Gender Equality

In many countries today, and in our own western history, divorce was decided at the sole discretion of the man, or of men in authority through biased courts.

In this passage on the subject of divorce, Jesus reminds us about the true gender equality which God has ordained from the beginning.

When the Pharisees attempt to justify divorce through the law of Moses, Jesus counters, “It was because your hearts were hard”. Jesus goes on to explain the way it’s supposed to be:

• God made them male and female (Gen. 1:27)
• For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife
• The two shall become one flesh (Gen. 2:24), “so they are no longer two, but one”
• What God has joined together, let man not separate (Mk. 10:6-9)

God made no provision for divorce – only a consequence: the consequence of adultery. We have many opportunities to prevent divorce, starting with having a right attitude about marriage in the first place: that God has ordained it. So don’t be hasty in choosing your lifetime partner! Within marriage, we can endure all circumstances, whether through reconciliation, godly counseling, even separation (while remaining faithful).

To those who have already divorced and remarried, it will only make things worse to try to restore things to their original condition. If we live in the grace of Jesus Christ, our past sins are forgiven, and though the earthly consequences of divorce remain, God has forgiven us.