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| Me-ow and my Shadow |
The Commandments of Jesus - 101
Is it really wise to speak about issues that have become so entrenched
in the woof and warp of the societal fabric that to even do so would brand one
quite out of the mainstream? Just attempting
to initiate a conversation regarding any of the “debate is over” subjects of our
culture can certainly turn ugly in a heartbeat.
Yet Jesus did just this when he spoke of on topics like loving your
neighbor, loving your enemy and, in this passage, the sanctity of marriage.
Shammai
& Hillel: Conservatism &
Progressivism 1st Century
Style
It may be hard to conceive but there was a debate raging over divorce in
the first century. This wasn’t among the
gentiles though; it was between two schools of Jewish philosophy. The schools of rabbis Shammai and Hillel both
had their own views on this subject and just about every other for that
matter. For example, a scenario was
suggested to determine if lying is ever right.
The question was this; should a person tell an ugly bride that she is
beautiful on her wedding day? Shammai said
it is wrong to lie. Hillel said that ALL
brides are beautiful on their wedding day.
Concerning admission to study the Torah; Shammai only accepted worthy
students while Hillel held to open enrollment (I wonder if J.K. Rowling took a
page out of their playbooks? ;-).
This difference of interpretation carried over into the way divorce was
viewed by the two schools. Shammai
allowed divorce only for severe transgressions; Hillel said if she burned a
meal, a wife could be given her walking papers.
Yet into this fray came a new voice but what he had to say was probably
viewed as passé by some of his hearers.
Here is what Jesus told his mountainside congregation in Matthew 5:31-32
31 “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give
her a certificate of divorce.’[f] 32 But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for
sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a
divorced woman commits adultery.
Marriage
– Pre-Moses Style
Just prior to these words, this young Rabbi had expanded the definition
of what it was to murder and commit adultery.
Here however the positions of Shammai and Hillel are contrasted to one
that is pre-Mosaic. Jesus, in his discussion
with the Pharisees (Matthew 19:1-10) regarding the validity of divorce, said
that Moses was put in a position to institute divorce because of the hardness
of the hearts of the people who wanted it; hardly a glowing endorsement as to
its value to society. Yet Jesus did not
ignore this on-going cultural discussion but met it head on, asking his hearers
to reconsider the scriptural basis and constancy of marriage.
The Bible says what it says. We
can believe it, ignore it or discount it but we cannot say we are followers of
Jesus without taking into consideration what he has to say. Thus, I write this, not to offend or bash
those of my readers who happen to be divorced.
It is a reminder to us all that
if we are to think Jesusly, it means that there will be times that our own
views must be challenged and often they will run counter to popular
culture. If we are to succeed as Jesus-followers,
it requires that we listen to and reflect on his words so that we may attempt to
follow in his steps.
May He grant us the grace to do it well.
NEXT POST - Towers, Terror and a Thoughtless Theology: Thinking Jesusly About Orlando
SUBSEQUENT POST (Matthew 5) – Oaths; “If you have to Swear on a Stack of Bibles….Don’t Bother; Odds are you are Untrustworthy!”
SUBSEQUENT POST (Matthew 5) – Oaths; “If you have to Swear on a Stack of Bibles….Don’t Bother; Odds are you are Untrustworthy!”
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