Divorce and the Christian

2 January 2017

In Jesus’ day, Jewish scholars had two different opinions about divorce and what justified it. One said that a man could divorce his wife only if she were unfaithful to him.The second said that a man could divorce his wife, for basically anything he did not like about her.

The problem was that they saw marriage like a business partnership—that is, it is fine while it serves its purpose, but once the benefits are no longer there you need to look at how you can get out of it. Jesus said they were missing the whole point of marriage.

We have a similar problem today. Our culture has become very casual about accepting divorce as a normal behaviour and has created a social climate where divorce is viewed as an easy way to get out of one’s commitments.

In Malachi chapter two verse 16 it reads, in part, ‘“I hate divorce,” says the Lord God of Israel.’

Marriage is a special relationship, unlike any other earthly relationships. It should not be entered into lightly or dissolved without seeking help. Jesus says that ideally it should last until death.

I have observed that divorced people have sometimes been treated badly, almost like outcasts. This is not right, not Christian, and not biblical. Not everyone who gets divorced does so out of a lack of commitment or failure in understanding the seriousness of the marriage covenant, and this includes Christians.

However, marriages do fail and people get hurt. We all fail in certain areas of our lives but God always gives us the opportunity to start again. We are also to embrace those who have been affected by divorce and extend the hand of friendship and grace to them. God can take broken lives and re-make them.

Colonel James Condon