reread what was written in Deut 24:1-4 as to how Jesus disagreed about divorce and remarriage as permitted by Moses
1) the Greek story states that Jesus abolish 24:1 by saying only reason to divorce now is adultery, while Deut 24:1 states that divorce can be done so if the husband feel displeased with wife.
2) the Greek story then states Jesus abolish Deut 24:2 by saying whoever marries a divorced woman is doing adultery. while Deut 24:2 permits man to marry a divorced woman.
that is why divorce = adultery. the Greek story is showing Jesus attacking the fundamental of divorced woman that wishes to remarries.
Let us examine the Greek and Hebrew as this is what we should do to understand the scriptures. Any Christian who is serious about learning the Bible will not look at the English translation alone; we study the Hebrew and Greek words.
Moses says the husband can divorce for "
ervah". This Hebrew word means:
nakedness, nudity, shame, pudenda, (implying shameful exposure), nakedness of a thing, indecency, improper behaviour, exposed, undefendedJesus says the husband can divorce for "
porneia". This Greek word means: illicit sexual intercourse, adultery, fornication, homosexuality, lesbianism, intercourse with animals etc., sexual intercourse with close relatives, sexual intercourse with a divorced man or woman, of the defilement of idolatry, as incurred by eating the sacrifices offered to idols
BOTH words mean
uncleanness. The wicked hard-hearted men twisted Moses' teaching to mean that "improper behavior" meant anything they wanted it to be.
Matthew 19:3 "And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for
any cause?”"
Jesus is saying that this is not true and He explains by using the Greek word "porneia".
This uncleanness that Moses speaks of is more than just anything. You cannot decide to divorce your wife because you just don't love her anymore or for any reason you see fit. It is for
indecency. Something
shameful. And Jesus said that is adultery, fornication, homosexuality, lesbianism, bestiality, and incest. And I would also add that includes pedophilia as that is sex with children and would quality as adultery also.
Divorce does not mean adultery. Divorcing for any reason other than "porneia" and marrying another means adultery. The adultery is committed in the remarriage of someone else. Paul said that if a Christian woman divorces her husband, let her remain single or go back to him. Neither the husband or the wife committed adultery by divorcing, but if they did not remain single and married someone else, they would have committed adultery.
1 Corinthians 7:10-11 "To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from her husband (but if she does,
she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife."
How can divorce = adultery if the Christian husband and wife can be reconciled? They committed adultery on each other? This makes no sense based on what we read in the Bible. Clearly, only if they remarry is it adultery, unless, "porneia" was committed.
Matthew 5:32 "But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of
sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery."
Why does it "
make her commit adultery"? Because remarriage is
ASSUMED. A woman would not survive in those days if she were alone. She would have to remarry. And the man that marries this same divorced woman, commits adultery because her husband has divorced her for another reason other than sexual immorality. If she committed sexual immorality, then God sees the marriage covenant broken and the two are no longer one flesh.
This is the teaching in the Christian faith.