“Why then,” they asked, “did Moses order a man to give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?” Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because of your hardness of heart; but it was not this way from the beginning.
If a man marries a woman, but she becomes displeasing to him because he finds some indecency in her, he may write her a certificate of divorce, hand it to her, and send her away from his house. If, after leaving his house, she goes and becomes another man's wife, and the second man hates her, writes her a certificate of divorce, hands it to her, and sends her away from his house, or if he dies, then the husband who divorced her first may not remarry her after she has been defiled, for that is an abomination to the LORD. You must not bring sin upon the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.
Significance
Jesus makes a critical distinction between God's perfect will (creation ordinance) and Mosaic accommodation to human sinfulness (divorce certificate). Deuteronomy 24 regulated an existing practice due to hardness of heart but never represented God's ideal. This shows not all Torah equally reveals God's ultimate will - some provisions accommodate fallen reality while others express creation design. Jesus has messianic authority to distinguish permanent principles from temporary concessions, pointing back to "from the beginning" as the governing standard. Redemption restores creation ideals rather than perpetuating fallen accommodations.
Found via
Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Reference Type
Allusion
Connection Method(s)
Contrast
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