““18) Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries one who is divorced from a husband commits adultery.” Luke‬ ‭16‬:‭18‬ ‭

This verse looks arbitrary in the context, but it had a purpose. This subject also appears in Matthew 5:27-32. Jesus consistently defended the sanctity of marriage.

According to Matthew 19:3-12, the Pharisees had a very liberal view of divorce and remarriage. They granted divorces for any cause at all. They practices no fault divorce and remarriage. No marriage was safe. They looked good outwardly, but inside they were full of lusts, fornication and all kinds of immoral cravings.

In verse 9 of Matthew 19, Jesus said honor your marriage covenant “except for the cause of immorality.” He used the Greek word is “pornia.” It means “immorality.”

Many modern scholars say a spouse who commits pornea while in a marriage covenant has broken the marriage covenant and therefore created grounds for divorce. But does that view hold up under biblical scrutiny?

We don’t have time for a deep dive on this subject, but that view is totally contrary to 1 Corinthians 7:1-5. In this text, Paul used the same Greek word. However, he clearly taught that if you have problems controlling your sex drives, get married! He didn’t say, get divorced. He concluded that marriage is the place to work through pornea problems.

So what was Jesus teaching in Mathew 19:9? How should we apply the exception clause? It appears Jesus was saying that marriage is a permanent covenant unless the marriage itself is a “pornia” or immoral union.

So what are examples of immoral marriages? Technically, it would involve any marriage union that violates Leviticus 18 and 20. These would be unions of incest, homosexuality, adultery and bestiality. These are immoral marriages and were not sanctioned by the Law.

Interestingly, there are only two divorces commanded in the New Testament. The first was in Mark 6:17-18, where John the Baptist kept telling Herod that it was unlawful for him to have his brother’s wife. He was in an adulterous marriage.

The second example is in 1 Corinthians 5 where Paul came against the marriage of a man to his father’s wife. Both examples related to relationships of incest. They were immoral marriages. They were condemned by the Law. They were to be terminated. God did not ordain them.

When we hit the pause button and look at the broad context of Luke 16:14-18, Jesus was unpacking the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. It included their very liberal view and practice of divorce and remarriage. They did not embrace and defend the sanctity of marriage the way God prescribed in the Law.

Instead, they were inwardly filled with lusts, fantasies and sexual passions. They were immoral. Their liberal views on divorce and remarriage became the means to fulfill their passions and still appear righteous. Jesus was exposing their hypocrisy.

The tragedy with the modern church is that it lines up with the Pharisees and not with the teachings of Jesus on this subject. The modern church has adopted a very liberal view of divorce and remarriage. Like the Pharisees, the modern church has fine tuned a way for righteous wife swapping.

But Jesus did not embrace the circular reasoning of the Pharisees. Both the Old and New Testaments draws the same straight line on this subject. Jesus calls His church to uphold the sanctity of marriage.

I know Luke 16:18 hits hard. The Bible does not contradict itself. The teachings of Jesus and the rest of the New Testament on this subject are absolutely consistent. They uphold the sanctity of marriage without exception.

Daily Bible Commentary

By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global

“17) But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭16‬:‭17‬ ‭

This verse corresponds to Matthew 5:17-20. In these verses Jesus established accuracy and reliability of the Law. This could extend to include the inspiration and trustworthiness of the entire Old Testament.

Notice in Luke 16:16, He talked about “the Law and the Prophets.” This was a Jewish reference to the whole of the whole Old Testament.

So the question is; “Can the Bible be trusted or has it been corrupted and tampered with over the years as ignorant skeptics often charge? This is an important question.

In these two texts of Luke and Mathew, Jesus actually said God preserved the accuracy of the Biblical text down to the smallest letter of stroke. He said It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for Gods Word to be changed, altered or corrupted.

God watches over His Word in two ways. He both preserves the text and He performs its promises. Gods Word can be trusted!

For years a group called the “higher critics” charged that the textual integrity of the Bible had been corrupted over time. They were chipping away at the trustworthiness of the biblical text mostly through conjecture and baseless allegations.

That all changed on 1947 when the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. They contained extant manuscripts or portions thereof that dated back hundreds and in some cases thousands of years older than previous manuscripts.

