Image from a photo by Eradio Valverde
It's As Easy As Blowing Up a Hot Water Bottle
From Matthew 5:31 "It was also said, "Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' 32 But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. 33 "Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, "You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.' 34 But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let your word be "Yes, Yes' or "No, No'; anything more than this comes from the evil one.
Okay, the title is not so good, but we're going to cover two things this day; Divorce and Oaths (Swearing). And the picture is from last night's Intense Ministries evangelistic campaign at Beacon of Hope, a joint ministry of our First UMC and Disciples of Christ church in Aransas Pass, TX.
Marriage is tough, and it is the leading cause of divorce. Since Adam and Eve's day, well, Eve couldn't say, "I'm going home to my mother!" Neither could Adam. But after marriage is instituted, couples reached the point of dissatisfaction or worse, unfaithfulness, and they left. One went his way, and there other hers. Even during the Exodus, this massive forty year campaign to form a people, as they journeyed in the wilderness, couples fought and bickered and someone, usually the man, threw someone out. The ancient way to say This Is It was to throw all the wife's belongings in the front yard (or in the case of the Exodus people) right outside of the entrance of the tent. Many would wonder what this meant. "Is hubby airing out my clothes? Water is scarce and we haven't have time to wash! What with all this marching and attacks and manna gathering!" So they came to Moses to ask for a ruling and he ruled that a man who divorces his wife had to give her a certificate of divorce (Deut. 24). Basically, a paper or papyrus scroll that said, "I hereby divorce you." Moses hoped to make divorce difficult if not impossible, but there were still those who believed it was for the best. And yes, there are times when divorce is the ultimate remedy for a troubled marriage. Jesus in this passage is stressing the seriousness of marriage. He compares the seriousness of marriage and remarriage to the sin of adultery. Marriage is difficult, but if built on the right foundation of Godly love and commitment, it can last in most cases. Divorce is a terrible thing. As a child my grandparents divorced and it was viewed as a great shame on the family. My grandmother who already lived behind us, practically moved in with us and in our move to Houston she moved with us. My grandfather remarried and we did not see him for a long period of time and my dad did not want to meet my grandfather's new wife. I also remember when my dad repented of that and we went to see my grandfather, whom I still loved and missed, and met his new wife. In other family members, divorce has occurred and it is a difficult burden on all concerned, more so the couple who choose it regardless of reasons or causes. The law allows for divorce and it allows for remarriage; but Jesus is stressing commitment on the part of both husband wife to each other. This new kingdom of God requires our whole commitment to God and God's love and to sharing that with one another especially in our marriages and relationships.
"I swear! Cross my heart and hope to die! Stick a needle in my eye!" Playground swearing back in the days of soap in the mouth remedies for those who swore beyond the playground oaths. We believed that if a friend did not believe us we had to swear; "I swear on a stack of Bibles!" (Usually today an iPad will do - if you have a Bible app with lots of versions of God's holy word). We wanted to be believed and we thought that swearing was that which truth would shine. In Jesus' day, folks swore "by heaven," or "by the earth," or even "I swear by Jerusalem!" Jesus said, think of how foolish and terrible that is, for we know heaven is where God lives and where God's throne is; earth is God's footstool, and Jerusalem is God's great city. To swear on one's mother's grave or mother's life - not needed. Jesus said for us to be people of our word. To be honest with one another. Our words when used should mean what we say. Our yes should be yes, and our no, no. If we take it beyond that we've left the realm of God and invited the "evil one" to be a part of our relationship.
Be a person of Godly character. Be known for sharing as loving and truthful people. In all relationships, especially marriage. Live and love with an eternal commitment to God, and to one another.
PRAYER: Loving God, bless the marriages of those praying this; help us all find solutions and answers when we're challenged to the point of anger. Help us seek You first and in You that which will keep us together. May all our relationships be honest and truthful and based on You. May we be people of our word, saying yes when we mean yes, and no when no is what we mean. This is hard, but with You it is made easier. And it is in Christ Jesus that we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
PS If you live in the Aransas Pass area, tonight at FUMC's gym, Intense Ministry finishes their evangelism outreach with their biggest show at 6:30 p.m. If you don't live in this area and would like to sponsor an event with them, please visit their website, www.intenseministries.com or contact the founder and director: Josh Whisneant, 409-201-5166 or email Josh at Whisneant@aol.com. They will go to your schools, put on a demonstration there with no religious implications but will invite the kids back to your church. And throughout their presentation they invite those with no church home to come to yours.
