Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-07-16
MARRIAGE, DIVORCE, ADULTERY.
According to the View Of the Christian
Scientists.
From the Boston Christian Scientist

From the Boston Christian Scientist
We believe in Jesus Christ. No system of
ethics is SO comprehensive or so complete as
his. What then does this perfect teacher say
OF the marriage relation? An incident re-
latec by Mark *, LIP includes the whole
case. The Pharisees of Judea were the ortho-
dox, the separatists of his day. They be-
lieved in exact compliance with law, and
Jesus had said that one jot or one title should
In no wise pass from the law till all be full
filed These sticklers had very probably
heard OF this; and when an occasion presented
itself they asked him the great question which
il yet agitating every civilized community:
Is 1t lawful for man to put away his wifes
This 10 simple, comprehensive and directly
to the point. Jesus evades nothing. He knows
the high estimation in which they held the law,
and He begins by asking them what was the
command of Moses. They reply that he suf-
fered Cor permitted a man to put away his
wife. The form of their answer shows that
they recognized an element of weakness in
this law. 1t was permission not a mandate
something granted in response to a request.
II was based on some other reason than the
eternal truth. Jesus at once declares the
reason why the permission was granted. For
the hardness OF your heart he wrote you this
precept;" or. in the words of another trans
lator: because Of your stubborn disposition
he wrote you this command" In the orig
inal Greek the emphasis rests on the words
stubborn disposition" or "hardness of heart
showing that they are the important words of
the sentence. Thus. it appears from this that
Jesus would say that divorce was permitted by
Moses not because Of anything right or neces-
sary in the circumstances or the thing itself,
but because OF the obduracy or hardness of
heart (evil manifestations) of the Hebrews. 1t
had its root in evil. The Pharisees seem to
acquiesce in this statement. Atleast they offer
objection n q
cussion of the case upon its merits, rs based
upon the truths of creation. He begins with
the account of how man was made, and says
MARK x: 6-9):
them male and female. tsee Genesis. y. ''"N'
For this cause shall mau leave his father and his
mother. and cleave to his wife. tSee Genesis H. 24)
:, 3 And they twain shall be one flesh (see Genesis
4. SO they are no more twain but one flesh
D. What therefore God hath Joined together let no
man put asunder.
In his quotation from the account Of the
creation, Jesus lays strong foundation. Man
was made that way by God himself in the
beginning. Rising step by step, not a link in
the logic left out, Jesus declares that the two,
united by the bonds of sex created by God. as
stated in the record of their formation. thus
become one flesh. Then to this he adds his
own intensifcation of the doctrine. but re-
versing the grammatical construction as if to
avoid Misunderstanding; they are no longer
two. but are one flesh. The climax is ir-
resistible and logically unavoidable. God plan
ned for this union of the sexes from the begin
ming, he says, and that when united by the
bond of sex they became one flesh and are no
longer two; therefore, "what God has united
let no man sever"
This Ii His doctrine of marriage. It is q
union until death, which man cannot sever.
But when He had gone into the house with
his disciples they asked Him further about
these things. He had described marriage, and
new to them He makes an equally specitc and
comprehensive description of adultery
other, committeth adultery against her.
be married to another, she comrlitteth adultery
This is clear, definite and precise. II re-
quires no explanation, unless an attempt il
made to explain away something 1t compre-
hends every possible case, and makes no ex-
captions 1t places the man and the woman
on the basis Of equality. 1t is the only logical
premises he laid down in his answers to the
Pharisees: 1t is in exact harmony with his
other declarations on this subject. It is capa-
BILE OF but one meaning. and there is nothing in
the record of his words which contradicts it.
These sayings are vigorous. They make the
way SO plain that all can distinguish it clearly
unless blinded by other things. There remains
only the question concerning the sinner. Lest
as to this one we might be naughty, he has left
us word spoken to those highest in the re-
ligious and social affairs of his day. the chief
priests and elders Of the temples ''Verily say
unto you. the publicans and harlots go into the
kingdom OF God before YOU" He has set US an
example as well as left US a word One was
taken in adultery and they asked him what to
| do. He said, "Let the sinless one of you first
at her cast a stone" They all went out leaving
her alone With her Lord. SO may we do. We
| Judge not" Can we ourselves indeed go and
| sin no more?