I cannot divorce
Of course, I do not want to divorce my wife, but even if I wanted to, I cannot. When religious leaders asked Jesus about divorce, He told them that in the beginning, God made them male and female (Mark 10:6-7). Where did the man and woman come from? God created them. Where did the first marriage come from? God created it. Did Eve choose whose rib she came from? No. And she could not pick another guy’s rib after Adam got boring or irritating. There was no changing how she was created.
When a man marries a woman, he is accepting her as the one God created for him. Adam said, “She is my bone and my flesh!” There was no changing that. When I married Leanne, I took by faith that this was my rib, my Eve, the one God made to be one with me. There are no do-overs. I cannot have second thoughts now and stuff her back in my side and try another rib. At the same time, she cannot undo what she has done by faith—accepted me as her source, as her Adam. We belong to one another now as much as our children belong to us, sharing our flesh and bone. They cannot undo their DNA.
He and she are one
Does that sound extreme? Jesus said that the husband and wife “are no longer two, but one flesh.” (Mark 10:7). Neither the man nor the woman are stronger than God who has made them both one. No judge, no preacher, no mother-in-law, no one can separate them: “Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” (Mark 10:8).
Divorced people hurt so badly because they go their separate ways in life with jagged pieces of their spouse’s life fused with their own. You can never really divorce yourself from someone you became one with. This is why divorce hurts so many: not just children but even extended family members. It is as convulsive as if one were to change their own DNA. You cannot undo who you are at the base level. What God has made cannot be unmade.
Exceptions for divorce?
Of course, when it comes to the topic of divorce, everyone wants to throw up the “what ifs.” What if he is abusive, what if she has HIV, what if….?
The disciples tried to buttonhole Jesus after he made these strong statements about divorce. Jesus made sure they understood the seriousness of it when He said, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her. And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.” (Mark 10:10-12). Boom.
To divorce is to live in sin. Why do people need to hear this? So they will prayerfully make their choice before they marry. We live in a world where just about every house in your neighborhood has been affected by divorce. Our society is living evidence of the damage of divorce. Do we need any further argument to stop this insanity? Has it solved anything yet?
Jesus was clear on this. You cannot divorce any more than you can uncreate yourself. Marriage is an act of God making two into one. Don’t try to play God by undoing His creation. What is the alternative for divorce? Study and apply Ephesians 5:22-33.
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