Matthew 5:27-32
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If 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. And 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 go into hell.
It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.” (Matthew 5:27-32)
I find these to be rather clear verses. First, Jesus says that adultery begins much earlier than we tend to believe. We rationalize our thoughts, but God knows our heart. Next, He explains the one and only acceptable reason for divorce. This is cut and dry and leaves no room for interpretation. Adultery is the only reason. The word that was used was ‘porneia’, which means several things alluding to sexual acts including homosexuality, sex with animals, and idolatry. Now, if you divorce your spouse (I think in this day and age we can replace wife with spouse because these actions could occur the other way around), you are causing them to be an adulterer. They cannot remarry without committing adultery according to Jesus’ definition, and the one that marries them commit the same act. I believe Jesus was talking about people who divorced in order to marry up the social ladder. If you love your spouse, these are easy things to obey.