Matthew 5:21-48 continuing…

“It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.” Matthew 5:31-32 (KJV).

We live in a day when divorce is running rampant. The Christian family is as infected as is the people outside the Christian faith. The percentage runs about 50 percent. Half of all marriages end in divorce according to statistics. For me to say that Christians are getting divorces as much as those who are not Christians really grieves my heart.

I cannot believe that anyone who has been divorced entered the marriage thinking, “I am going to get married for a few years, and then, get a divorce”. I may be wrong, but I cannot imagine that. I do believe there are some who give their vows to one another thinking, “If this does not work out we can always get a divorce”. I think that is why many get a divorce. There is no bonding. No commitment to the relationship.

It seems that Jesus is referring to a passage of scripture in Deuteronomy 24:1-4 having to do with the process of divorce. The religious leaders of the day had been teaching that a man could divorce his wife for burning the toast. The divorce laws today just as well not exist. They are so lenient that there is no reason needed to get one. NO FAULT divorce.

It might help us to understand this law better to realize that women in the time of Moses had no rights in marriage. The woman was at the mercy of her husband, and in almost every situation if not every situation, she had to marry whom her parents – her father – decided. The only legitimate divorce was if there was proof that she was not a virgin when she and her husband were married. When a husband brought such charges, and if they were false, the parents had the wedding night bedding, and could produce evidence of her virginity. If they had no proof of her virginity, then he could give her a writing of divorce, and she could go and be another man’s wife (See Deuteronomy 22:13-21). Women had no legitimate means of support, except a husband. In many situations their only other alternative was harlotry/prostitution. For a man to give a writing of divorce for another reason other than that mentioned caused her to commit adultery by marrying another man, and the man committed adultery as well. If a man became jealous suspecting his wife of unfaithfulness they had a means of caring for this also (See Numbers 5:11-31).

Jesus’s words on divorce are quite strong. It causes many of us to question what He meant. It is clear. The only reason for a man to divorce his wife was for “the cause of fornication”, ie., sexual sin, sexual impurity. If a man divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and she marries another she commits adultery, and the man who marries her commits adultery. This can also be reversed for the woman and the man concerning our day. In Jesus’s day the woman was not allowed to seek a divorce. Women today can seek a divorce, so that is why I say the thing can be reversed with the woman seeking a divorce.

Divorce, as it is practiced in our society of 2007, does not make sense. It is almost always a losing proposition. The man loses, the woman loses, and if there are children they are the biggest losers, but not of their own doing.