Jesus also addresses divorce and remarriage in two punchy lines from his Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:31-32) where he seems to conclude that a man who divorces his wife “makes her commit adultery.”
Wow. Really? Unpacking this will help.
We could paraphrase Jesus’ instruction in Matthew 5:31-32 this way: Men, stop harming women by marrying and divorcing flippantly, thinking it’s all good as long as it’s legal. You might think divorce is a convenient way to clear the slate and start fresh, but that’s not possible. It’s brutal, painful, and like radiation treatment, only to be used in dire situations.
In verse 32, Jesus gives his specific warrant for divorce. In the case of porneia—a Greek term that includes “adultery” but more broadly refers to “sexual immorality” (see also Matt. 19:9)—the marriage union is broken.
What exactly does he mean by porneia, though? Pornography? Emotional affairs? Where’s the line? Jesus doesn’t actually clarify, but teaches a basic principle, entrusting people to rely on God’s wisdom for determining the meaning of sexual immorality.
And then, according to many popular translations, Jesus gives a shocking conclusion, “But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman also commits adultery” (Matt. 5:32, NLT).
How can a man who divorces his wife “make” her commit adultery? Does this mean that remarriage after divorce is automatically adulterous? Translations often say as much:
“But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery …” (NASB)
“But I say unto you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, save for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery …” (KJV).
“But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery …” (ESV).
This “commit adultery” language is unfortunate because Jesus uses a passive verb. The woman is not doing any action. She’s being acted against. So this phrase specifically means that the man “makes her to be adulterated against” (poiei auten moikheuthenai). The woman in view is not being sinful; she’s being harmed.
Here’s the BibleProject translation of Matthew 5:32:
Everyone who sends away his wife—except on the ground of sexual immorality (porneia)—he makes her a victim of adultery (poiei auten moikheuthenai), and whoever marries a sent-away woman, he commits adultery.
Jesus’ words would be highly controversial on this point because, as Bible scholar John Nolland points out, contrary to cultural assumptions, he is saying that a woman could be a “victim of adultery through the action of her husband.” Therefore, Nolland adds, “the man is not creating a clean slate with freedom to remarry; on the contrary, his establishment of a new relationship will be an act of adultery against his spurned wife.” (3)
Jesus does not address other legitimate reasons for divorce and remarriage. His aim is to protect women who are being used and abused, and he is declaring that life in God’s Kingdom protects the vulnerable and ensures just treatment for all.
Especially in cases when the harm of divorce is allowed in order to prevent further harm, women need to be treated as mutual partners and not simply cast off. All of Jesus’ teaching about divorce is aimed at protecting women from men who abuse their social power.
