THURSDAY (3/18/21)

Hey Riverside Family! Benji and Ila are joining you today from the
Potato Creek Home Group—if you don’t know, we are a group with lots
of married couples and lots of children! Benji and I went to Navarre
Middle and Washington High School just a year apart. We became close
friends toward the last years of high school and got married smack-dab
in the middle of college. By the grace of God, we now have 4 daughters
and over 17 years of doing this life as best friends. By now in this little
story, some of you may be feeling warm and fuzzy while others may feel
uncomfortable, sad, or be rolling their eyes. Yep, I know marriage and
“love stories” are complex, emotional topics to talk about.

Oh, marriage. It’s difficult to say or think about this word without
emotions attached. People can romanticize or demonize marriage, try
to save or escape from marriage, shun it purposefully or celebrate it
joyfully, and grieve losing it or never attaining it. Today’s passage just
so happens to give us one of Jesus’ most direct recorded conversations
on marriage. Let’s dive in to how Jesus responds when the Pharisees
come to test him about the complicated realms of marriage, divorce,
and sexuality.

  • Read Matthew 19:1-12

Consider the following questions:

  • What was Jesus doing when the Pharisees came to test him? (v. 2)
  • The Pharisees ask Jesus if divorce is okay in what situations under the law? (v.3)
  • How does Jesus respond about the nature of marriage and divorce? (v. 6 & 8)
  • The disciples recognize that committing to marriage is hard and even comment that it’s better not to marry if divorce is so against God’s will. How does Jesus respond to choosing singleness? (v. 10-12)