Matthew 5 on Fornication Explained
Matthew 5:32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
A key of understanding is that Jesus said the cause was “fornication” not “adultery”
He was referring to the old covenant law… like when Joseph thought Mary had “fornicated” because she was pregnant with Jesus while she was betrothed to Joseph.
In Hebrew culture, the engagement was part of the marriage, so in order to cancel the marriage, you needed divorce. Jesus was not teaching that you can remarry as long as adultery was involved. He was talking about a Jewish marriage being annulled because the wife lied about being a virgin.
Here’s the scripture about fornication that Yahusha (Jesus) referenced. It covers fornication discovered after the betrothal or marriage. Joseph might have wanted to divorce Mary privately because he didn’t want her to be stoned.
Deuteronomy 22: 13 If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, and hate her, 14 and give occasions of speech against her, and bring up an evil name upon her, and say, I took this woman, and when I came to her, I found her not a maid: 15 then shall the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring forth the tokens of the damsel’s virginity unto the elders of the city in the gate: 16 and the damsel’s father shall say unto the elders, I gave my daughter unto this man to wife, and he hateth her; 17 and, lo, he hath given occasions of speech against her, saying, I found not thy daughter a maid; and yet these are the tokens of my daughter’s virginity. And they shall spread the cloth before the elders of the city.
Matthew 19 on Hardness of Heart Explained
Matthew 19: 8 He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.
Here’s the scripture Yahusha referrenced when he spoke of the “hardness of men’s hearts.” This was part of the ceremonial law added for transgression, not the original 10 Commandments.
Deuteronomy 24: 1 When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house. 2 And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man’s wife. 3 And if the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement, and giveth it in her hand, and sendeth her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, which took her to be his wife; 4 Her former husband, which sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before the Lord: and thou shalt not cause the land to sin, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.
This grounds for divorce is if “some uncleanness” is found in her. The Hebrew says “dabar erwah” which means “commandment of nakedness.” The “commandment of nakedness” is speaking about incest, aka “uncovering the nakedness” of a family member.
This means if you married someone and you found out later that it was your distant cousin, you could divorce her. But you couldn’t take her back if her 2nd husband died, or later divorced her for “hardness of heart” (aka I hate her) and gave her a big cash settlement. The motivation to take back an incestuous relationship to gain finances was an abomination before the Lord, even if the current husband died!
Matthew was written to Jews and the author had the laws of Moses in mind. You will not see the fornication clause mentioned in Mark or Luke because those were directed to Gentiles that didn’t have the ceremonial laws of Deuteronomy 22 and Deuteronomy 24 in their marriages.
That’s why Jesus said: “From the beginning it was not so.” Jesus showed us how God sees remarriage as adultery while the spouse is alive. Jesus, being “That Prophet”, was able to supersede the laws added for transgression and hardness of heart, and bring His kingdom back to the laws of Creation.
Jesus’ Kingdom Redefines Adultery back to Creation Law
We don’t practice Jewish betrothal laws today. Those are the ceremonial laws that Moses added for transgression. This is how we know that the “fornication exception” doesn’t exist in the Kingdom of Jesus.
That’s why there’s no “fornication exception” in Luke.
Luke 16:18 Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery.
There’s also no fornication exception in Mark because those transgression laws have expired. Jesus redefined adultery.
Mark 10: 10 And in the house his disciples asked him again of the same matter.
11 And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her.
12 And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.
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