Matthew 19:1-12 #5

Matthew 19:1-12 #5
In verse nine of our text, Jesus gives the specifics of God’s law that had been in effect “from the beginning.” It is not complicated, even though many today have made it so. Jesus’ words are so straightforward, that the disciples showed that they immediately grasped their significance when they replied, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry” (vs. 10). And yet, volumes have been written on verse nine.
In one sentence Jesus gives the law and one exception. The law is that if a man divorces his wife and marries another, he “commits adultery.” The word “commits” is present tense, indicating that the sin is ongoing. The sin continues as long as the union continues. Romans 7:3 states, “So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress.”
There is one exception to this law. A man may divorce his wife because of fornication (sexual immorality) and remarry. The word “fornication” in the Greek refers to any and all unlawful sexual relations. It would include homosexuality, incest, or any other type of sexual relations outside the marriage bond. It is for this reason and this reason alone that a person can divorce and remarry.
Consider also the fact that for a scriptural divorce to take place, fornication comes first and then a divorce for that cause. A person cannot put away their mate for some other reason, and then later, when their spouse has weakened and committed fornication, claim the right to divorce. Matthew 5:32 states that whoever puts away his wife except for the cause of fornication, causes her to commit adultery. Putting a spouse away for any other cause is sinful.
What about the spouse who has been put away? Jesus also answers that question. In both Matthew 5:32 and Luke 16:18 Jesus says, “Whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery.” Just because they have been divorced by the laws of man does not mean the marriage bond has been dissolved. As quoted above in Romans 7:3, if she marries another man while her husband lives, she will be called an adulteress.
Well, what about a woman who has been put away scripturally, that is, because she has committed fornication? First, Jesus gives only one person the right to remarry and that is the person who divorces their spouse for the cause of fornication. He never gives authority for the person divorced to remarry. Second, Jesus gives no exception for the person put away: “Whoever marries a woman who is divorced, commits adultery” (Mt. 5:32).
Berry Kercheville