Matthew 19:1-12

Matthew 19:1-12 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  It's interesting to note the setting of this teaching -- Jesus is busy healing large crowds of people.  He's doing amazing work, and doubtless his work is causing many people to inquire more about God's work in the world and in their lives.  Perhaps they're thinking of changing everything and following Jesus.
  Into the midst of this amazing scene enter the Pharisees.  What do they want to talk about?  Divorce.  They want to use this question to trap Jesus into breaking the law of Moses. 
  There's a time and a place for this discussion, and it's an important one.  We have to talk about how the family matters to God, and how our sexual ethics matter to God.  We are called to honor God in all of our relationships, no matter what level they exist at.  It's vital that we listen carefully to the voice of the Holy Spirit and one another, interpreting what the entire witness of Scripture has to say, and find ways to match our understanding with the importance of loving God's children. 
  We need to pay attention to where and how we have these discussions.  In this case, this doesn't seem to be the right time and place.  The Pharisees are trying to score political points while Jesus is trying to heal and teach.  In the same way, let us have our discussions in the appropriate places without harming the proclamation and service of the church in the world.  We don't need to hide anything, but we need to ensure that our personal agendas don't do harm to the mission of the larger church in the way the Pharisees are so focused on 'winning' the debate with Jesus that they turn a healing event into a debate.