In Jesus’ day, most men in Judaea believed they had the right to divorce.
The debate wasn’t about whether divorce was lawful, but rather what grounds justified it. Their focus was Deuteronomy 24:1–4, which sets a legal boundary in ancient Israel: if a man divorces his wife and she marries another, and that second marriage ends — whether through divorce or death — then the first husband may not take her back.
Such a return would amount to a validation of adultery, treating the covenant bond lightly and defiling the land that God had given His people.
The debate centred on the meaning of “some indecency” in Deuteronomy 24:1. What qualified as “indecent”?
Rabbinic opinions ranged widely — from adultery to something as trivial as burning a meal.
So when the Pharisees questioned Jesus — “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all?” — they were asking Him to take a side in this ongoing debate. But Jesus gave an unexpected answer.
He didn’t side with one school or the other. He didn’t take the man’s side, or the woman’s. He took them back to creation itself.
He said, “From the beginning, He made them male and female... and the two shall become one flesh.”
Then He drew this conclusion: “So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.” (Matthew 19:4–6)
In other words, marriage isn’t just a human arrangement. It’s a God-joined union. We are left with two ways of viewing marriage — God’s or humanity’s.
And if it is God who joins a couple together, then divorce becomes a tearing apart of that one-flesh bond.
We live in a fallen world, and many marriages do struggle.
But unless we hold to a higher view of what marriage is meant to be, we’ll naturally drift toward lower standards.
Athletes understand this well. If a high jumper never raises the bar, they’ll never improve. In the same way, Jesus’ teaching raises the standard, challenging us to uphold the permanence of marriage.
His words shocked the Pharisees.
They asked, “Why then did Moses command us to give her a certificate of divorce?” But Jesus corrected them — Moses didn’t command divorce; he permitted it. Why? “Because of your hardness of heart.”
That is, men were unwilling to yield to God’s design, so a concession was made — for the sake of protecting vulnerable women.
Even the disciples were troubled. “If that’s how marriage is, it’s better not to marry!” That attitude shows just how lightly they viewed marriage. But Jesus didn’t lower the bar.
Marriage is to be entered with the seriousness and permanence Jesus taught. Living as one flesh will involve challenge.
But if we believe that God has joined us together, we may be more inclined to stay the course — and honour the union He created.
Pastor David McAllan
Echuca Community Church
11°C