Reflecting on Luke 16:16-18“…and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” (Luke 16:18)
This verse seems to come from nowhere, disconnected from what precedes it.
But I see it as proof of what He just said about the limits of the Law.
Every stroke of the Law served its purpose in its time.
But the Law did not end misery, it only managed and mitigated it.
The Law included a command that made divorce permissible (Deuteronomy 24:1-4).
Jesus is not dropping this Law from the Law, but showing its limits.
It cannot produce Love, it can only warn against abuse and cruelty.
Even still, people found ways to use the divorce law to abandon their spouses.
The divorce law, part of the Moses Law, in itself is not good news.
It belongs to the “ministry that brought condemnation” (2 Corinthians 3:9).
If we read this line as a NT command, it will burden many with condemnation.
Jesus shows us how deep are far adultery goes (Matthew 5:27-32).
Jesus does not make adultery permissible or acceptable.
He invites us into a new “ministry of the Spirit” who changes us from the inside.
The love of God, not the Law of Moses, is what enables us to love our spouses well.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, I want to love my wife and family and neighbours, and all God's children, with a love that is like Yours. Help me not to settle for a rule-based morality; help me to go the extra mile to heal and help and bless the people in my life - like You did for me!
As His disciple I need to be ‘practicing the Way’ each and every day showing the love of Christ in me. As His apprentice I need
‘to be with Jesus
become like Jesus
Do as He did’ (John Mark Comer)
Then and only then can I be truly an instrument of His peace.