John W.

Torppey
Dr. Peeler
New Testament
27 September 2013
Exegesis Paper 1
Matthew 19:3-9
Marriage and divorce is one of the most debated topics in todays society,
however it was just as controversial in Jesus day in the New Testament. During the first
century, the grounds for divorce centered around two main schools of thought. Most people
followed the school of Hillel, which was very lax and had no limit to the grounds on which a
man could divorce. The second view was centered around its proponent Rabbi Shammai. This
school of thought was not as popular and was much more strict. This first century rabbinic
debate between the schools of Jesus day was very controversial and the book of Matthew
gives us a glimpse into the minds of the religious leaders of the day and their conflicting
views on divorce. Matthew shows his people how Jesus responds to their questioning by
expounding the teaching. In Matthew 19:3-9, Jesus clarifies the teachings of the Torah and
condemns the existing understanding of marriage and divorce as a contract, by recalling the
garden where marriage was a God-given covenant relationship.
It is imperative to first discern the two principal views on divorce held by the schools
of Hillel and Shammai in the first-century. Being familiar with these positions is essential in
order to understand the background of Jesus assertion. The two schools of thought were
then current in Pharisaism: some followed the conservative position of rabbi Shammai, who
allowed a man to divorce his wife only is she was guilty of sexual infidelity or immodest

exposure. 1 A man could divorce his wife as long as it was a serious infringement and he
found some indecency in her. In contrast, the less strict and more popular position among the
people was the view of Rabbi Hillel. This school of thought supported divorce for basically
any reason. There was really no limit to the grounds on which a man could divorce his
spouse. According to the teachings of Hillel, a man could divorce his spouse even if she
burned his food while preparing a meal.
In verse three of Matthew, the story begins with the Pharisees approaching Jesus once again
with wrong motives. They were not seeking him with honest open hearts, but instead came to
test him. Matthew 19:3 states, They asked, Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for
any and every reason? Instead of looking guilty, as they would have hoped, Jesus
immediately brings the issue back to the Scriptural foundation of marriage. A man and a
woman must disown their singleness and unite as one. God is the creator of marriage and
disconnecting it conflicts His perfect sovereign plan. The law of God was not, that a man
should forsake his wife whenever he had a mind to it, but that he should rather forsake his
father and mother than his wife; that he should cleave unto his wife, living and dwelling with
her. 2 Jesus concludes from this that once married, a man and a woman are one flesh by
the will of God.
While the Pharisees were hoping Jesus would take a side, his answer surprised them. He does
not mention Shammai or Hillels teachings, instead, Jesus refers to Garden of Eden make his
next point. Matthew 19:4-5 says, At the beginning the Creator made them male and
female For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife and
1 Curtis Mitch and Edward Sri, The Gospel of Matthew (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic,
2010), 238.
2 Matthew Poole, Annotations Upon the Holy Bible Volume III (New York:

the two will become one flesh. By quoting Genesis 1:27, Jesus emphasizes the fact that God
is the one who joins a man and women together in marriage. Jesus responds by bringing up
the first marriage the one between Adam and Eve. Here we discover that the union of the
first couple in Eden is the pristine model for all marriages. The wonderful mystery here is the
one flesh union that binds husband and wife together. 3 Divorce is therefore in contradiction
with the perfect design of the Creator. Divorce simply tears apart the unity God originally
created between a man and a woman.
When Jesus directly rejects the Pharisees conception of divorce, they immediately respond to
Jesus words with another question. They realized that Jesus was not going to side with one
of the teachings of the day, so they thought he would possibly contradict the Torah. In verse 7
of Matthew 19, the Pharisees ask him, Why then did Moses command that a man give his
wife a certificate of divorce and send her away? This question goes directly back to
Deuteronomy 24:1, when Moses accepts divorce as a reality of life. This verse states, If a
man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent
about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his
house. A closer look at this verse from the Torah reveals that Moses did not command
anything. God does not command or even approve divorce, but he does allow it in certain
circumstances. Furthermore, it is very crucial to understand that this passage does not permit
divorce with approval. Deuteronomy 24:1-4 simply treats divorce as a custom already
existing and recognized by all the people.4 Moses merely accepts it because there was so

3 Mitch and Sri, The Gospel of Matthew

4 Peter C. Craigie, The Book of Deuteronomy (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1976), 305.

much suffering in divorce and because of the hardness he observed in the hearts of his
people.
Jesus conclusively states with authority, I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except
for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery. (Matthew 19:9) With
the exception of sexual immorality, divorce and the freedom to remarry is a sin. Forget
about the concession in Deuteronomy. Forget about the ongoing debates of the rabbis. The
definite teacher of the Torah has just revoked the legal allowance for divorce altogether.5
Jesus teaching of the marriage and divorce is just as meaningful in todays context as it was
in the first century. Jesus quotes Scripture and his position differs greatly from both the
teachings of Rabbi Shammai and Hillel. Jesus ultimately makes it clear that the root of
marriage is not based on a contract made my humans. Instead, God creates the covenant bond
that is grounded in creation that unites a man and a woman. By recalling the Garden where
marriage was a God-given covenant relationship, Jesus clarifies the teachings of the Torah and
condemns the existing understanding of marriage and divorce.

Bibliography

Adevemo, Tokunboh. Africa Bible Commentary. Nairobi, Kenya: WordAlive, 2006

5 Mitch and Sri, The Gospel of Matthew

Craigie, Peter C. The Book of Deuteronomy. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1976.

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