INTRODUCTION
As we follow Jesus’ commandments, we become agents for advancing God’s reign and His redemptive righteousness. Marriages are transformed into life-long partnerships in ministry, and our words are become truthful.
THE TEXT
“Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery . . . .” (Matthew 5:30-37).
DIVORCE
Jesus teaches elsewhere that marriage was intended to be life-long, but in the law God accommodated to hardness of heart (Matthew 19:1-9). According to Deuteronomy 24, a man divorcing his wife had to provide a certificate of divorce. But Jesus points to another phrase in the law: The man seeks divorce because he finds some “thing of nakedness” in his wife (Deuteronomy 24:1). Jesus takes this as a pre-requisite for a legitimate divorce: “except for porneia ” (Matthew 5:32). The Greek word can refer to a range of sexual sins – adultery, incest, fornication, prostitution. And Paul interprets Jesus’ teaching to include abandonment of marriage by an unbelieving spouse (1 Corinthians 7:12-15). Divorce is permissible (not required) when one spouse has broken the marriage covenant in a fundamental way. Divorce for any other reason leads to adultery if the spouse remarries (Matthew 5:32; 19:9).
PREVENTING DIVORCE
Jesus doesn’t give instructions about how to arrest the destruction of a marriage, but Paul does. Speaking to wives, he says that a woman who leaves her husband should remain unmarried or seek reconciliation (1 Corinthians 7:11). To save a marriage that’s headed for disaster, both wife and husband should humble themselves, confess their sins, and be reconciled. Just as importantly, husbands and wives should live together with mutual love and respect so that their marriage never gets to the point where divorce is contemplated.
NO OATHS
Jesus again summarizes the teaching of the law, which permits oaths and requires truthfulness (cf. Leviticus 19:12; Numbers 30:2; Deuteronomy 23:21-23). Despite the apparently absolute statement in verse 34, Jesus is not annulling all oaths (cf. Luke 1:73; Acts 2:30; Romans 1:9; 2 Corinthians 1:23; Galatians 1:20; Philippians 1:8; Hebrews 6:13-20; Revelation 10:6). The Jews had introduced a system that winked at oaths that were not directly oaths in the name of God (Matthew 23:16-22). Swearing by something other than God, Jesus points out, is still implicitly swearing in the name of God, in whose presence we speak all our words.
YES, YES AND NO, NO
In place of the casuistry that gave allowance to false oaths, Jesus insists that our words should be truthful and straightforward. We should not have to buttress the truth of what we say by swearing in God’s name. The practice of swearing that Jesus condemns is “of the evil one,” from Satan. James picks up this theme as well, talking about the hellish origin of evil speech (James 3:6).