休妻的問題
（太19‧1－12；路16‧18）
1耶穌從那裏起身，來到猶太的境界並約旦河外。眾人又聚集到他那裏，他又照常教訓他們。 2有法利賽人來問他說：「人休妻可以不可以？」意思要試探他。 3耶穌回答說：「摩西吩咐你們的是甚麼？」 4他們說：「摩西許人寫了休書便可以休妻。」 5耶穌說：「摩西因為你們的心硬，所以寫這條例給你們； 6但從起初創造的時候，神造人是造男造女。 7因此，人要離開父母，與妻子連合，二人成為一體。 8既然如此，夫妻不再是兩個人，乃是一體的了。 9所以，神配合的，人不可分開。」 10到了屋裏，門徒就問他這事。 11耶穌對他們說：「凡休妻另娶的，就是犯姦淫，辜負他的妻子； 12妻子若離棄丈夫另嫁，也是犯姦淫了。」
弟兄姊妹平安，今天我們要討論的主題記載在馬可福音的第十章，一到十二節，關於婚姻的原則。
在這段經文中，耶穌來到了猶太的境地，有一些法利賽人前來試探他，以婚姻作為試探的題目。他們試圖以婚姻問題來聽取耶穌的意見，但實際上是要試探他。讓我們來了解當時的背景。對於猶太人來說，婚姻的理想非常崇高，婚姻的純潔也是一個重大的題目。這一點在華人社會中也同樣重要。婚姻的純潔意味著夫妻雙方是否能夠忠誠、無婚外情，一生守護這個承諾。雖然婚姻制度的理想很高，但在現實生活中，我們都會面臨各種挑戰和困難。因此，我們看到的是原則性的指導，而不是用律法去審判對錯。婚姻關係的真正關鍵在於夫妻雙方的互相包容，共同努力經營婚姻。
這些法利賽人提及的摩西的律法出自《申命記》24章，指出只要丈夫給了休書，婦女就可以被休掉。在古代，婦女的地位並不高，因此這條律法對她們來說是不公平的。雖然從今天的角度來看這樣的規定不合理，但在當時的社會背景下，至少有一條律法規範了人性，防止了無節制的行為。這裡我們也看到律法的限制。 耶穌在說的是申命記所提出的所有律法，只是因為當時的以色列人心硬，還沒有明白，需要用律法來規範，需要給他們明確的規定，才能夠漸少一切道德上的混亂，因此律法的存在是有一個積極的理由的。
在摩西寫出《出埃及記》的時代，人性其實是非常原始和混亂的。如果當時摩西沒有得到這些律法，沒有將這些規範鎖定出來，以色列人可能會失去文化的根基，並且導致混亂的性生活和婚姻觀念。因此，在當時，倫理是一個非常重要的關鍵。華夏民族也需要感謝制禮作樂當時的周公，因為如果沒有他把倫理道德帶入華夏文化中，華夏民族就會缺乏核心觀念和思想，將會無法發展成為重要的文明。在今天的某一些民族和族群的環境中，依然缺乏倫理道德規範的影響，因而單單被慾望驅動，造成許多混亂的性關係和家庭悲劇。因此，我們應該意識到律法的存在意義是積極的和必要的。法律的本意並不是讓人成為聖人，而是確保社會有一個基本的道德底線，防止超過底線的事情發生，或者至少減少沒底線的事件。在恩典尚未降臨的時代，上帝賜給以色列人的律法是相當重要的，它為社會提供了穩定和秩序。
即使在今天，仍然有許多地方不重視女性的權力，將女性當作物品來對待，這也是人類罪惡的一部分。耶穌所引用的創世紀記載中，強調了婚姻的聯合，並指出神所配合的人不可分開。因此，婚姻是一個盟約，在神面前是神聖而重要的。聖經中將上帝與教會的關係比喻為婚姻關係，耶穌就是教會的丈夫，用自己的生命來守護自己的妻子，也就是教會。因此，婚姻關係是非常神聖的，不容許任何第三者的介入。然而，由於人的罪性，我們常常需要不斷地努力修補婚姻。
在聖經中，馬可福音和馬太福音對離婚的記載略有不同。馬可福音中指出，不應該離婚跟重婚，而馬太福音的記載則提到不准重婚，但是如果有合理的原因提出離婚則可以允許。
當我們仔細閱讀這段文字時，我們會明白一件事情：離婚並不是破壞婚姻的原因，婚姻已經因為中間的不忠貞而被破壞了，離婚只是將這種不忠貞的事實顯現出來而已。當一方不忠貞時，婚姻必然會破裂，所以離婚只是揭示了不貞的事實。
讓我們明白這裡所講的都是原則，我們應該捕捉文字中的精髓意義，而不是將其視為律法來審判或論斷。因為婚姻的事情最終是夫妻兩人來做決定的。我們應該清楚明白的是，婚姻是一個神聖的盟約，一個神聖的決定，也是一個終生的承諾。想要踏入婚姻的任何人，應該思考清楚婚姻的嚴肅性和重要性。進入婚姻後，我們應該擁有一個貫徹承諾的心志，而不是隨心所欲、隨情緒、喜好或私慾去決定是否繼續婚姻。婚姻不僅僅是身體的結合或是滿足感官需求，更重要的是靈魂的結合，兩個人成為一體，這是所有想要進入婚姻的人都不可忽略的。耶穌在這裡再次強調了婚姻的重要性。
感謝各位的聆聽，我們明天將繼續分享，耶穌最支持的事工之一是主日學，讓我們明天深入探討這個主題。
On Divorce Mark chapter 10:1-12
Jesus then left that place and went into the region of Judea and across the Jordan. Again crowds of people came to him, and as was his custom, he taught them.
Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?”
“What did Moses command you?”he replied.
They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.”
“It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law,”Jesus replied. “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this. He answered, “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her.
And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.”
Brothers and sisters, peace be with you. Today, our topic is recorded in the tenth chapter of the Gospel of Mark, verses one to twelve, regarding the principles of marriage.
In this passage, Jesus arrives in the region of Judea, and some Pharisees come to test him, using marriage as their testing ground. They attempt to seek Jesus' opinion on the matter of marriage, but in reality, they are trying to test him. Let us understand the context of that time. For the Jewish people, the ideal of marriage was held in high regard, and the purity of marriage was a significant issue. This is similarly important in Chinese society. The purity of marriage signifies whether both spouses can remain faithful, free from extramarital affairs, and uphold their commitment throughout their lives. While the ideal of marriage is lofty, in real life, we all face various challenges and difficulties. Therefore, what we see here is guiding principles rather than judgments of right and wrong. The real key to a marriage lies in the mutual understanding and efforts of both spouses in managing their relationship.
The law mentioned by these Pharisees comes from Deuteronomy 24, stating that a man could write a certificate of divorce and send his wife away. In ancient times, women did not hold high status, so this law was unfair to them. While such regulations may seem unreasonable from today's perspective, in the social context of that time, at least one law regulated human behavior, preventing unrestrained actions. Here, we also see the limitations of the law. Jesus speaks of all the laws presented in Deuteronomy, simply because the hearts of the Israelites at that time were hardened, they had not yet understood, and needed laws to regulate them, clear instructions to gradually reduce all moral confusion. Therefore, the existence of the law has a positive reason.
In the era when Moses wrote Exodus, human nature was indeed very primitive and chaotic. If Moses had not received these laws at that time, had not laid down these regulations, the Israelites might have lost the cultural foundation and led to chaotic sexual lives and marital concepts. Therefore, ethics were a very important key at that time. The Chinese nation also needs to thank Zhou Gong of the Zhou Dynasty, because without him bringing ethical morals into Chinese culture, the Chinese nation would lack core concepts and thoughts and would not be able to develop into an important civilization. Even today, many places still do not value women's rights, treating women as objects, which is also part of human sinfulness. The Genesis record cited by Jesus emphasizes the union of marriage and points out that what God has joined together, let no one separate. Therefore, marriage is a covenant, sacred and important before God. The Bible metaphorically compares the relationship between God and the church to a marriage relationship, with Jesus being the husband of the church, using his life to protect his wife, which is the church. Therefore, the marital relationship is very sacred and does not allow for any third-party intervention. However, due to human sinfulness, we often need to continuously work to repair marriages.
In the Bible, the accounts of divorce in Mark and Matthew slightly differ. Mark indicates that divorce and remarriage should not be done, while Matthew's account mentions no remarriage but allows divorce for legitimate reasons.
As we carefully read this passage, we understand one thing: divorce is not the cause of the destruction of marriage; rather, the marriage has already been destroyed due to infidelity, and divorce merely reveals this fact. When one party is unfaithful, the marriage will inevitably collapse, so divorce only reveals the fact of unfaithfulness.
Let us understand that what is discussed here are principles; we should capture the essence of the text rather than treat it as law for judgment. Because ultimately, the matter of marriage is decided by the two spouses. We should be clear that marriage is a sacred covenant, a sacred decision, and a lifelong commitment. Anyone who wants to enter into marriage should consider carefully its seriousness and importance. After entering into marriage, we should have a commitment to fulfill, rather than making decisions based on whims, emotions, preferences, or desires about whether to continue the marriage. Marriage is not just about physical union or satisfying sensory needs; more importantly, it is about the union of souls, two becoming one, which is something that anyone considering marriage should not ignore. Jesus here emphasizes again the importance of marriage.
Thank you for listening, and tomorrow we will continue to share. One of the ministries most supported by Jesus is Sunday school. Let us delve into this topic tomorrow.
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