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Matthew 5:27-32—Divorce and Adultery
The Words of Jesus Regarding Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife.—Exodus 20:17 Rick Suraci Here is how the first description of marriage begins: “And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh” (Genesis 2:21-24). Jesus added, “So that they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder” (Matthew 19:6, ASV). The sacredness of marriage is clearly and unmistakably revealed from these texts. The man and the woman are to become one flesh—inseparable—their earthly lives bound together as one life in fulfillment of their sacred covenant made before God. Because marriage is a covenant made before God, it is not meant to be broken. One of the greatest travesties of our sin-sick world is the continual breaking of this sacred covenant. Therefore, it is with no small degree of sadness that one examines the subject of marriage and divorce. To get an accurate view of Jesus’ teaching on the matter, three important premises need to be laid down:
With these premises in mind, let us proceed to the main focus of our discussion. There are two aspects to the context of Matthew 5:27-32, the internal ability to commit sin and the external committing of sin. First the internal: “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell [gehenna, symbol of utter destruction]” (Matthew 5:27-29). In this portion of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:21-48) Jesus compared and contrasted the Jewish Law, its interpretations, and sometimes its embellishments, with the new principles of Christianity. The statement, “You have heard that it was said of old time” gave his listeners a familiar base from which to access the higher ground he is describing. Verse 27 begins with a well-known commandment that would have been understood by all. Yet by the time of Jesus’ first advent, the temptation to water down that commandment was prevalent. To commit adultery was to commit an act, a physical act, so all of the focus would have been on that act. Jesus informed his followers of a deeper meaning—adultery begins in the mind, long before it may be outwardly manifested. Jesus’ teaching in verse 28 is simple, yet indicting. Let us remember that his audience was his apostles and followers, a group largely composed of married men. Jesus tells them if you lust after a woman in your heart—if you have desired her within the confines of your own private thoughts—then you have broken the true spirit of the Law. How serious is this matter? Jesus said in verse 29 that if your eye offends you (Strong’s #4624, to entrap, trip up), then cast it away. If what you see turns you to impure thoughts, then do whatever is necessary to rid yourself of such sin, for it is this sinful path that leads to utter destruction! Judgment begins with the inner thoughts of the mind. These words of Jesus would have been a shocking revelation to his audience, for their “spiritual” leaders were constantly drawing attention to their own outward and public works of the Law, such as fasting, praying on the street corners, tithing etc., and thus implying that actions were what made a person holy. Jesus was now teaching his followers that standing before the Almighty begins long before any manifestation of outward piety. It begins in our minds, in the privacy of our thoughts. James elaborates: “Each man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed. Then the lust, when it hath conceived, beareth sin: and the sin, when it is fullgrown, bringeth forth death” (James 1:14,15, ASV). Jesus continued and revealed the process of sin in verse 30 where external commission of sin is built upon internal thought: “If your right hand commits sin, cut it off.” Jesus is saying beware, especially in regard to adultery. The secret thoughts of the mind, deadly as they are if unchecked, can lead to actions that are completely out of harmony with the spirit of the Law. Thus, it is not only thoughts that can be our undoing but also the actions they promote. These verses serve as a strong and necessary foundation for Jesus’ next teaching, which was deeper and in some ways even more shocking. But, before proceeding, it is necessary to lay a little historical groundwork. The discussion of marriage and proper divorce was a present and public debate in Jesus’ day. There were two primary schools of thought on the matter. One was based on the teachings of Hillel, a rabbi who, in about 30 B.C., was chosen as president of the Sanhedrin.
