Luke 16:18 18Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and the one who marries one divorced from a husband commits adultery.
At first glance, this verse seems out of place in the context, but it illustrates the significance of the laws of the Old Testament that Jesus mentioned in verses 16-17. Jews of Jesus’ day argued over divorce and remarriage. The debate was over the meaning of Deuteronomy 24:1 where it appears that Moses allowed men to divorce their wives for anything indecent. The Pharisees were very strict with the law and quibbled over details by giving oral interpretations that came to have almost the authority of the written law. The famous rabbi Hillel was more liberal and allowed divorce for something as simple as burnt supper. Another leading Shammi interpreted the law more conservatively and allowed divorce for only adultery on the woman’s part.
Jesus sides on the conservative side but goes even further. The meaning is clear: kingdom people should not divorce at all, but if they do divorce, they should not remarry. Marriage has always been in crisis, but even more so in Western cultures since the middle of the twentieth century. Legal divorce has become easy to obtain in some countries. In countries influenced by Catholicism, divorce might be practiced but the slip around annulment or separation is basically the same thing.
Divorce ends the commitment made in the marriage covenant and destroys what God brought together or what a couple brought together before God. According to Luke’s version of this (see also Mark 10:11-12), there are no exceptions. Matthew 5:32 and 19:9 adds the exception clause of sexual immorality on the part of one of the couple. In either case, Jesus elevates marriage and shows that the Jewish practice of divorce was not God’s will. Divorce is never God’s will and shows that one of the couple is living selfishly, and thus in sin.
Divorce should not be the answer for a troubled marriage between believers. True disciples will seek and extend forgiveness and unconditional love. If Jesus is Lord and the couple carries their crosses, divorce will not even be in the vocabulary. The world is not ideal, and people are not perfect, so trouble does come to many marriages, even among disciples. Divorce should never be instigated by one who has committed and sanctified him or herself to God. If the other person wants to separate, then the dedicated believer cannot stop him or her (see 1 Corinthians 7:15). Jesus’ saying here is difficult for our modern times, but he sets the standard of the kingdom high.
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