This allowed scholars to compare manuscripts and document any change or corruption in the text. They were shocked! The text was basically exact with the exception of some writing style differences.

The Bible has been put through more scrutiny than any other manuscript either sacred or secular. The end result is that God has preserved His written Word beyond any doubt.

Josh McDowell did extensive research on this subject in His classical books; “Evidence that Demands a Verdict” and its sequel, “More Evidence that Demands a Verdict.” He basically destroyed the textual critics of the late 1800’s and early/mid 1900’s.

The bottom line is that the original text for the Bible can be trusted. It is accurate and has been scrutinized more than and other ancient writings.

So how does this apply to you and me? Well, since God removed all doubt about the accuracy of the Bible, it is the only reliable foundation upon which to build your life.

It surpasses science that is in constant flux, philosophy that often changes, psychology which ebbs and flows with the generational tide and any religious documents from other world religions. Because of this truth, the Bible will be the basis of God judging humanity.

Let me give a word of advice from over 50 years of walking with God and studying the Bible. Rather than questioning the accuracy of the text, just start studying and obeying it!

Forget the false teachers today who are constantly pointing to the discovery of lost books that question the message of the Bible. They are full of rotting baloney! They have no understanding of the transmission process needed to preserve genuine ancient manuscripts over time.

Both parchment and papyrus, which were the two basic kinds of material used as “paper”, decayed rapidly over time and had to be copied over and over again. Only Judaism had a trade in place called the “scribes”, who dedicated their lives to this laborious task. They were the copy and printing machines of the ancient world.

For some reason, only Judaism had a system in place to preserve the accuracy of the text. God was watching over His Word! No other world religion took these precautions! Of course, Christianity is grafted into this same system.

Daily Bible Commentary

By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global

““16) The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.” Luke‬ ‭16‬:‭16‬ ‭

The ministry of Jesus marked something new and different. John the Baptist came to prepare His way.

Up until that time, the focus was on the Law and the prophets. They were looked at as the means of salvation, but all fell short. They proclaimed the righteousness of God, but failed to make people Holy. To the contrary, they magnified the sinfulness of man.

But Jesus came proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom. (See 4:17; 23) It was a radically new message. It brought healing, forgiveness and hope. It had the power to change people.

Take time to study the gospel of the kingdom through the New Testament. You will discover that It is based on personal faith in Jesus Christ and not merely a system of religion. It includes the promise of the Holy Spirit. It is new wind in new wineskins.

Religious people are constantly trying to force themselves into it. They are like the Pharisees that tried to control, manipulate and bend Jesus into their system of man made religion.

It didn’t work for them, and it is not working for liberal religious people today who twist and bend the Bible into their belief system.

The gospel does not bend to accommodate anyone. God does not change nor does His Word change. He is the standard by which all else is measured.

Jesus is both a bright light and a straight line in human history. He changes not and He is the only means of human salvation. (See John 14:1-6 and Acts 4:9-12)

I stress again that merely being religious does not save anyone. You must enter through the doorway of Jesus Christ. He is only name given among men by which we must be saved. He is the doorway to salvation. (Read John 10:7-9)

Daily Bible Commentary

By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global

“15) And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.” Luke‬ ‭16‬:‭15‬ ‭

The goal is not to please men; rather we should live to please God. Many who justify themselves are lost before God.

Man looks at the outward but God looks at the inward. Man looks at the temporal but God looks at the eternal. Man looks at self but God looks at others.

Beware of self justification. Focus on self is blinding. Focus on God gives light.

Daily Bible Commentary

By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global

“Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and were scoffing at Him.” Luke‬ ‭16‬:‭14‬ ‭

People responded to the teaching of Jesus in radically different ways. The Pharisees, who were lovers of money often mocked Him and scoffed at Him. Why?

By comparison, Jesus looked like a failure to them. He was basically poor and homeless. But they had every comfort this life offered.

This response set up the story of the rich man and Lazarus that closes this chapter of the Gospel of Luke. The story is sobering, shocking and very direct. Stay tuned.

Daily Bible Commentary

By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global