What is the meaning of Matthew 5:32? But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife • Jesus speaks with full divine authority—“I tell you,” not “the rabbis say.” • He confronts the loose attitude toward divorce that had grown from Deuteronomy 24:1. • By addressing “anyone,” He applies the command universally, not just to scholars or leaders. • Cross references: Matthew 19:6 “So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”; Malachi 2:16 “For I hate divorce,” says the LORD. except for sexual immorality • Jesus allows a single explicit ground—sexual unfaithfulness (porneia). • This safeguard protects the innocent spouse from lifelong bondage to betrayal. • It underscores how seriously God views the marriage covenant (Genesis 2:24). • Cross references: Matthew 19:9 “Whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”; 1 Corinthians 7:15 acknowledges abandonment by an unbelieving spouse but still upholds the permanence ideal. brings adultery upon her • Initiating an unbiblical divorce forces the innocent partner into a status that exposes her to future adultery if she remarries. • Jesus shifts the blame from the victim to the one who wrongly ends the marriage. • Cross references: Luke 16:18 “Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.” And he who marries a divorced woman commits adultery • Remarriage after an illegitimate divorce creates an ongoing adulterous relationship in God’s sight. • This warns prospective spouses to honor God’s view of any prior marriage vows. • Cross references: Romans 7:2-3 “By law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives… if she marries another man, she is called an adulteress.”; Mark 10:11-12 echoes the same standard for both genders. summary Jesus insists that marriage is a lifelong covenant designed by God. Divorce is permitted only when sexual immorality shatters that covenant; otherwise, it causes adultery for all who proceed to new unions. His words call believers to honor marriage with purity, faithfulness, and reverence for God’s design. |
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