Matthew 5:31 - Printer Friendly

ESV: "It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’

NIV: "It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’

NASB: Now it was said, ‘WHOEVER SENDS HIS WIFE AWAY IS TO GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE’;

CSB: "It was also said, Whoever divorces his wife must give her a written notice of divorce.

NLT: You have heard the law that says, ‘A man can divorce his wife by merely giving her a written notice of divorce.’

KJV: It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:

NKJV: “Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’

The standard for divorce in the ancient world was low. Practically speaking, a husband could divorce a wife for almost any reason at any time. The hardest part might be coming up with a legal technicality to use as an excuse. In that era, culture was completely dominated by male authority. Women were generally held in lower regard. Worse, it was extremely difficult for unmarried women to conduct business or own property. Being divorced, for women of Jesus' era, included losing one's finances and future.

God seems to allow the practice of divorce for Israel in Deuteronomy 24:1–4 if a man decided he found something "indecent" about his wife. Jesus will say later in Matthew that God only allowed this (through Moses) because Israel's men were stubborn: "Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so." (Matthew 19:8). Culturally, a certificate of divorce provided protection for a woman. It gave her legal standing to remarry, if she could. The man's legal standing to remarry was simply assumed.

It's likely Israel's religious leaders permitted the practice of men giving their wives certificates of divorce for little or no reason. Jesus cites the teaching of these leaders, which falls far short of the Old Testament law. In the following verse, He will reveal God's true intent for marriage and divorce. As He has with other statements, Jesus will continue by giving a deeper, more faithful explanation of God's will.

Matthew 5:31–32 contains Jesus' comments about divorce, delivered during the Sermon on the Mount. As with His prior statements about lust and adultery, Jesus raises the standards of righteousness above mere legalism. While God may have ''allowed'' divorce, that does not mean He ''approves'' of it. Rather than seeing divorce as a loophole, Jesus indicates that we ought to see marriages as sacred unions.

The Sermon on the Mount contains some of Jesus' most challenging teaching. It begins with the unlikely blessings of the Beatitudes. Jesus' disciples must do good works in order to be a powerful influence: as the salt of the earth and light of the world. The superficial righteousness of the Pharisees is not good enough to earn heaven. Sins of the heart, such as angry insults and intentional lust, are worthy of hell just as much as adultery and murder. Easy divorce and deceptive oaths are forbidden. Believers should not seek revenge. Instead, God intends us to love our enemies and pray for our persecutors. In short, we should strive to be perfect, as God is perfect.

Matthew 5 follows Matthew's description of the enormous crowds that were following Jesus (Matthew 4:25). One day, Jesus sits down on a hill to teach them, in an address we now call the Sermon on the Mount. He describes as blessed those who are poor in spirit, who mourn, and who are persecuted. Christ also explains how God's standards of righteousness go far beyond behaviors and speech; they also include our thoughts and attitudes. Meeting God's standards means perfection. Chapter 6 continues this sermon, with more examples of Jesus clarifying God's intent for godly living.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.