Did Jesus Say, "A Divorced Person Commits Adultery Upon Marrying"?

Many have been led to believe that Jesus said a divorced person commits adultery upon marrying. Some say this is true with one exception while others say the circumstances don’t matter - even if one did not sin and is divorced against his or her will. Christians in both groups seem confident that their position is the correct one. But proponents of both positions fail to factor in the main text, which is the authority to which Jesus directed the Pharisees and His disciples when discussing the issue.

When the Pharisees tried to entrap Jesus, they asked Him, "Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife?" Jesus responded, "What did Moses command you?" So, if we are intent on following Jesus' teaching, then it is important to consider and accept what He accepted, which is what He commanded regarding divorce.

You see, Jewish men were, at that time, allowed to have multiple wives, but they were in the habit of not following Moses' teachings that were designed to protect the women. They would simply discard, send away, or put away a wife without following God's command that released the woman to "go and be another man's wife" (Deut. 24:1, 2; Jer. 3:8; Rom. 7:1, 4). She was therefore not free to marry because she was still bound (married). To marry or take up with another man would be adultery, for which there was a death penalty (Matt. 19:9).

"But we are not under the Old Testament, right?"

Since Jesus directed His tempters to what Moses said, is it prudent for Christians today to promote a position that has Jesus contradicting the very authority that He used to answer the questions asked of Him? Obviously, it is not. Thus, honesty demands we reject the idea that Jesus changed the Law of Moses and took a position that would, again (as it was before the law that released the woman was given), be a hardship on women.

So then, what is the truth we should accept and promote? It is very simple. Divorce ends marriage, which is what God intended it to do. The Old Testament is a major part of the Bible, God's word, and it has God's timeless message to us regarding marriage and divorce. That part has not and will not change. The New Testament church has no authority over marriage or divorce. As did Jesus, we must look to God's teaching in the Old Testament for answers regarding divorce.

"But what about the 'grounds' or 'reason' for divorce?"

That God divorced Israel is clearly stated in Jeremiah 3:8. From this text we learn three things: 1) that it is acceptable to divorce a spouse who has become unfaithful and shows no signs of repentance; 2) that divorce is sometimes necessary; and 3) that each part of the divorce law (Deut. 24:1, 2) must be followed to end the marriage. Jesus said, "Let not man put asunder" (Matt. 19:6). Man cannot do it, but God can. When man follows God’s law it is He, not man, who puts asunder. And divorce ends marriage regardless of the "reason" or "grounds." (Verse 14 does not contradict verse 8. It is written as if from the past.)

Jewish men were discarding their wives (with and without following the Law), yet the women who were given a certificate had proof they were free to marry, and they did so with God's approval. But when a man refused to give the certificate, as God commanded, he was the one guilty of adultery. This is evident from what Jesus said as recorded in Mark's account: "Therefore what God has joined together, let not man put apart. And in the house His disciples asked Him again about the same. And He said to them, Whoever shall put away his wife and marries another commits adultery against her" (Mar 10:9-11).

This author has often been accused of not believing what Jesus said, but it is the accusers who not only don't believe what He said but also change it to something that has Him contradicting God's established word. We must accept what the above text says, as well as the other texts where "apoluo" (put away) is used. Divorce is a bad translation of "apoluo." (See the links below. Add those on the exception). The word "apoluo" was "used of divorce" by some who did not know or respect God's law. And merely "sending away" was accepted in some circles as the end of a marriage.

With this in mind, we can understand the exception in Matthew 19:9 and 5:32 as a case wherein the man who would end his marriage without giving a certificate of divorce (just sending his wife away) would not be guilty of "adultery against her." This would be true if the marriage was illegal, and we have two New Testament examples (Matt. 14:4; 1 Cor. 5:1) that indicate the need to simply separate, which would stop the sin. When one looks at God's definition of adultery (Deut. 24:1, 2; Jer. 3:8), it should be clear that "put away" is only part of the divorce process and that it can be done without obeying God's command allowing the woman to "go and be another man's wife." Once we comprehend what Jesus said we can then easily see and accept Paul's teaching regarding those who have no marriage, whom he referred to as "unmarried." 1 Corinthians 7:1-2 says (commands) to let every man and woman have a spouse. Verses 8 and 9 are a command to "let them marry," i.e., the "unmarried" (divorced). And then if perhaps someone might still fail to recognize the truth in these clear teachings, Paul topped it off with the statement that the "loosed" (divorced) do not sin if they marry (27, 28).

All Christians should be delighted to learn that Jesus did not say a divorced person commits adultery upon marrying. The truth does not require that we accept that Moses taught what God did not want, that Jesus contradicted Moses (who was God's spokesperson, and whose teaching God used in doing His own divorce), that Jesus taught doctrines that made it harder for both women and men, and that Paul promoted concepts that are impossible to explain as harmonizing with the notion that the divorced may not marry. Finally, it is comforting to know that once we learn the truth and stop teaching falsely we are no longer guilty of "forbidding to marry," which Paul put into the category of "doctrines of devils."

The link below shows several versions that do not translate "apoluo" as divorce:
https://www.totalhealth.bz/divorce-and-remarriage-matthew-5-32.htm