Sermon on the Mount | Week 1 | Great in the Kingdom of Heaven | Matthew 5:31-37

Divorce

MATTHEW 5:31–32

“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.”

Vows

MATTHEW 5:33–37

“You have also heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you make to the Lord.’ But I say, do not make any vows! Do not say, ‘By heaven!’ because heaven is God’s throne. And do not say, ‘By the earth!’ because the earth is his footstool. And do not say, ‘By Jerusalem!’ for Jerusalem is the city of the great King. Do not even say, ‘By my head!’ for you can’t turn one hair white or black. Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this is from the evil one.”

REFLECTION

Some people view this passage as a place where Jesus gives an acceptable reason for divorce. However, Jesus is addressing the Pharisees’ attempt to create a loophole in God’s law. Both the culture of the time and the religious leaders had a low view of marriage. Here, Jesus is more focused on keeping marriages together than he is on all the reasons a spouse might seek a divorce. God designed marriage as a picture of Christ’s relationship with the Church—it is a permanent covenant between a man and a woman. Christ faithfully pursues and loves us, and we should reflect that faithful commitment in marriage. Instead of dipping out when the going gets tough, believers in a marriage are called to sort out their difficulties in light of Scripture. He calls his followers to love and forgive one another and to be peacemakers in situations of strife.

Divorce can be a difficult and painful topic to work through, and many of us have been impacted by divorce in some way. As you read this passage, remember God creates boundaries for our good, and even though people fail, he is faithful and promises never to fail us.

Jesus then instructs his disciples to be people of their word. No oath is trivial, and all oaths are promises to speak truth. He tells us to do what we have promised. Let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes’ and your ‘no’ be ‘no.’ Jesus’ teaching on divorce and on oaths go hand in hand because he wants us to be people who keep our promises.

What are the effects of a broken promise? Spend some time thanking God that he never breaks his promises.