Shammai, his counterpart mentioned above,
supplied the second school of thought. These two and their followers debated
many issues of the Law, and the subject of the proper grounds for divorce was
among them. The Pharisees’ Debate—Jesus Answers The debate centered on these words: “When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house. And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man’s wife. And if the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement, and giveth it in her hand, and sendeth her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, which took her to be his wife; her former husband, which sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before the LORD: and thou shalt not cause the land to sin, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance” (Deuteronomy 24:1-4). Shammai said that “some uncleanness in her” was only fornication/adultery, while Hillel said that this “uncleanness” could be anything. The debate is actually recorded in the Mishnah: “The Party of Shammai say: A man may not divorce his wife unless he finds indecency in her, for it says: ‘Because he found in her a matter of indecency.’ But the Party of Hillel say: [A man may divorce his wife] even if she spoiled the broth, for it says: [any] ‘matter.’ ” (Deuteronomy 24:1) It is in the context of this debate that Jesus clarified how his followers were to adhere to the true spirit of the Law in this most important matter: “And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell [gehenna]. 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 5:30-32). What was Jesus saying? Initially, he referenced Deuteronomy 24:1-4 as his basis for teaching by saying, “It hath been said.” Because he recognized the roll that divorce had come to play in the sin-sick society of his day, he sharpened his followers’ grasp on its limited use by introducing his new and higher standard: “But I say to you” do NOT divorce your wife, saving for the cause of fornication. Clearly, he taught there is only one cause that should justify the breaking of this covenant, that of fornication.{1} In Matthew 5, verses 29 and 30 join the sinful desire of verses 27 and 28 with an attempt to circumvent the sin in verses 31 and 32. Do not let your eye desire the sin, and do not let your hand do it. Do not wish for adultery, if only it were not forbidden; and do not seek to legitimize it by divorce and remarriage. Let us take a moment to clarify what Jesus is apparently NOT saying. Jesus is NOT re-defining the mechanics of divorce. In Deuteronomy a divorced woman was allowed to remarry and Jesus doesn’t even hint at altering that. He doesn’t change how divorce works, the fact being that a divorce makes it permissible for both parties to remarry. Rather, he clarifies when and why divorce may be a justifiable action, that is, for the cause of fornication. Jesus is NOT focusing blame toward either spouse but focusing on the act of fornication. The phrase “for the cause (Strong’s #3056 logos—word) of fornication” focuses not on the “who” in the matter, but the “what” that is present. The lesson is that fornication and only fornication is the sole ground (though not the requirement) for the permanent breaking of the marriage covenant, no matter which spouse was the sinner.
Jesus is
NOT saying
that a woman who remarries, if her husband divorced her on improper grounds,
thereby becomes a lifelong adulteress. He is saying that this remarriage
begins as an act of adultery caused by the divorce initiated by the
previous husband. In the New Testament, there are five forms of the word for
“adultery.” Three of them—#3429, #3430, and #3431 used in Matthew 5—always refer
to an act of adultery, whereas #3428 and #3432 refer to the lifestyle
of an adulterer. These two meanings express an important distinction between
committing a sin and living a lifestyle of sin.{2} For example, if someone lies
about a matter once, there are consequences for that action. Conversely, if
someone is a habitual liar, he lives and dies by his lies. The consequences for
such a lifestyle are very different. The first person is one who has made a bad
judgment and lied, while the second person is appropriately classified as a
liar. Four Lessons What lessons may be drawn thus far? As Jesus was laying out a new and higher standard for his followers, he first pointed to the sacredness of the marriage covenant and its intended permanent nature. His teaching in Matthew 5 and elsewhere, while explaining his standard for divorce and remarriage, truly focused on maintaining the sanctity of the marriage covenant. This primary lesson should not be lost in the details and difficulty of the present subject. If we take Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 5 as a base and apply it to all of the New Testament Scriptures on the matter, we will find a harmony that is consistent throughout. In the context of Matthew 5, Jesus is clear on the importance of fidelity: “If your eye offends you, pluck it out.” In Matthew 19:3-12 and Mark 10:1-12, his clarity is obvious by his stating the original