Having seen where the desire for adultery come from, we can now consider again the question of divorce. As we come to this question, we should realize that Jesus is approaching it from the context of adultery. That is to say, this is not the clearest teaching of Jesus on the topic of divorce and remarriage. When we get to Matthew 19:1–30, he will have more to say, and we should reflect on all of Scripture (for example, Romans 7:1–3; 1 Corinthians 7:10–11, 1 Corinthians 7:39) before we make strong conclusions.

Speaking of divorce, Jesus clearly links it to adultery. Specifically, he holds the divorcing husband responsible for the actions (adultery) of his wife where the divorce was illegitimate. A man who divorces his wife makes her commit adultery along with the man who remarries her. Jesus’ thinking is not so much that divorce breaks a marriage bond to free one or both parties for remarriage, but rather the fact that the man is responsible for his wife. If there was divorce without sexual immorality, then he causes her (his divorced wife) to commit adultery if she marries again. He is to blame along with the man who marries her. If there was sexual immorality, the blame presumably falls only on the woman and her new husband.

It is not clear exactly what the ground of sexual immorality refers to. Quoting from Deuteronomy 24:1–22, Jesus gives an authoritative explanation of the nature of the indecency which Moses had in view. There was a lot of debate amongst the rabbis about what exactly that meant and Jesus gives the definitive answer. Read together with Leviticus 20:15, it is unlikely to have been adultery since adultery was punishable by death. There would be no option for remarriage if that was the case. Having said that, the law was not always applied in the way that it was given. Think about David and Bathsheba, David deserved death under the terms of old covenant law, yet he continued to live after his adultery (see 2 Samuel 11:1–12:31). This kind of discrepancy has led scholars to argue that the law possibly stipulates the greatest punishment that can be given for a crime, not the only one. Whatever the case may be, we cannot say anything definite about what the sexual immorality in view was, apart from the fact that it was sufficient to break trust to such an extent that divorce was permitted. Even then, we must not forget the reason for the example. In a culture where men divorced women, Jesus wants to make it clear that you cannot make plans to get rid of your wife in order to start a new relationship and pretend that you are remaining faithful to the seventh commandment. You may have seen a very attractive young lady at the market, but you are not free to break what God has joined, and you will be committing adultery if you do so.

Further application

Drawing things together, there is a lot of application for us today. Already we have touched on the clothing we wear and the plans we can make to avoid temptation. We have also thought about the sanctity of marriage and how important it is to be faithful to our spouse in terms of what we think and desire. Marriage, a lifelong union, is not for the faint-hearted but the tough. It requires commitment and a willingness to stick through things for better or worse.

Perhaps one final application is to remember the manner in which God is going to help us in our fight against sinful desires. He calls us to put to death our sinful desires (Romans 8:12–13) and to seek the fruit of the Spirit. How does he help us to do that? The answer is through the means of grace—through the preaching of his Word and the use of his sacraments. When I meet with God in worship on the Lord’s Day, when I hear of his Son and his love for me, when I hear that my adultery has been forgiven in Christ—that is where the Spirit is at work to change my desires. That is where the Spirit has promised to transform my mind and make me strong for kingdom living (see Romans 12:1–2).