Jesus intensified His teaching: 'Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her' (ὃς ἂν ἀπολύσῃ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ καὶ γαμήσῃ ἄλλην μοιχᾶται ἐπ' αὐτήν). In Jewish law, only wives committed adultery against husbands; husbands could divorce wives and remarry without adultery charge. Jesus revolutionized this—husbands who divorce and remarry commit adultery 'against her' (the divorced wife). This established marital symmetry and women's personhood. The phrase 'committeth adultery' (moichatai, μοιχᾶται) indicates that remarriage after unlawful divorce is ongoing adultery, not single sinful act. Reformed theology debated whether such remarriage requires dissolution or whether repentance allows continuation. The principle is clear: divorce doesn't dissolve one-flesh union before God; remarriage after unlawful divorce constitutes adultery.
Historical Context
Jewish law allowed men to divorce wives but not vice versa (except in extreme cases in later rabbinic tradition). Men could remarry without any stigma; divorced women faced severe social and economic disadvantage. Jesus' teaching that men commit adultery by divorcing and remarrying was revolutionary—it established mutual fidelity and equal moral standards. Greco-Roman culture similarly had double standards. Jesus elevated women's status, treating marriage as mutual covenant, not male prerogative. Paul echoed this (1 Cor 7:10-11), forbidding divorce or requiring celibacy/reconciliation if divorce occurs. Early church fathers (Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Augustine) universally interpreted Jesus' teaching as forbidding remarriage after divorce except for adultery or death.
Questions for Reflection
How does Jesus' teaching that men commit adultery against their wives challenge patriarchal double standards in marriage?
What does Jesus' statement that remarriage after unlawful divorce is adultery teach about marriage's permanence before God?
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Analysis & Commentary
Jesus intensified His teaching: 'Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her' (ὃς ἂν ἀπολύσῃ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ καὶ γαμήσῃ ἄλλην μοιχᾶται ἐπ' αὐτήν). In Jewish law, only wives committed adultery against husbands; husbands could divorce wives and remarry without adultery charge. Jesus revolutionized this—husbands who divorce and remarry commit adultery 'against her' (the divorced wife). This established marital symmetry and women's personhood. The phrase 'committeth adultery' (moichatai, μοιχᾶται) indicates that remarriage after unlawful divorce is ongoing adultery, not single sinful act. Reformed theology debated whether such remarriage requires dissolution or whether repentance allows continuation. The principle is clear: divorce doesn't dissolve one-flesh union before God; remarriage after unlawful divorce constitutes adultery.