intention for marriage by the creator: “What God hath joined together let not man put asunder.” Second, Jesus explained what conditions are required for a divorce and remarriage to meet his new and higher standard. A divorce and remarriage always, by this standard, contains the sin of adultery / fornication. In Jesus’ example (no prior fornication), the responsibility for committing adultery is shared by both parties. The husband who had put away his wife bore a heavy burden of guilt in the sight of God, as did the wife, because his divorcement led to his ex-wife’s remarriage. Therefore, deep and grievous sins in both cases must be addressed, which bring us to the third and fourth lessons, those of personal responsibility. Third, Jesus honed in on the culpability of a spouse’s role (in this case the husband) as the initiator of a divorce outside the guidelines of his standard. The force of Jesus’ teaching is on how the lustful sins of the mind (Matthew 5:29) lead to the sins of action (verse 30) that must be halted to avoid dire consequences. While this spouse was not the one who had actually committed adultery, Jesus labels the thoughts and actions of this individual as grievous and contributory to the adultery. Fourth, Jesus did not hold the (improperly removed) divorced spouse blameless. The actual sin of adultery committed by this spouse’s remarriage (in this case the wife) is simply stated as a sinful act (for which the prior husband bears a measure of culpability). Why? As in Deuteronomy 24:3,4, the remarriage of one spouse permanently closes the door of reconciliation for the first marriage covenant, by establishing a second covenant. This second covenant is now binding, even though established in a sinful act. An example of God binding us to our sinful decisions is when his own people rejected him in their sinful desire for a king. What did God do? He gave them their king. He not only allowed them their desire, he committed them to keep it for generations. Did he cease to bless them? No, he continued to bless them in spite of their sin, though often there were periods of great trial under their kings (1 Samuel 8:1-10; 12:12-14,19-25). While adultery and fornication are unquestionably sins, they are not necessarily “sins unto death,” but are grievous sins nevertheless. They, along with many other sins of similar degradation should be treated in an appropriate manner, always distinguishing between sins of lifestyle and “works of the flesh.” 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 lists these sins, along with others, as sins of lifestyle. In contrast, Galatians 5:16-21 describes our common warfare as New Creatures against the sins (“works of the flesh”) listed. Remember that our brethren in Galatia battled with the cultural norms of witchcraft, idolatry, etc. “They which do such things [not engaging in the spirit vs. flesh battle of verse 17] shall not inherit the Kingdom of God.” Jesus labels the adultery in Matthew 5 as an act, a work of the flesh, but not a lifestyle, indicating the validity of the second marriage while not diminishing the sins committed. Divorce is NOT pleasing to God. It breaks the most sacred earthly covenant made between two people and should only be broken in the most dire of Scripturally-based circumstances. Not being happy is not a reason to divorce. Not being fulfilled is not a reason to divorce. Not feeling equally yoked is not a reason to divorce. We must approach divorce with the highest spiritual insight possible and only see it through when there has been fornication AND there is NO possibility of reconciliation. But what do we do when there are situations that have not followed this Scriptural course? For those of us on the outside looking in, it is with great care that we must approach this experience. Jesus prepared us in the earlier verses of Matthew 5. If we are humble, mourning, meek, hungering after righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers, willing to be persecuted and reviled, then we are the salt of the earth and can truly begin to grasp the strength and mercy of Jesus’ words regarding this matter. We are to firmly yet gently aid those who have fallen, toward a true heart repentance helping them to honor their present covenant with all fidelity while learning and applying the spiritual lessons from their past sins. We must not forget the reason Christ died and the miracle of forgiveness that is available to each of us in our fight against our sin-ridden natures. “And on some who are wavering, have mercy; and some save, seizing them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment spotted by the flesh” (Jude 22,23, RVIC). Let us humbly and prayerfully strive to fully grasp the teachings of Jesus regarding this difficult matter and let us humbly and prayerfully apply those teachings with our whole heart, for in so doing, we may become more like him.
______________________________ 2. Editor’s note: One can cease to be a fornicator, idolater, adulterer, etc. “And such were some of you” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). |