Matthew
5:31-32
Jesus
Teaches about
Divorce
5:31
"It has been said, 'Anyone who
divorces his wife must give her a
certificate of divorce.'
-
32
But I tell you that anyone who
divorces his wife, except for
marital unfaithfulness, causes
her to become an adulteress, and
anyone who marries the divorced
woman commits
adultery."
-
This
is the Word of the Lord ... It
is meant to change the way
that we think, and the way
that we live.
Commentary
by Bob
Pardue
Jesus
Teaches about
Divorce
- This
passage from Matthew deals
with divorce. There seems to
be (in peoples minds) "big"
sins and "little" sins. A
little sin is like that white
lie you told to your
hairdresser when you didn't
want to keep the appointment
or a little omission on your
income tax return.
-
- Those
sins may seem small but are
still sin in God's eyes. One
of the big sins is divorce
which is the topic
today.
You may
well know divorce is just as
hurtful and destructive today
as in Jesus' day. God intends
marriage to be a lifetime
commitment (Genesis
2:24).
-
- Marriage
is a fragile thing, especially
in today's world of hustle and
bustle, kids, money and career
conflicts.
-
- As I
was reading this passage I
thought to myself; Any two
idiots can get themselves
married. All it takes is a
blood test and some sort of
ceremony and viola', they're
hitched!
-
- Although
it is easy to get married,
staying married is another
matter all together. It takes
work, commitment and unending
love for one another to make a
marriage last a lifetime.
Let's face it, a marriage that
lasts for 25, 30 or 50 years
is a miracle!
-
- When
entering into marriage, people
should never consider divorce
as an option for solving
problems or a way out of a
relationship that seems
dead.
-
- In
these verses, Jesus is also
attacking those who
purposefully abuse the
marriage contract, using
divorce to satisfy their
lustful desire to marry
someone else. Are your actions
today helping your marriage
grow stronger, or are you
tearing it apart?
-
- Jesus
said that divorce is not
permissible except for
unfaithfulness. This does not
mean that divorce should
automatically occur when a
spouse commits adultery. The
word translated
'unfaithfulness' implies a
sexually immoral lifestyle,
not a confessed and repented
act of adultery.
-
- Those
who discover that their
partner has been unfaithful
should first make every effort
to forgive, reconcile, and
restore their relationship. We
should always look for reasons
to bring back the marriage
relationship rather than find
excuses to leave
it.
-
- If you
and your spouse are having
trouble in your marriage,
first exhaust all alternatives
for divorce including
professional counseling but
get on your knees and turn to
God for answers. He will hear
you and reveal solutions if
you ask Him.
Love in
Christ
-
Bob
If you have
never made the commitment to
receive the love and
life-changing experience of Jesus
Christ, please take a moment to
go
here
and take the first
steps
to salvation.
Bob
Pardue
is a member of First
Baptist
Church
in Lancaster, SC. He is ordained
from Rich Hill Baptist in
Lancaster.
Want
to place this passage and
commentary on your website or
e-zine for
content?
This
article about Jesus and divorce
may be freely reprinted or
distributed in its entirety in
any e-zine, newsletter, blog, or
website. The author's name, bio,
and website links must remain
intact and be included
with every reproduction of this
report.
Bob
Verses are from Life
Application Study Bible: New
International Version
Comments are welcome.
Please email
me with any questions
or comments you may have.
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