And Jesus answered and said to them, “Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. But from the beginning of the creation, God 'made them male and female.’ [fn1] ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’; [fn2] so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” In the house His disciples also asked Him again about the same matter. 11 So He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her. 12 And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.” (NKJV, www.blueletterbible.org)
Verse 11-12 is found in Matt.5:32 and Luke 16:18. Luke and Mark read the same but in Matthew there is, what has come to be know, an exception clause. Which those who really want a divorce run to this passage to justify their decision.
You must take the time to read John Piper’s view on this “clause” which I would agree with if we have to go through the “thick and then” of it all. (See "Links of Interest" on the left side of this blog)
But to simplify things, here is another way that Matt. 5:32 could be taken. We as spouses are to stay one with our spouse. The LORD declared it that way and intended that we remain as one. But because of sin, spouses can go astray. The LORD does not intend for those who He puts together to ever separate while living for any reason at all. With divorce as not an option and remaining faithful to one spouse, the assurance of no adultery or fornication is possible (adultery and fornication is such an affront on the image of Jesus and His unconditional love for His bride, the Church). But if one of the spouses falls into adultery, it is impossible to keep them then from committing this affront to the image that marriage is suppose to have. If one remains married to the adulterous one, then they paint a faithful picture of Jesus Christ to the one who has sinned even though they did not rescue them from the sin of adultery. It must be totally forgiven and removed by the Savior. If the one who was sinned against, has a hard heart and chooses because of the hardness of their heart to divorce the spouse who has sinned then their decision continues to destroy the image of Christ and His love for His bride the Church. It is impossible to keep the spouse from committing adultery even if they do not remarry, because the sin had already been committed. But if they do remarry, it just adds to more adultery. For once the LORD has joined two to become one, no one is to tamper with that God ordained choice.
Why do I write this as I am recovering from cancer? Because some marriages in this nation (and around the world) have distorted the image of Jesus and His Bride, the Church. The image is intended to be to this world (Eph. 5:32). With cancer, I have been so cared for, so blessed, so watched over, so helped, so supported, so strengthened, so healed, so revived, so loved by my wife and the body of Christ (the church) and the Lord has used my wife and the church to show me how important His Church is to our LORD Jesus. He has so orchestrated His will to incorporate the prayer of saints, the feet, hands, voice, gifts and talents, etc. to bring about HIS will here on earth.
The more I am with my loving and beautiful wife and His Bride, the Church, the clearer Jesus words are -“What God has joined together, let no man separate.”
“O Lord Jesus, thank You for my wife, Lynda, who You brought to me 30 years ago and sealed Your choice for us to be one over 27 years ago, when we said, “I do.”
Thank You for Your Church, Your Bride who you brought about 2000 years ago and sealed Your choice of each one of us when we called upon Your name (Romans 10:13). Never will you leave or forsake us and we too say to our spouses and to the Church, never will we leave one another, never will we forsake the assembly of one another (Heb. 10:25). For one day we will all be assembled together forever in your presence as one (Rev. 7:9)– Your Bride who You purchased with You own blood. We are eternally grateful to You, our LORD, SAVIOIR and KING, Jesus Christ.
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