Du Plessis, C A (Dickie). Woodbridge, Noel Beaumont
What does Jesus teach about Divorce and Remarriage? A Biblical exegesis of Matthew 19:3-9
- Johannesburg, South Africa South African Theological Seminary Press
- 13.p PDF
Dickie du Plessis is graduated from the South African Theological Seminary with both a Bachelor of Theology and a Master of Theology. This article emerged from his Master’s thesis, which was written under the supervision of Dr Noel Woodbridge.
Abstract The high divorce rate in South Africa today is having a devastating effect on society in general, and on the Church in particular. In view of this serious situation and the great diversity in contemporary views regarding the divorce and remarriage, the question arises: What does Jesus teach about Divorce and Remarriage? In this paper an attempt is made to answer this question by means of a Biblical exegesis of Matthew 19:3-9, taking the context of Jesus’ teachings into consideration, such as the positions of the Jewish schools of Shammai and Hillel regarding the issue of divorce. Special attention is given to the following aspects of Jesus’ teaching on marriage, divorce and remarriage: (1) Jesus’ reference to Genesis 2:24 as God’s original intention for marriage; (2) An analysis of the Greek words used by Jesus in Matthew 19:9 regarding the grounds for divorce: porneia (sexual immorality) and the consequences of divorce, when remarriage is involved: moichao (adultery); (3) Jesus’ usage of the exception clause, by which He allows divorce under special circumstances, as a concession, because of the hardness of their hearts; and (4) Jesus teaches that, if either of the two parties were to remarry after divorce, it would be considered as adultery.