The Life and Ministry of Jesus
“Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I tell you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery. Matthew 5:31–32
In his corrective But I tell you, Jesus narrowed the allowable reasons for justifiable divorce. And even at that, he was not commanding that an adulterous spouse be divorced. He was allowing such recourse for the spouse offended by adultery.
Like his Father (Mal. 2), Jesus hates divorce in every instance, but he permits it in extremely narrow circumstances. His will is always reconciliation except in the face of ongoing, unrepentant, adulterous destruction of the marriage covenant. 1
Personal Encouragement
What is the best way to build a marriage? What is the best way to avoid a divorce? How important is learning how to ask for forgiveness and receive forgiveness, in all of life’s relationships? What is the main reason why someone commits adultery?
Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. Colossians 3:13
Be not fooled; not all sin is the same, not all consequences are the same.
A Prayer
Lord, thank You for the many warnings about avoiding the dangerous places of sin.
1. Hughes, R. K. (2001). The sermon on the mount: the message of the kingdom. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
