Priority of Marriage

We have several recorded teachings of Jesus on marriage.  One of them is found in Matthew 5:31-32  31 “Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 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.  When we combine the teachings of Jesus regarding marriage it is obvious that Jesus desired that a husband and wife stay married for the rest of their natural lives.  The one “exception” given is for sexual immorality but please note that Jesus isn’t teaching that sexual immorality has to lead to divorce.  It is absolutely essential that followers of Jesus get “the marriage thing” right.  Marriage is a picture of the relationship between Jesus and the church.  The marriage relationship is meant to be a wonderful representation of God’s sacrificial love for His people.

However, sometimes this doesn’t work out.  I believe that often followers of Jesus give up too early.  They don’t work at it nearly enough.  They don’t submit to God and to one another.  And unfortunately, society and the affected individuals reap the consequences.  However, if you’ve experienced divorce, then grace and forgiveness can be yours.  Divorce doesn’t make someone a second class follower of Jesus.  But if you are married now, I want to encourage you to do whatever it takes to stay together.