What does Jesus say about divorce?

This article has been adapted from a full sermon entitled, “Jesus on Marriage.” To gain a more comprehensive understanding of Jesus’ teachings on marriage and divorce, we encourage you to listen to the full sermon.

What did Jesus have to say about divorce?

This is the same question the Pharisees asked Jesus in Matthew 19, but their inquiry was meant to trap him.

Matthew 19:3 states, “And the Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?”The word “test” could also be translated as “tempt.” The Pharisees tried to trip Jesus up over a nuance in the Mosaic Law.

Opposing Schools of Thought

Now, in the day of Jesus, there were two schools of thought on the issue of divorce. This is very important. The first school of thought was from a more conservative rabbi, and the other was from a more liberal rabbi. Their interpretations and conclusions on divorce were centered on Moses’ teaching on divorce in Deuteronomy 24, which states:

 “When a man takes a wife and marries her, if then she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house…”

Here’s the debate: What did Moses mean by the phrase “found some indecency in her?” Literally translated, the word could be read as “a matter of nakedness.” The more conservative rabbis translated “indecency” as sexual sin. This included adultery or immorality of some kind. The more liberal rabbis felt that if Moses wanted to say adultery, he would have just come out and said “adultery.” Moses didn’t just say “adultery,” however, and liberal rabbis took this to mean that men could issue a divorce for any cause of indecency. When I say any, I mean any!

Within this latter school of thought, indecency could be as simple as purposely burning a meal—to “spoil a dish.” They also taught that when Moses wrote in Deuteronomy 24:1, “She lost favor in his eyes,” this meant that if a man found a woman prettier than his wife, it was permissible for him to issue a divorce.

Which school of thought do you think was more popular? The more conservative or the more liberal? Of course, the more liberal school of thought was more popular. And it’s in this context that the Pharisees ask Jesus about the permissibility of divorce.

How did Jesus answer?

First, he corrected what they said about Moses. Look at the original question again:

 “And the Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?”

Jesus takes them back to the beginning and challenges them to consider God’s original intent. He doesn’t answer their question right away. So, they push back.

 “They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?”

This divorce certificate was a legal document primarily given to protect the woman. Remember that in the first century, women were treated as property. So, this certificate was given to help women if they chose to remarry. The certificate served as “proof” of a legal divorce. In allowing certificates of divorce, Moses was trying to make a positive (for women) out of a negative (men just sending them away in a male-dominated world). Jesus knows this and responds:

“Because of your hardness of heart, Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning, it was not so.”

Notice that Jesus doesn’t say that Moses commanded divorce. He says that Moses “allowed” it because of the “hardening of sin” or their stubbornness and unrepentant spirit.

Second, Jesus picks a school. In a day where there were only two schools of thought on divorce (you can divorce for any issue at all, or you can only divorce due to immorality or adultery), Jesus says, “Whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality and marries another, commits adultery.”

If you have an ESV Bible, there is a footnote given that some manuscripts add: “…and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” Other manuscripts add: “Except for sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”

What translation is most accurate, and how can we know what Jesus is saying here?

Well, some scholars and theologians differ on this, but here is how your pastor looks at this: I think the best translation and the most accepted reading of Matt. 9:19, for several reasons, is the last one given in the footnote. In other words, this is how I think it should be translated:

 “And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”

First, I think this is the most accurate because of context. Remember who Jesus is talking to and when he is talking. It’s a man’s world, and it seems Jesus is saying, “Think about what you’re doing! Moses didn’t give certificates of divorce so that you can send your wife off like she is some piece of property!”

They should not be asking, “What’s the easiest way to get out of this?” and Jesus emphasizes that divorce should not be the first option or an easy option. Divorce should be the last resort.

The second reason I believe this is the most accurate translation is the heart of Jesus. His heart is always for the oppressed, the poor, and the broken in society. He urges them to take the hard way out because women were getting the brunt end of the deal. Jesus argues that the men were “making” or “forcing” their wives to commit adultery. How else were they going to survive but through marriage to someone else?

William Barclay described the setting and background of marriage at the time of Jesus like this:

“There is no time in history when the marriage bond stood in greater peril of destruction than in the days when Christianity first came into this world. At the time, the world was in danger of witnessing the almost total break-up of marriage and the collapse of the home.”

Jesus is fighting for marriage. He is fighting for the home. It’s why he goes back to God’s original design—the creation account—twice. It’s also why he tells these men, “If you send your wife off for just any cause of divorce, you are making her commit adultery and making anyone who marries her commit adultery.”

We know this got their attention because look at how they respond to Jesus:

“The disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.”

Their thought is, “If I’ve got to stay in this and I can’t get out of it for any reason except for unrepentant, sexual immorality, it may just be better to stay single!” Notice Jesus doesn’t argue with their conclusion.

Finally, this is the most accurate translation because it’s not the first time Jesus said it. Look back at the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:31-32.

 “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”

And so, in his response, Jesus ups the stakes for what is permissible regarding divorce. It’s not just for any cause. Jesus seeks to protect the sanctity of marriage (this is the original design) and to look out for the safety of women. As it relates to what is permissible, certainly, if one is being physically abused, the marriage covenant has already been broken. Where there is an unrepentant partner and fear of one’s personal safety, separation and divorce are more than viable options.

While this article deals only with Jesus’ perspective on divorce, we also see other places in Scripture where God also allows for divorce in circumstances involving abandonment. Paul wrote a lot about this in his letter to Corinth (1 Cor. 7). Jesus and Paul are not contradictory on this! I also know that much could fall into the abandonment category (i.e., abandonment physically, emotionally, and spiritually). Significant issues arise because of sin and the brokenness that comes with it, and there are no easy answers or solutions. This is why I’d much rather have coffee with you and talk about this topic together in person.

When it comes to the question of divorce, I will tell you this: You need to look at your situation prayerfully. Don’t sin against your conscience; get wisdom. Don’t minimize the importance or cheapen the value of marriage by looking for a way out. In all cases, divorce is costly (physically, emotionally, financially), and no one wins in a divorce.

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