Marriage and Divorce in Matthew

Marriage and Divorce

In Matthew 19:1-16, Jesus began by referring the Pharisees back to the Book of Genesis where God at the beginning made them male and female ("Matthew 19: Divorce,," ). This was to bring out God's original intent, which is one man and one woman as one couple for a lifetime. This is the ideal of God and the way things really should be. In Matthew 19:5 it states "And [Jesus] said, for this cause shall a man leave [his] father and mother, and shall cleave [be united] to his wife: and they twain [two] shall be one flesh? (ibid.)

The basic doctrine that Jesus set down in Mat 19:6 Wherefore they [a man and his wife] are no more twain [two], but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together [in marriage], let not man put asunder [put away, take apart, divide, separate] (ibid.). Divorce is therefore frowned upon in Christianity in the strongest fashion and equated with fornication and adultery that took Israel away from God's original ideal of marriage to one partner for good.

While the law made allowance for a man to give a bill of divorce, Jesus made the divorce strictures more strict. As Jesus says "Mat 19:9 and I [Jesus] say unto you, Whosoever shall put away [divorce] his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away [divorced] doth commit adultery (ibid.)." If there are objections, this author will point to the Lord Jesus' teachings and mention that this is the higher moral manifestation of marriage and it must be followed even while it may be inconvenient and not politically expedient. As the antecedent to Moses, he has the right to make something stricter or less strict as the case may be.

As set out in Matthew 19:9, fornication is the only basis that Jesus felt was just to divorce a spouse. Obviously, Jesus feels that the impact of divorce is hardest upon children within the church because he proceeds from his preaching on marriage and divorce to blessing little children. Certainly, one can not think of anyone who is hurt more in divorce than children. They are the most devastated by divorce and therefore require his special attention and blessing. In Matthew 19:14 it says: "But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of [to] such is [as these, belongs] the kingdom of heaven (ibid.)."