hypocritical in their judgement, BUT tells the adultress to "go and 
sin no more."

But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning He came again 
into the temple, and all the people were coming to Him; and He sat down and 
began to teach them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in 
adultery, and having set her in the center of the court, they said to Him, 
"Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. "Now in 
the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?" They 
were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing 
Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. But 
when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, "He 
who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." 
Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they 
began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left 
alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court. 
Straightening up, Jesus said to her, "Woman, where are they? Did no one 
condemn you?" She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, "I do not condemn 
you, either. Go. From now on sin no more."

-------------------

Divorce:  Mark 10.  You get a two-fer in this passage, the confirmation of 
the heterosexual nature of the marriage relationship (God MADE THEM MALE AND 
FEMALE. FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER, AND THE TWO 
SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH), and reaffirmation of the prohibition of divorce:

Getting up, He went from there to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan; 
crowds gathered around Him again, and, according to His custom, He once more 
began to teach them. Some Pharisees came up to Jesus, testing Him, and began 
to question Him whether it was lawful for a man to divorce a wife. And He 
answered and said to them, "What did Moses command you?" They said, "Moses 
permitted a man TO WRITE A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE AND SEND her AWAY." But 
Jesus said to them, "Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this 
commandment. But from the beginning of creation, God MADE THEM MALE AND 
FEMALE. FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER, AND THE TWO 
SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH; so they are no longer two, but one flesh. What 
therefore God has joined together, let no man separate." In the house the 
disciples began questioning Him about this again. And He said to them, 
"Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery 
against her; and if she herself divorces her husband and marries another 
man, she is committing adultery."

-----------------------

Divorce:  Matthew 19.  This passage is a three-fer.  You get the 
heterosexual nature of the marriage relationship, prohibition of divorce 
(except in the case of sexual immorality, which is a modification of Mark 
10), and commentary on celibacy:

When Jesus had finished these words, He departed from Galilee and came into 
the region of Judea beyond the Jordan; and large crowds followed Him, and He 
healed them there. Some Pharisees came to Jesus, testing Him and asking, "Is 
it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all?" And He 
answered and said, "Have you not read that He who created them from the 
beginning MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE, 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'? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore 
God has joined together, let no man separate." They said to Him, "Why then 
did Moses command to GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE AND SEND her AWAY?" 
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. And I 
say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries 
another woman commits adultery." The disciples said to Him, "If the 
relationship of the man with his wife is like this, it is better not to 
marry." But He said to them, "Not all men can accept this statement, but 
only those to whom it has been given. 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."

--Phil