Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery. (Luke 16:15

The Pharisees took great pains to present themselves faithful adherents to God's law. Again and again they attempted to show Jesus Christ to be a transgress0r of the law.  They had just despised Him for speaking against the love of money. The Lord had revealed their hypocrisy.

Now He took up what was another sensitive issue for the Pharisees. At that time the number of divorces and cases of adultery had increased considerably. This development was in no small way due to the increasing acceptance of a loose interpretation of the law by one school of thought among the Pharisees. It permitted divorces for practically any reason.

From The Lord's words Hus listeners could at once recognize that it was His concern, not that of the Pharisees, that God's demands should be acknowledged and heeded as laid down.

In contrast to those Pharisees' liberal conception, Jesus here and elsewhere emphasises the divine order in its original character.

"Have you not read that he who made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and the two shall become one fresh? So then they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together let not man separate" (Matthew 19:4-8, Genesis 2:24).

Daily Gospel Meditation - 19th February 2012 (Lord's day)