Furthermore it has been said, "Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery. (Matthew 5:31, 32) (NKJV)
In Matthew 19, Jesus again speaks on the same topic, but after pointing out God's original plan for husband and wife.....
The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?" And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning "made them male and female,' and said, "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate." They said to Him, "Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?" He said to them, "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery." (Matthew 19:3-9)
God's original plan..."what God has joined together, let not man separate..."
Regarding divorce, Jesus said,....."from the beginning it was not so."
Permitted because people wouldn't take "No" for an answer.
Jesus' final authoritative statement regarding divorce....
Whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery....
God hates divorce, as we read in Malachi 2:16,
"For the LORD God of Israel says That He hates divorce....."
Jesus mentioned the exception, knowing the extreme pains that can affect the innocent partner.
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