Words from the Rock
You have been taught that a man who divorces his wife must write out divorce papers for her. But I tell you not to divorce your wife unless she has committed some terrible sexual sin. If you divorce her, you will cause her to be unfaithful, just as any man who marries her is guilty of taking another man’s wife.
Matthew 5:31–32 CEV
In Jesus’s day, there were some men (mostly wealthy ones) who decided they’d grown weary of their wives, and, as a result, they went through the legal, “religious” steps to be free of their wives so they could marry another (maybe a younger, prettier model). Naturally, this practice disgusted Jesus, and he decided to make a statement about it. He took this position not only to put the brakes on divorce in general but for several other good reasons as well.
For one thing, Jesus had real empathy for the cast-off wife because he knew that life could be hard on a divorced woman back then. Without alimony or Social Security, she might end up begging on the streets. But besides that, Jesus knew that everyone related to her would suffer. He knew that divorce would divide a family. He also knew that a “religious” divorce was really a masquerade for hypocrisy. He knew that a line needed to be drawn—and he was willing to draw it.
Does that mean Jesus believed all divorce is wrong? That’s not what he was saying. He was only pointing out that some “religious” types were using legal divorce as a cover-up for their own personal sin. He wanted to put a stop to that. In some cases, divorce was the right, just, and kind thing to do—but not usually.
My Prayer
Dear God,
Help me to understand your heart when it comes to confusing issues like divorce and remarriage. Remind me that you are loving and forgiving. But also help me to remember that you want the very best for me and my life. Let me build my life on you and avoid some of these pitfalls that you warn against.
Amen.
Final Word
And so, each of us must give an account to God for what we do. We must stop judging others. We must also make up our minds not to upset anyone’s faith.
Romans 14:12–13 CEV
Stone for the Journey
I will strive to do things God’s way instead of looking for the easy way out.