“Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife?” Like the Pharisees¹ who asked Jesus (Mark 10:2), many still ask this question.

The Pharisees were trying to trap Jesus, but many people ask this question honestly.

Lawmakers have answered, “Yes, divorce is lawful.” But like the Pharisees, this question reveals that in our conscience, we know that divorce is wrong.

Jesus asked the Pharisees, “What did Moses command you?”

They answered, “Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away” (Mark 10:4).

Jesus replied, “For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; and they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder” (Mark 10:5–9).

The Pharisees clearly understood Jesus’ answer, and so did Jesus’ disciples. But Jesus’ disciples wanted to talk more about it. Later they questioned Jesus further, and Jesus reaffirmed and strengthened His teaching.

Jesus told them, “Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her. And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery” (Mark 10:11–12).

Jesus closed the door for using divorce as an escape option in troubled marriages. What is of divine origin is not to be put apart by civil action.

The only exception² Jesus gives is in Matthew 5:32: “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.”

If a “putting away” occurs because of marital unfaithfulness, Jesus calls it adultery to remarry (Mark 10:11–12). In a marital separation, the apostle Paul stated, “Let her remain unmarried” (1 Corinthians 7:11).

God established marriage for the entire human race. When an unmarried man and woman come together in marriage, God binds them for life (Romans 7:1–3). This includes non-Christians. Matthew 14:3–4 tells us that King Herod had married his brother Philip’s wife. John the Baptist told Herod, “It is not lawful for thee to have her.” Herod was subject to God’s laws on marriage.

Hardness of heart is the root cause of mixed-up marriages like Herod’s. Sometimes the responsibility of the first marriage is excused on the basis that the marriage was not “in the Lord.” But the Bible is clear that God recognizes even the marriages of unbelievers.

Jesus Christ is gracious. He told the woman caught in adultery, “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more” (John 8:3–11). There is pardon for all sinners who repent, but individuals cannot continue in the same sin of which they have repented.

At times it confuses people about which is worse, to continue in a remarriage that seems to be happy or to separate. Jesus clears up this confusion. Again, His words in Luke 16:18 are “Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery.” One cannot continue committing adultery (remarriage) and experience Jesus’ forgiveness.

The apostle Paul says, “The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 7:39).

Tensions arise in homes where one partner has turned to the Lord but the other has not. But divorce is not God’s solution for tensions. God’s plan is “If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. . . . For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; else were your children unclean; but now are they holy” (1 Corinthians 7:12–14).

If only one of the troubled partners closely follows the Lord’s directions, it will go a long ways toward saving troubled marriages. And it gives the other partner a firsthand view of what the Lord can do (the unbelieving husband is sanctified).

God’s directives for marriages are “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. . . . Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it. . . . So ought men to

love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. . . . Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband” (Ephesians 5:22, 25, 28, 33).

These things work, but divorce brings tears, heartache, and troubled, angry children.

All who contemplate marriage should consider that the Scriptures mean what they say. The conclusions of lawmakers are only as valid as they are Scriptural. “Adulterers God will judge,” no matter what the lawmakers say. We must forsake the divorce-and-remarriage evil if we are to experience the mercy of God.

“Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge” (Hebrews 13:4).

A godly marriage is a type of the relationship that Christ has with His bride, the church. He “nourisheth and cherisheth it” (Ephesians 5:29). He will never divorce His church.

To us He directs, “Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of [thy] life” (Ecclesiastes 9:9). “Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth” (Proverbs 5:18).

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1.The Pharisees were a legalistic group of religious Jews, who in Jesus’ day were noted for their self- righteousness and pride. Generally, they vigorously opposed the teachings of Jesus.

2 Jesus apparently referred to the Jewish betrothal period. During this period, the Jewish couple was called husband and wife, though they were not married. If either one was unfaithful (fornication) during this period, the covenant to marry could be broken. In the Greek language in which the New Testament was written, fornication can sometimes refer to adultery, but not when used in the same sentence as Jesus did in this case.

Lang

English

Edite

Rod and Staff Publishers Inc.

Sijè

Divòse ak Remarye