We are continuing our study on the Sermon on the Mount, focusing on the antitheses where Jesus says, “You have heard it said, but I say to you.” These six contrasts begin with the commandment against murder and move to the issue of anger. Jesus shows that the Law addresses not only outward actions but also thoughts and words. The heart of the Law is the heart itself, for behavior flows from our inner life. James 1 describes the anatomy of sin, showing how temptation begins within and leads to action (James 1:13–15). The Sermon on the Mount reveals God’s righteousness, which far exceeds human attainment. Only by God’s grace and empowerment can we live out its demands.
The second antithesis concerns adultery, where Jesus explains that even a lustful look is adulterous. The third naturally follows: the question of divorce, which often involves adultery. This teaching is difficult and controversial. To understand it more fully, we must consider the parallel passage in Matthew 19, where Jesus speaks with even greater clarity. These words challenge us, and I admit I struggle with them. Jesus’ teaching on divorce, like His teaching on hell, confronts us with realities we would rather avoid. Yet truth is not ours to invent.
This topic touches a deep and painful chord. Divorce and marital strife bring profound suffering. Few sorrows are more poignant than those of an unhappy marriage. God designed marriage for love, intimacy, and joy, yet it can degenerate into bitterness, alienation, and despair. This tragedy is increasingly common in our culture, where nearly half of marriages end in divorce, compared to one in twenty a century ago. Clearly, something has shifted.
Our culture has grown more permissive toward divorce, but the impulse to make allowances is not new. Even in Jesus’ day, religious leaders debated the meaning of Moses’ words in Deuteronomy 24:1–4 about granting a certificate of divorce. The interpretation hinged on the phrase “some indecency.” One school took a restrictive view, allowing divorce only for serious offenses, while another allowed it for nearly any reason—even something as trivial as poor cooking or fading beauty.
This brings us to the importance of what truly sustains a marriage. Last week, I mentioned three areas to consider when choosing a spouse: spiritual oneness, soul oneness, and physical attraction. God has designed these aspects to draw us together. Yet He knows that our youthful immaturity often makes us prioritize physical attraction. As time passes and physical beauty fades, God’s intention is that deeper bonds of spirit and soul oneness grow stronger. If we fail to move beyond surface-level attraction, disappointment is inevitable. Marriage that begins as an “ideal” may become an “ordeal,” and eventually some seek a “new deal.”