What Jesus teaches about divorce applies equally to the husband and the wife, as shown in Mark 10:11-12.
He answered, “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.”
In this matter, Jesus makes no distinction between the man and the woman. He says that if either of them marries again, they commit adultery. That’s a very strong statement. We see that the world at large, and even many Christians, have made light of Jesus’ words. Divorce is becoming a bigger problem, as courts allow divorces for any reason at all. We, as Christians, followers of Jesus Christ, must hold to Jesus’ teaching and reject the world’s ways.
The only reason Jesus gave for divorce was if one in the marriage commits adultery. “I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery” Matthew 19:9. “Sexual immorality” in the original language is literally “fornication.” This means when a husband or a wife has sex with someone who is not their marriage partner. If a spouse is unfaithful, the other one has permission to divorce. However, there is a better way: to forgive (see Lesson Ten). If the spouse is truly remorseful and is willing to leave the other relationship, then there can be forgiveness and healing for the marriage. The couple may want to seek competent help from someone who is trained to do infidelity counseling. Eventually, trust and affection can be restored.
In fact, the marriage is often stronger than ever after such a crisis. Many times, when there has been unfaithfulness, the marriage was not healthy at the time. Perhaps the husband was engrossed in his work and neglected his wife. Perhaps the wife was not interested in sex and the husband became frustrated. Though the process of counseling, they focus on one another and learn how to have a strong marriage.
Divorce should never be done quickly. The Apostle Paul goes on to apply Jesus’ teaching in 1 Corinthians 7 to the church in Corinth. Remember, Jesus empowered the apostles to complete the teachings of the New Testament and guide the church into holy living (John 14:26; 16:13). So, when the apostles teach, we can accept their teachings as having the authority of Jesus.