Adultery

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

ADULTERY

Luke 16:18

18 "Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

NIV

This is not the only place Jesus talks about this issue and he speaks a little more in detail in both the Gospel of Matthew and Mark. We also need to consider what was going on within the Jewish people when Jesus said this. This of course does not dismiss this truth for us today, but it has a little more meaning seeing what life was like then. According to the Law it was permissible for a man to put away his wife if she displeased him in any way. It was without question a man’s right to treat his wife as he saw fit, the woman had no rights whatsoever. The Jews were living by the Law that was given and recorded in Deuteronomy consider divorce and remarriage. Jesus seems to be abolishing that Law yet he has said that he is not doing that. So then what is he saying here? It is for us as well as for those Jews at that time? Certainly our system of divorce and remarriage has a little different concept than they had in that time. For the most part married people divorce with mutual consent. Yet it does seem that the vows of marriage are taken so lightly that at the first or perhaps the second sign of trouble in the relationship divorce is the course of action.  This divorce and remarriage has also infiltrated the church, or the lives of believers. Some denominations only restrict those who wish to be licensed or ordained from ever divorcing a spouse, much less remarrying another. Although Jesus may actually be taking about the divorce degrees man handed their wives if they were displeased with them, he could also be talking about the Jews as a nation and himself. He is the bridegroom that the Jewish people were his own, his bride. But as in another gospel divorce is restricted except in the case of marital unfaithfulness, Jesus might be saying that Israel has been unfaithful to God, they have committed adultery and God could issue them a certificate of divorce and be within his rights, but of course we know he has not done that. But the point is we also are his bride, and we must remain faithful to God. If we carouse around with the world, committing adultery with it, God could divorce us. He could put us away. Yet we should also take this teaching to heart as well. Marriage is for life, whoever marries in the sight of God needs to remain married. Of course we still have situations where we were divorced before we became a believers. That was just another sin which is covered under the blood of Jesus. But what about if we are believers, we have accepted Christ, then it seems we cannot divorce. But then is that not like living under the Law? We can commit other sins and have forgiveness, but this one seems is not forgivable. That cannot be either, as only one sin is unforgivable. So then is Jesus really talking about us and God, and committing adultery with the world? We may never know for sure, but it is essential we remain faithful to him as we are his bride. He will always remain faithful to us. Yet if we are unfaithful, if we have an affair with the world, with another master, desiring to be intimate with another god, such as he just finished teaching, money, or for that matter any other addiction in this world, then we are no longer serving him, and we have committed adultery. It is difficult not to be attached to things, to enjoy the material goods he has given to us, or allowed us to obtain. Sometimes we talk about how he has blessed us with this thing or that job. Yet at the same time we cannot be so attached to them that we forfeit our relationship with him. We do live here, and he does direct our paths, he determines where we should live, what kind of employment we should have, bringing us in contact with the people he desires we share the good news with, but at the same time the path he directs us in, is toward himself. All that we are, all that we have, all that we do is because of our relationship with him, how could we ever cheat on him, getting into an intimate relationship with the world? Could we divorce God so that we could marry the world? That would indeed be adultery.