Teaching about Adultery and Divorce
Matthew 5:27-30
- You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’
- But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
- So if your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away! It is better to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into hell.
- Or if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away! It is better to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into hell. [Note]
- You have heard the law that says, ‘A man can divorce his wife by merely giving her a written notice of divorce.’
- But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman also commits adultery. [Note]
Notes
- Mat 5:29-30 ~ Personal Notes:
- Was Jesus teaching self-mutilation? Of course not, for a blind man or a one arm man will still have the same temptations. Poking out your eye is not going to stop the lust of the mind nor is cutting off your hand. Jesus was illustrating:
- 1) The cost of discipleship; heaven will be a bargain no matter what the cost.
- 2) He was illustrating the determination we should have in seeking the kingdom of God. How much dedication and determination would it take for you to pluck out an eye or cut off a hand if required? We should seek the kingdom with at least the same intensity, if not more, than we exercise in avoiding physical harm. [←Back]
- Mat 5:31-32 ~ Personal Notes:
- In discussing this subject it is important to understand a couple Biblical themes:
- 1) That God has always been, and will always be concerned about the reputation of his people.
- 2) To defend and guard that reputation, God requires public confession.
- In other words a marriage should be dissolve in a similar process in which it was created; with 1) proper authority 2) legal agreement 3) public knowledge.
- But in Biblical times divorce did NOT follow those rules. It did not involve any authorities nor was it public. Instead many of the “so called” Biblical divorces were private. Remember when Joseph thought about divorcing Mary privately?
- To illustrate: Think of a modern married couple who are having problems and one day the husband decides to write a letter to his wife and leave it on the kitchen table for her to find when she gets home. In the letter the husband states that he no longer wants her and expects her to be out of the house when he returns home from his business trip. The wife moves out, and now has this letter to show anyone interested. But is she now free to marry someone else? Of course not, they have not yet been legally divorced.
- Personally, I believe this was the type of situation Jesus was preaching against. For in Bible times a divorce amounted to little more than a husband giving his wife a written letter saying he no longer wanted her. And in such cases, just as today, if she remarried she would be committing adultery.
- A proper divorce involves 1) the proper authority 2) a public announcement.
- Kicking someone out of the house and writing a letter to that affect, is not a proper divorce. I could be wrong, but I personally believe this frivolous ‘putting companions away’ privately was what Jesus was preaching against. [←Back]
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