David Bahn – Reflections

Matthew 5:31-32

³¹ “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ ³² But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

With these words about divorce, together with the previous words about lust, Jesus is giving a full court press to anyone who even for a moment believes he has righteousness sown up. Our righteous deeds are as filthy rags before God (Isaiah 64:6). How will our righteousness ever exceed that of the scribes and pharisees? (Matthew 5:20)  We’re doomed.

Some say Jesus is using hyperbole here: he’s making a point by overstating reality. It’s not really that bad; we can have our mental affairs and not worry about lust and adultery. We can dismiss a wife or husband and not be in grave danger. We should just try not to do these things; it would be better if we didn’t.

But such tactics never bring peace; God will see to that. Our hearts can never find rest in making excuses, justifying ourselves, or winking at sin. The only true peace is found in the mercy and forgiveness of God. And that is a true and deep peace.

Moses permitted divorce, according to Jesus, because of the hardness of men’s hearts. God hates divorce. That’s because it does harm women and men. It rips into two what had become one. It brings deep emotional scars. Just ask anyone who’s been down that road. A friend of mine calls divorce, “the gift that keeps on giving.” She would love not to have received the gift in the first place.

Make no mistake about it: God loves all people. He forgives all sin (except the sin against the Holy Spirit). Remember how he treated the woman caught in adultery. He said to her, “Neither do I condemn you. Now go and leave your life of sin (John 8:1-11). Jesus gave the woman at the well living water even though she had been married and divorced 5 times (John 4:1-26). But such knowledge out never lead us to sin. Here Jesus makes it clear: God is serious about His laws because he is serious about how our breaking of it hurts ourselves and others. How we live matters to God, to our neighbor, and to our own souls.

Jesus is describing in these words a type of righteousness that can only be ascribed to him. He is without sin in thought, word and deed. None of us are – of ourselves. Thanks be to God that in baptism we are clothed with Christ’s righteousness (Galatians 3:27). Thanks be to God we, through faith, are clothed in garments of salvation; ours is the pure and perfect righteousness of Christ.

Romans 3:21-24 (ESV)

²¹But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— ²²the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: ²³for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

Let’s never wink at sin, but rejoice in the perfect righteousness of Jesus. He is our peace, joy, salvation, and righteousness.