The Encourager
“Jesus' Teaching on Divorce”
Jesus’ Teaching on Divorce
by Jeff Curtis
In Matthew 19:1-12, Jesus expressed several truths about marriage, divorce and remarriage.
First, He said that God’s original plan was one man for one woman for one lifetime (19:3-5; Gen. 2:18-25). He reminded His listeners that God made two sexes, male and female, for precreation and companionship. God made woman for man and man for woman, and any alteration in that design is deviant behavior (Rom. 1:26-27). God joined Adam and Eve together, in effect performing the first marriage ceremony. He meant for the marriage relationship to be permanent.
Second, Jesus said that God joined Adam and Eve together as a pattern for all future marriages (19:6). God joined them, and only He has a legitimate right to separate them, or to prescribe a reason for them to separate. Tampering with God’s design brings disastrous results. The landscape of marriage in our world today is scattered with broken lives, destroyed homes, and troubled children.
Third, Jesus encouraged the stability of marriage (19:7-8). Men were using Moses’ original instructions, designed to honor marriage, to provide an escape from their commitments. Some Pharisees asked Jesus, “Why then did Moses command to give her a certificate of divorce and send her away?” (19:7). Jesus’ answer was that their hearts were hard (19:8). Although divorce was not part of God’s original plan, people were violating that plan. Therefore, God allowed Moses to give instructions to regulate what was being done, so as to protect marriage (Deut. 24:1-4). Malachi 2:14-16 informs us that God hates divorce. Nothing in the New Testament indicates that He has ever changed His mind on the subject. Jesus looked back to the beginning to explain God’s original purpose for marriage.
Finally, Jesus emphasized the sanctity of the marriage relationship (19:9). He said that no one should seek a divorce, except for the reason of sexual immorality (fornication) committed by a spouse. If one who puts away a companion for another cause marries again, he is guilty of adultery. Jesus added that anyone who marries the wife who has been put away is also guilty of adultery.
The apostles recognized this as a difficult statement (19:10), but Jesus did not try to soften what He had said. Rather, He said, in effect, that it would better to be a eunuch than to violate God’s plan for marriage (19:12). If people can be taught this truth before getting married, they may think more seriously about the marriage commitment and then try harder to make the marriage work instead of divorcing quickly over some matter that could be resolved.
