“It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. Matthew 5:31-32
In the last post, I wrote about holding our beliefs up to the light of Scripture to see if what we believe is actually true. Today’s post is an example of how context is key. We have to keep verses in context in order to fully understand their meaning and their application to our lives.
Today’s key verses from the Gospel of Matthew are part of what is commonly referred to as the “Sermon on the Mount” where Jesus is teaching His followers about what kind of character we are to have and how we are to relate to God and to others.
In these two short verses, Jesus addresses three issues He saw in their culture at that time. The first issue was that husbands were divorcing their wives on a whim, without cause. Secondly, when a husband divorced his wife, he did not always give her a certificate of divorce. Thirdly, men sometimes sent away their first wives and then lived with another, usually another man’s wife or a prostitute.
In Bible times, women had no rights, not even the right to work. They were considered property. We know from many verses in the Bible that widows were a point of concern in their society because they could not support themselves. Likewise, a divorced woman had no means of financially providing for herself. Women were completely financially dependent on the men in their lives – husbands, if they were married, sons, if they were widowed. If there were no men in her family to financially care for her, most likely a woman’s only means of survival was prostitution.
It’s important to note that the word “divorce” in these verses is the Greek word “apoluo” which means “to put away”, not to obtain a legal divorce. It means the husband threw his wife out of the house without good reason and without a legal certificate of divorce.
So what is Jesus saying in these verses? Regarding the first of the three issues identified earlier, Jesus is saying that divorce should be based on a significant reason or cause, not on a whim. Secondly, if a man puts away his wife and does not give her a certificate of divorce, they are not legally divorced. She cannot remarry to find financial support in another husband because she is still married to her first husband. If she does remarry (illegally), she would be guilty of adultery and so would her new husband. If she doesn’t remarry, her only option to financially support herself would be prostitution, which again would cause her be an adulteress since she is still married. Jesus is saying the husband needs to give his wife a certificate of divorce so she can legally remarry. In the third issue, the phrase “except for sexual immorality” does not refer to a reason for divorce, but rather to the situation where the man was already in an adulterous relationship. Jesus is saying that the relationship should end, but no certificate of divorce is required since there is no marriage to begin with. The “exception” mentioned is regarding the need for a certificate of divorce.
Note that Jesus never lists the valid reasons for divorce nor are any listed elsewhere in Scripture. Perhaps this is because each marital relationship is unique and there could be any number of reasons for cause. Now that we have dug into these verses today, we need to ask ourselves if we’ve misapplied them in the past. Are we quick to quip “the only valid reason for divorce is adultery”? Or have we stated “there are only four valid reasons for divorce, the four A’s: adultery, addition, abuse, and abandonment”? Are we guilty of holding others in judgment for divorces for reasons other than adultery? The Bible is pretty clear we are not to judge others (see Matthew 7:1-2) and that God alone judges the heart (see 1 Samuel 16:7).
What about those of us who are divorced? Have we been racked with guilt because our divorce wasn’t the result of adultery? If so, do you find the truth in these verses liberating and even healing?
When we take Bible verses out of context, we may, like the Pharisees in Jesus’ day, put burdens on others because of our erroneous interpretations. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Jesus came to fulfill the Law of the Old Testament and usher in an era of grace. Keeping verses in context is key in discovering truth, God’s truth that allows us to grow in grace and extend grace to others. May it be so.
Dear Jesus, thank You for Your Word that teaches me how to love You and others better. May I read Your Word in context to understand clearly what You want me to learn. May I grow in love and grace. In Your Name I pray, Amen.
Want to subscribe to future posts? Click here.
Text and photograph copyright © 2018 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of daisies near Roussillon in the Vaucluse, Provence, France.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
In the last post, I wrote about holding our beliefs up to the light of Scripture to see if what we believe is actually true. Today’s post is an example of how context is key. We have to keep verses in context in order to fully understand their meaning and their application to our lives.
Today’s key verses from the Gospel of Matthew are part of what is commonly referred to as the “Sermon on the Mount” where Jesus is teaching His followers about what kind of character we are to have and how we are to relate to God and to others.
In these two short verses, Jesus addresses three issues He saw in their culture at that time. The first issue was that husbands were divorcing their wives on a whim, without cause. Secondly, when a husband divorced his wife, he did not always give her a certificate of divorce. Thirdly, men sometimes sent away their first wives and then lived with another, usually another man’s wife or a prostitute.
In Bible times, women had no rights, not even the right to work. They were considered property. We know from many verses in the Bible that widows were a point of concern in their society because they could not support themselves. Likewise, a divorced woman had no means of financially providing for herself. Women were completely financially dependent on the men in their lives – husbands, if they were married, sons, if they were widowed. If there were no men in her family to financially care for her, most likely a woman’s only means of survival was prostitution.
It’s important to note that the word “divorce” in these verses is the Greek word “apoluo” which means “to put away”, not to obtain a legal divorce. It means the husband threw his wife out of the house without good reason and without a legal certificate of divorce.
So what is Jesus saying in these verses? Regarding the first of the three issues identified earlier, Jesus is saying that divorce should be based on a significant reason or cause, not on a whim. Secondly, if a man puts away his wife and does not give her a certificate of divorce, they are not legally divorced. She cannot remarry to find financial support in another husband because she is still married to her first husband. If she does remarry (illegally), she would be guilty of adultery and so would her new husband. If she doesn’t remarry, her only option to financially support herself would be prostitution, which again would cause her be an adulteress since she is still married. Jesus is saying the husband needs to give his wife a certificate of divorce so she can legally remarry. In the third issue, the phrase “except for sexual immorality” does not refer to a reason for divorce, but rather to the situation where the man was already in an adulterous relationship. Jesus is saying that the relationship should end, but no certificate of divorce is required since there is no marriage to begin with. The “exception” mentioned is regarding the need for a certificate of divorce.
Note that Jesus never lists the valid reasons for divorce nor are any listed elsewhere in Scripture. Perhaps this is because each marital relationship is unique and there could be any number of reasons for cause. Now that we have dug into these verses today, we need to ask ourselves if we’ve misapplied them in the past. Are we quick to quip “the only valid reason for divorce is adultery”? Or have we stated “there are only four valid reasons for divorce, the four A’s: adultery, addition, abuse, and abandonment”? Are we guilty of holding others in judgment for divorces for reasons other than adultery? The Bible is pretty clear we are not to judge others (see Matthew 7:1-2) and that God alone judges the heart (see 1 Samuel 16:7).
What about those of us who are divorced? Have we been racked with guilt because our divorce wasn’t the result of adultery? If so, do you find the truth in these verses liberating and even healing?
When we take Bible verses out of context, we may, like the Pharisees in Jesus’ day, put burdens on others because of our erroneous interpretations. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Jesus came to fulfill the Law of the Old Testament and usher in an era of grace. Keeping verses in context is key in discovering truth, God’s truth that allows us to grow in grace and extend grace to others. May it be so.
Dear Jesus, thank You for Your Word that teaches me how to love You and others better. May I read Your Word in context to understand clearly what You want me to learn. May I grow in love and grace. In Your Name I pray, Amen.
Want to subscribe to future posts? Click here.
Text and photograph copyright © 2018 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of daisies near Roussillon in the Vaucluse, Provence, France.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
RSS Feed