Matthew 19:9
Though I am very conservative on the point of divorce, may I point out here what is being said, and what is not. First, Jesus doesn’t directly say anything about wives divorcing their husbands. This doesn’t mean that his words can never apply to wives, it is just that he is not addressing their situation directly here because it was not at issue.
Secondly, the only cause for divorce on the part of a man that Jesus seems to allow is fornication on the part of the wife. Here I must urge caution. The word fornication covers a wide variety of sexual sin. Thus, any husband who thinks he has grounds for divorce due to fornication needs to be very careful to define this sin. If he himself had been guilty of anything that might be considered fornication, it could be a bad idea for him to divorce his wife on the same grounds.
Third, most divorces are caused by the ‘third party’. In other words, many husbands will want to divorce only so as to marry someone else. This was predominantly the motive of the Jewish leaders in this case. Jesus warns against this. To marry another, even as a divorcee, could still constitute adultery in the eyes of God. This is very much contrary to our normal thinking. Many get divorces so as to be with another person without the guilt. But, Jesus says, that won’t work.
The final warning is often misunderstood. It is more serious than most of us realize. Jesus is here saying that a man who marries a divorced woman is most likely committing adultery. When this woman’s husband divorced her, if he did so for the wrong reason, he bore the blame for that. But when another man marries her, he commits adultery, and bears the blame. If a woman’s husband divorces her for the right reason, any man who marries her is committing adultery with an adulteress.
Of course, many will say, what if the man has committed fornication? The fact is that Jesus isn’t talking about the men being guilty in this case. This doesn’t mean they are exempt, it’s just not what Jesus is talking about. Basing my thoughts on the rest of scripture, I would say you must apply the same principles to the man as you do to the woman. Without actual fornication, the marriage is not dissolved, even if divorce has occurred. Because fornication can be difficult to define, or even to prove, it is dangerous to marry any divorced person without very clear evidence of fornication on the part of one party and relative innocence on the part of the other.
Bible Reading: Luke 8:1-56
Scripture Memory: 1 John 5:9 “If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.”
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us Your Word. It is very clear. But we are shortsighted when it comes to the sins we are so easily overcome by. May we realize that You have taught us the Truth for our own good. You love us, and You want what is best for us. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.
Prayer Requests: Pray for a man recovering from hip surgery. Pray for a woman with cancer. Pray for a man with a strange condition.
Journal Entry #14031