Matthew 5 : (NKJV) 31 “Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.

SERMON ON THE MOUNT: JESUS ON MARRIAGE Matthew 5:31-32

SOM: Jesus On Marriage  We continue our study of the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5-7  Our last study together looked at 5:  Jesus has been referring back to the old law and giving a better understanding of the spirit of the law

SOM: Jesus On Marriage  Jesus had previously referred back to two of the 10 commandments  He spoke of the commandment not to commit murder and not to commit adultery  He went beyond just the letter of the law to look at the spirit of the law

SOM: Jesus On Marriage  Jesus continues to do this through the rest of chapter 5  In the next section, Jesus intends to clear up some misunderstandings about the idea of marriage and divorce  It was apparently needed as we see in Matthew 19

SOM: Jesus On Marriage  1. Looking Back (v. 31)  Jesus once again begins by looking back at the things contained within the law of Moses  Here in particular He addresses the idea of marriage and divorce  “Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce”

SOM: Jesus On Marriage  1. Looking Back (v. 31)  That would be the way that perhaps they would translate what was written in Deuteronomy 24:1-4  They seemed to misunderstand what Moses was saying  Moses never said they could divorce for any reason

SOM: Jesus On Marriage  1. Looking Back (v. 31)  “…because he has found some uncleanness in her…” (Deut. 24:1)  Uncleanness (erwah) = nakedness or shame  “This word is often used of female nakedness and is symbolic of shame. To uncover one’s nakedness is a frequent euphemism for cohabitation…” (Vine’s Dictionary)

SOM: Jesus On Marriage  1. Looking Back (v. 31)  At the time Jesus spoke, there were 2 schools of thought among the Jews  One was that “uncleanness” meant adultery or sexual immorality  The other was that it was used in a very broad sense to include just about everything

SOM: Jesus On Marriage  1. Looking Back (v. 31)  We see this to be true based upon the question asked in Matthew 19:3  “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?”  There were some, perhaps including the Pharisees who held this position

SOM: Jesus On Marriage  1. Looking Back (v. 31)  Jesus obviously brings this up because it was a point of contention  Whatever they believed about this prior to what Jesus says here, or what you and I may believe about this from Deuteronomy, Jesus is going to make that a moot point

SOM: Jesus On Marriage  2. Utmost Importance (v. 32)  However you or I or they interpreted what Moses said no longer mattered after verse 32…  “But I say to you…”  Now Jesus speaks and what He says trumps anything the Law of Moses said

SOM: Jesus On Marriage  2. Utmost Importance (v. 32)  We spoke previously about the authority that Jesus spoke with (Matt. 7:28-29)  Jesus is now going to clarify the Law of Moses for them here  Consider who the ultimate source of the old law was

SOM: Jesus On Marriage  2. Utmost Importance (v. 32)  What was of the utmost importance here is what Jesus would say  Isn’t that what should be of the utmost importance today to us as well?  Sadly, to many, other sources or opinions are of more importance than the words of Christ

SOM: Jesus On Marriage  3. Clearing Up (v. 32)  Jesus now clears up any confusion by telling us exactly what God’s law on marriage and divorce is  Jesus tells us that instead of there being many reasons for divorce, there is actually one

SOM: Jesus On Marriage  3. Clearing Up (v. 32)  That one reason is for sexual immorality, a word that carries the meaning of misconduct including adultery  This coupled with Matthew 19 gives us a clear understanding of the teachings of Jesus  Marriage is a covenant not to be broken

SOM: Jesus On Marriage  3. Clearing Up (v. 32)  However, if one should break that covenant through sexual immorality (adultery), then divorce is permitted  The idea here is that God only recognizes divorce for one reason  Our country will recognize it for any reason

SOM: Jesus On Marriage  3. Clearing Up (v. 32)  God’s law trumps man’s law (Acts 5:29)  In this case we must abide by God’s law  The reason why marriage to one who is divorced for any other reason is adultery is because they are still seen as married to their original spouse under God’s law

SOM: Jesus On Marriage  4. Collateral Damage (v. 32)  We also need to understand that our decisions can sometimes affect others  In the case of divorce, the same is true  If a man divorces his wife for any other reason, he causes her to commit adultery  Why?

SOM: Jesus On Marriage  4. Collateral Damage (v. 32)  He is putting her in a bad situation  Not only would a woman desire to be with a man (just as God made her), but she would also seek the care that (at that time) only a man could provide  It would be extremely difficult for her

SOM: Jesus On Marriage  4. Collateral Damage (v. 32)  He also causes the man who marries her to commit adultery as well  We see from this that there is collateral damage  Jesus point in marriage is that it is a covenant that should not be entered into lightly, but should be a life-long commitment