Matthew 5:31

Matthew 5:31, in plain English

The old rule said if you divorce your wife, give her the proper paperwork. It was about legal protection. But Jesus is about to go deeper.

Why it's here

Divorce was common and easy in Jesus's time, especially for men. The certificate was supposed to protect women, but the whole system had become a way to discard them.

Who's speaking

Jesus raises the topic of divorce.

Where it sits in the story

Jesus consistently elevates the value of women and relationships in a culture that often didn't.

The scholarly reading

The third antithesis addresses Deuteronomy 24:1-4, which regulated (not encouraged) divorce by requiring a formal certificate (apostasion). The certificate protected the woman's right to remarry by documenting her legal release.

Language and setting

In Jesus's day, rabbis debated the grounds for divorce. The school of Shammai permitted it only for sexual immorality; the school of Hillel allowed it for virtually any reason, even burning dinner.

Voice

Jesus, introducing the third antithesis on divorce.

Significance

Jesus enters one of the most heated rabbinic debates of His time and takes a position stricter than even the conservative school of Shammai.

29If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

30And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to depart into hell.

31It has also been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’

32But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, brings adultery upon her. And he who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

33Again, you have heard that it was said to the ancients, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill your vows to the Lord.’

Read all of Matthew 5 — Jesus turns the world's values upside down. The blessed aren't the powerful — they're the poor in spirit, the grieving, the meek.