Red Letters - Jesus’s Words
It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery. Matthew 5:31-32
I looked up other verses and dug into the Greek wording and definitions because this is one of those hard-to-swallow passages for many. Especially with these verses and others in Matthew 19, I believe he was showing us how hard it is to keep the commandments. We can do our best, but it’s impossible. Infidelity is probably the least of our worries about a bad marriage; physical and mental abuse are as much, if not more, reason to walk away from a marriage. I would rather subject my body to the sin of adultery than stay married to an adulterer or abuser. I know that many people put up with such nonsense, and my heart goes out to them, though I know that Jesus comforts them as they live their lives that way, but because of his sacrifice, we don’t have to. He’s telling those listening to his sermon that if they want to get into heaven without him, which he knows is impossible, they would have to live a life entirely without sin. This information does not give you a license to go out and divorce your spouse, but it does provide some comfort for those who already have, or are living in an adulterous or abusive marriage, and are trying to hang on for dear life because of these words. Remember, Jesus is so forgiving and will mark your trespasses as “not guilty” when you stand before him in judgment.
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