Matthew 5 : 31-32 (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.

Matthew 5 : 31-32 (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 5:27-30

Jesus has been referring back to the old law and giving a better understanding of the spirit of the law


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


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


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”



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



“…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)



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



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



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


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



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



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


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



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



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



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


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?



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



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

Matthew 5 : 31-32 (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.

Documents

marriage jesus

time jesus

law slide

marriage matthew

reason slide

idea of marriage

position slide

certificate of divorce