Reading With the People of God #11 Blessedනියැදිය

Focus of the month: (The Beatitudes)

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

- Matthew 5:3-12

OUCH! The Truth can hurt!

I believe the hardest text on divorce to understand is in Matthew 5:31-32 and these are the verses we will look at today from Jesus’ teachings from the Sermon on the Mount. I hope you shine some light on these verses. God is very clear on the matter of divorce. God never made this subject confusing, it is because of the sin in this world that the standards of what society says about marriage and divorce. What God is saying about divorce is the truth. God has a very high view and standard of marriage.

The Pharisees are trying to “trip” Jesus up on the view of divorce and I view this as the Pharisees being like society. Trying to set their own standards on this issue to fit their ways because they know they can never live up to the standards of God. There is no amount of work on our part that can do this. The Pharisees misinterpreted the truth of God to make it fit their own standards to justify their sin.

Jesus is clear by saying that even if the wife is innocent and the husband divorces her, he makes her commit adultery. Then He adds that whoever marries her also commits adultery (OUCH!) Because of my own experiences, I’ve struggled with these verses. Divorce and remarriage technically are adultery and Jesus wants us to acknowledge this. I was grieved when I first came to this realization. I was being convicted of the truth that I not only sinned myself by divorcing but I placed sin upon all those involved in my own mistakes, actions, and choices. I was a divorced woman, by my doing, with two children and a remarried woman now placing this sin upon my husband. I knew I had to own up and acknowledge what Jesus was saying here. I had to repent and come to Him unashamed of my sin. I also had to acknowledge that this sin brought about brokenness and unhealthy relationships. Through this process, I learned that it was my husband who had to take upon this sin in order to redeem me. It was this once broken, unhealthy marriage that was due to my own actions that brought me to the most wonderful, healthiest relationships of my life! The relationship that brought forgiveness and healing. This is the relationship we get with only Jesus! It has been through this marriage that I came to know Jesus as my LORD and Savior. And it is because of Him alone that the relationships in my life have been and are being restored.

This is an example of Jesus as the bridegroom and marrying the Church=the believers. My husband marrying me, in my brokenness models Jesus’ relationship to the Church and Him taking on our sin so that He can then be intimate with His bride=the Church=believers. I am a bride who has failed greatly but my bridegroom Jesus Christ was willing to take on all my brokenness to bring me back into a right relationship with the Father and adopt me into His family. Because of this right relationship, I am forgiven, I am redeemed, and restored back to the standard God sets for marriage. Thank You, Jesus!

* Devotional primer contributed by Amanda Moon, Certified All Woman’s Fitness Specialist, Certified Behavior Change Specialist, Certified Christian Mental Health Coach