马太福音：19:8-9：法利赛人说：“这样，摩西为甚么吩咐给妻子休书，就可以休他呢？”8耶稣说：“摩西因为你们的心硬，所以许你们休妻，但起初并不是这样。9我告诉你们：凡休妻另娶的，若不是为淫乱的缘故，就是犯奸淫了；有人娶那被休的妇人，也是犯奸淫了。”

论到结婚和离婚，今天的人们如同摩西时代一样，心里刚硬。耶稣教导，如果一个人仅仅因为个人原因休妻另娶，他等于犯了奸淫罪。耶稣指出唯一的例外是对方犯奸淫在先，从而破坏了婚约。保罗在哥林多前书第7章给出了另一个原因。如果配偶的一方放弃了婚姻，那么信主的另一方就不再受该婚姻的束缚。

为什么今天的人会心里刚硬？这是因为他们认为婚姻就是他们个人的事情。听听这些人为离婚给出的理由吧。我不再爱他/她了。从婚姻里我什么都得不到。在婚姻里我感受不到快乐。我的配偶满足不了我的要求。

如果你认为婚姻只事关你自己，你会永远失望。但如果你把耶稣放在心上，谦卑地服事你的配偶，你就会从中找到喜乐和满足。婚姻永远不是50比50的付出，它是100比100的付出。双方都要完全投入在这个关系里，只有这样，婚姻才能成为双方美好的祝福。

有时候耶稣要求你做的比分内当作的还多。也许你的配偶在婚姻中是个“差等生”，你只有付出更多才能让婚姻正常运转。结果是，耶稣在你的生命中被荣耀，你的孩子被祝福，你的配偶也因你的牺牲被拯救。这样的婚姻也会被祝福，因着上帝的恩典并通过上帝在你里面做的工被祝福。

祷告：亲爱的父神，是你把亚当和夏娃带到一个婚姻里，并通过设立婚姻制度祝福了这个世界。求你祝福世界各地的婚姻，特别是基督徒家庭的婚姻。在这里，基督的爱掌权，我们得到的祝福超过了我们所应该得到的。

Matthew 19:8-9:  “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?” 8 Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. 9 I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”

        Today, like in Moses’ day, people’s hearts are hard when it comes to marriage and divorce. Jesus teaches us that if a person divorces his wife just for personal reasons and marries another, that person commits adultery.  The one exception that Jesus makes is if the other party commits adultery.  The act of adultery breaks the marriage contract. Paul gives another reason in 1 Corinthians 7. If a person abandons the marriage, the believing spouse is not bound to that marriage.

Why are people’s hearts hard today?  It’s because they think that marriage is all about themselves. Listen to the reasons people give for getting a divorce.  I don’t love my spouse anymore.  I’m not getting anything out of my marriage.  I’m not happy in my marriage. My spouse doesn’t meet my needs.

If you think that marriage is all about yourself, you will always be disappointed in it. But if you put on the mind of Christ and humbly serve your spouse, you will find joy and fulfillment in it.  Marriage is never a 50-50 proposition. It’s 100-100. Each person commits themselves fully to that relationship. When that happens, then marriage is a wonderful blessing to both.

And sometimes, Jesus calls upon you to do more than your share. Your spouse may be an underachiever when it comes to your marriage, and you will carry more than your share of making your marriage work. The result is that Christ is glorified in your life, your children are blessed, and your spouse may well be saved by your sacrifice.  Such a marriage is also blessed, blessed by God’s grace working in you and through you.     

Prayer:  Dear Father, you brought Adam and Eve together in marriage and blessed the world through this institution. Bless marriages everywhere and especially in Christian homes, where the love of Christ rules and we are blessed beyond our deserving. Amen.