Many things in life are better the second time around. Consider a pot of homemade chili. Man, that's making my mouth water as I write this. Chili is good when it comes hot off the stove, but it's even better when it has had time to season another day in the refrigerator, maybe even longer. Also, secondhand furniture, the kind that is handed down in your family, holds special significance when it was in your house growing up as a child, but now it is in your house while you're raising your children. When you look at the marks on the furniture, perhaps even marks you made as a child, the furniture is simply better the second time around.
Sadly though, in the world, many people view marriage as one of those things that is better the second, or third or fourth time around. Pairing Jesus' teaching in Matthew 5:31-32 with another one of His teachings in Matthew 19:1-12, we need to take a look at what the authority sets forth as His expectations for all of us. Looking at both of these passages, consider what the Lord teaches.
Jesus recalls the provision of divorce
The first mention of divorce since the woman was brought to man in the garden of eden is found in Deuteronomy 24:1-4. Marriage was meant to be a permanent institution, but with divorce being rampant at the time, this provision or allowance was given for the man to divorce his wife if he found some indecency in her. Even though this was allowed by God, it was not pleasing to Him. Malachi 2:16 says "God hates divorce."
Jesus redefines the permission of divorce
While under the Old Law a man could give his wife a certificate of divorce, Jesus now says the only reason for divorce should be adultery. As Jesus redefined the permission of divorce, I'm sure many were scratching their head wondering what this new teaching was. Another passage that helps to shed light on this is Matthew 19:1-12. As the Pharisees had come to test Jesus asking Him if a man could divorce his wife for any reason whatsoever, they wanted to see which side He would take. Two Jewish schools of thought were present in that day and time from rabbis Shammai and Hillel. Shammai held the conservative view of divorce being acceptable for some indecency in the woman, as Deut. 24 states, while Hillel held the liberal view of divorce being acceptable for any reason whatsoever; i.e. - burning the biscuits.
Jesus didn't side with either of them, and he actually transcended even what the Mosaic permission of Deut. 24 said by going back to the original intentions of marriage in the garden of Eden. God wanted it to be one husband, one wife for life and no man should untie that knot (Mt. 19:4-6).
Jesus reveals the position of divorce
After reestablishing God's original intentions for marriage, Jesus makes it clear that divorce followed by remarriage will find you on one side of the fence or the other. There are Scriptural remarriages and Unscriptural remarriages. Jesus said the only way to divorce and remarry is if you are the innocent party of adultery (Mt. 19:9). When Jesus said in Mt. 5:32 that whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery, He is talking about marrying someone who didn't have the right to remarry. Anyone who marries someone who didn't have the right to remarry commits adultery, as He makes clear. Sadly today, many people don't accept this.
However, Jesus addresses this in Mt. 19:11-12 to silence the critics. The disciples after hearing Jesus' new position on this think it might be better not even to marry, knowing that it would be misery if they would be stuck in some marriage relationship that wasn't pleasant without the right to remarry according to Jesus.
Just as Jesus explains, "not all men can accept this statement..." (Mt. 19:11). Likewise it is today; there are many people who don't agree with this and they find every way in the world to justify their actions of being in a relationship in which God does not approve. Let's make sure if we enter into marriage that we are doing it God's way and not our way. Our souls are at stake as we will all stand before the Lord in judgment (Heb. 9:27).
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