Sermon on the Mount: Considering Marriage
Matthew 5:31-32 (also Matthew 9:3-9)
““It was said, ‘Whoever sends his wife away, let him give her a certificate of divorce’; but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”
Matthew 5:31-32 NASB1995
Following on to His teachings on adultery in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus briefly addresses marriage. At the time of His ministry, the custom was that Jewish men could divorce their wives for almost any reason. Jesus reminds the Pharisees and the people in attendance that marriage is serious business; by divorcing their wives for any reason except unchastity (sexual sin), they are making her commit adultery. And if these men marry a divorced woman, they are also committing adultery.
Wow!! These are very high standards, especially in this day and age when divorce is so easily obtained in the United States. Marriage and divorce rates have both gone down in recent years, according to the US Census Bureau. It is difficult to estimate how many marriages will end in divorce, but the 2019 rate was 14.9 divorces per 1,000 marriages. Baby Boomers are apparently divorce-happy (38% of Boomers have undergone at least one divorce) and younger generations are not so keen on marriage to begin with, as marriage rates continue to decrease over the years. Christians might fare better, but the average divorce rate is still over 30% for committed and nominal Christians. Even Catholics are approaching the 30% divorce rate.
Jesus is emphasizing the importance of the marriage bond and the covenant and commitment to this holy relationship, just like His bond to his followers. He reiterates this point in Matthew 19:3-9:
“Some Pharisees came to Jesus, testing Him and asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all?” And He answered and said, “Have you not read that He who created them from 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 flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.” They *said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give her a certificate of divorce and send her away?” He *said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way. And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.””
Matthew 19:3-9 NASB1995
I am very blessed to be married to my soul mate and best friend (43 years now), so I have not been divorced, but I know many people who have gone through that trauma. Rather, my hubby and I, even though we were married in God’s sight, sinned against God’s purpose for marriage when we decided to never have children because having fun and careers seemed more important at the time. That’s one of the many sins I have brought to God for forgiveness.
We are not taught to be fully committed to anything these days, whether it be marriage or friendships or actually moving past “easy grace” (which is used to justify supporting cultural norms) to do the harder work of sanctification in our relationship with God. I will let the words of Jesus speak for themselves on this topic, rather than resort to any commentaries. Definitely something to think and pray about, if you have been divorced or you have friends or family members who have gone through divorces!
My next Sermon on the Mount devotional will examine Matthew 5:33-37, where Jesus discusses oaths and vows.
Photo by Sandy Millar on Unsplash