“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.”
(Matthew 5:31–32, ESV)
In my senior year of pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering, I was part of a group working on a Senior project. It involved explosive welding of metals. This involved bonding dissimilar metals by detonating an explosive charge on one metal forcing it into another. With this process the surfaces of two flat metal plates could be perfectly joined. The fusion was so perfect that the plates became one and were virtually inseparable.
Similarly, God intends for marriage to be inseparable. Today, divorce is commonplace in our society. Around 44.6% of marriages end up in divorce.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus dealt with the issue of divorce. In Jesus’ day divorce was also an issue. There were two schools of thought in Judaism regarding divorce. The school of Hillel took a liberal view that divorce was permissible for nearly any reason. The school of Shammai took a conservative view that it was only permissible for a major offense. Jesus’ words on divorce indicated that people had become somewhat insensitive to God’s plan for permanence in marriage.
In the beginning God laid out His plan for marriage.
“Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24, ESV)
Just as two metal plates were joined to become one which was virtually inseparable, in marriage God joined a man and a woman to become one flesh that are inseparable.
When divorce happens, it is painful, like tearing one’s flesh. I have spoken with people who have divorced, and one explained its pain as excruciating.
In this sermon Jesus clarified God’s desire for permanence in marriage. He stated that there was only one grounds for divorce and that was sexual immorality.
Today we have a very liberal view of divorce. The result is a breakdown in the family, wounded people, damaged children, extraordinary costs and stress, and a host of other issues.
Couples who marry today must not get caught up in the world’s view of this union. The world sees it not as a permanent bond created by God, but as a legal arrangement that can be easily annulled. Jesus stated the issue this way.
“‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” (Matthew 19:5–6, ESV)
Renewing the Heart 