Heads Up

Whenever you study the Bible, if you study it thoughtfully, you will find things that are wonderfully reasonable and balanced. On the other hand, we sometimes find material that is startling and even jarring such as in Matthew 19.

Chastity before marriage, fidelity after marriage, and a lifelong commitment of one married partner to the other with no thought of divorce! What a high standard that is! No wonder the disciples reacted with the cynical comment: “If such is the case of a man and his wife, it is better not to marry” (Mt.19.10).…

The Pharisees seemed to anticipate Jesus’ answer to their question about divorce (Matthew 9.3,7). They were ready with a follow-up question. “Why then, did Moses command one to give her a certificate of divorce and send her away?” They were talking about Deuteronomy 24.1–4, of course, and they were suggesting that Jesus must be wrong…

Jesus went away from Galilee and entered the region of Judea. Large crowds followed Him. The Pharisees asked, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his…

In conclusion to Peter’s question, “Lord, how often should I forgive?” Jesus said: “So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.” (Matthew 18.35). It seems to imply a “works” salvation – if you forgive others (a work), you will be forgiven.

When Jesus told Peter, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times” (Mt.18.22), He did not mean that we do not need to forgive the seventy-eighth time, of course. It was a way of saying that we should never stop forgiving. Then Jesus told this story: