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Explanation for:
Matthew
19
:
9
And I say to you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and he that shall marry her that is put away, committeth adultery.
12
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{"arr":[{"author-name":"Gregory the Theologian","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88c5f2a7f789cd7951c81_Gregory%20the%20Theologian.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"While the law permits divorce for various reasons, Christ provides a different perspective, allowing separation solely in the case of adultery. He instructs that other issues should be dealt with wisely and advocates for the excommunication of the adulteress due to the harm she brings to the community. In all other matters, let us practice patience and discernment, especially those who have committed themselves to the bonds of marriage. If you observe your wife has adorned herself excessively or applied makeup, consider gently advising against it; if her speech is impertinent, model humility in communication; if her laughter is inappropriate, guide it towards modesty; if her expenditures or drinking habits are excessive, encourage moderation; if her outings are ill-timed, establish boundaries; if she seems distracted, offer gentle correction. However, do not be quick to sever the relationship, for it is uncertain who bears the greater peril—the one who takes action to cut ties or the one who may be severed. As scripture advises, \\"Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice with the wife of your youth\\" (Proverbs 5:17-19). Therefore, do not allow your affections to flow towards others, nor seek to cater to anyone beyond your wife. Pursuing connections outside the marriage only breeds shameful acts. Such is the teaching of the Savior."},{"author-name":"Jerome of Stridon","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88dcd3432c6dd41375498_Jerome%20of%20Stridon.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"Let the transgression of a wife be the sole reason to set aside the bond of marriage. Further, when a wife chooses to sever the unity of one flesh through infidelity, her husband should not retain her, lest he fall under the condemnation expressed in Scripture: \\"He who holds back the adulteress is unwise and wicked,\\" (Proverbs 18:23). According to the new Synodal Russian translation, \\"But he who commits adultery with a woman lacks understanding; he destroys his soul\\" (Proverbs 6:32). Therefore, wherever adultery is evident or even suspected, the wife is granted release without restriction. \\n\\nHowever, it is possible that an innocent woman may be unfairly accused, and if a man, by remarrying, shifts blame onto his first wife, it is required that he release her without taking another wife while she still lives. The rationale behind this is clear: \\"If you let your wife go not out of lust but due to an offense, why would you risk entering into a new marriage after suffering in your first?\\" Likewise, the wife may also seek to divorce her husband under the same principles, and similarly, she must be cautioned against marrying another man.\\n\\nFurthermore, a warning is issued to potential husbands of promiscuous women or those who have previously committed adultery, indicating that they too would be guilty of infidelity by uniting with such a woman."},{"author-name":"John Chrysostom","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88ea76859f9f8e2ffd3ee_John%20Chrysostom.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"The Savior does not permit any censure of Moses, for it was He who bestowed the law upon him. Instead, He liberates Moses from blame and redirects all accusations towards the Pharisees, just as He has done in other instances. For example, when they criticized His disciples for picking grain, He revealed that the Pharisees were equally guilty of such actions. Likewise, when they denounced eating with unclean hands, He pointed out their own failings. This approach also characterized His discussions regarding the Sabbath, and it can be observed universally in His teachings. When His remarks became offensive and shameful to them, He promptly references the original law, restating, \\"But from the beginning it was not so,\\" indicating that God's intent was different when the law was originally given. He anticipated their objection, \\"How can we be sure that Moses spoke this due to our hardness of heart?\\" and He effectively silences them with His words. If the law had been intended for their benefit, it would not have been introduced later; rather, God, having formed humanity, would not have designed them as husband and wife alone. Furthermore, Christ states, \\"I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery\\" (Matt. 19:9). After refuting their challenges, He, as the Lord, reaffirms the law, as He did when discussing dietary laws and the Sabbath. Previously, after dispelling their misconceptions about food, He addressed the crowd stating, \\"It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person\\" (Matt. 15:11). Similarly, after putting them to shame regarding the Sabbath, He affirmed the goodness of doing good on that day. \\n\\nMoses established this law not without purpose but rather to accommodate the frailty of the people to whom he was delivering it. They were prone to violence, stained their homes with blood, and showed no mercy to their kin or outsiders; therefore, to prevent the possibility of them murdering their wives, whom they deemed burdensome, he permitted divorce as a means to forestall greater evils. Their inclination to violence is echoed by the prophets who lament, \\"they build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with wrong\\" (Micah 3:10), and \\"bloodshed follows bloodshed\\" (Hos. 4:2), affirming that their hands were \\"full of blood\\" (Is. 1:15). Their brutality was not limited to strangers but extended to their own kin, as noted by the prophet, who remarked, \\"and sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons\\" (Psalms 105:37). Those willing to harm their children would certainly not hesitate to harm their wives. In response, Moses granted this allowance. Thus, when the Jews questioned, \\"Why did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce?\\" Christ sought to clarify that Moses' legislation was not contrary to His own teaching: \\"Moses, because of your hard-heartedness, allowed you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it was not so,\\" and He reiterated, \\"Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female?\\" (Matthew 19:4-5). If divorce was seen as good, God would have created more than one wife for Adam, acknowledging a divine intention in His original design of one husband and one wife, which precedes Moses. Thus, Christ does not introduce a new doctrine but rather one that is established from the very beginning and is more ancient than Moses' law. To further elucidate the law Moses enacted, he stated, \\"If a man takes a wife and she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house\\" (Deuteronomy 24:1). Observe that he did not merely command the writing and delivery of the certificate but specified, \\"He shall write her a certificate of divorce and put it in her hand.\\" This distinction reveals that he is narrating an occurrence rather than prescribing from his own authority. He continues, stating that if she marries another and that husband rejects her or dies, her former husband cannot take her back, underscoring that such an act is a rejection, not an endorsement of marriage. This prohibition demonstrates God's disapproval, deeming it an abomination. In agreement with Moses, the prophet Malachi articulates this sentiment with greater clarity, stating, \\"God no longer regards your offerings or accepts any of your sacrifices,\\" further asserting God as a witness against those who treat their youth's wives treacherously, saying, \\"She is your companion and the wife of your covenant\\" (Malachi 2:14). Here, the emphasis on age, companionship, and fidelity amplifies the seriousness with which God holds marriage, affirming the sanctity of the union established from creation."},{"author-name":"Apollinarius of Laodicea","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":4,"exegesis-text":"To neglect living with one's spouse is considered a form of infidelity. The individual who abandons their wife is, in essence, not residing with her. Thus, this person engages in adultery concerning a new spouse brought into the home, in addition to the one with whom they are inherently united, should that new partner discard her husband. How is it then that the commandment, which states, \\"Thou shalt not commit adultery\\" (Ex. 20:13), seems at odds with the Lord's pronouncements? We recognize that the commandment prohibited explicit adultery when a third party entices someone's mate. However, the Savior allows for the expulsion from the Church of those who have not openly confessed and are not regarded as covenantally joined, while also not being condemned for their actions. This is especially true for those who have committed acts of fornication, which violates the sanctity of natural marriage, particularly when the husband bears no blame."},{"author-name":"Anonymous Commentary (Opus Imperfectum)","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":4,"exegesis-text":"Adultery leads to destruction through the very factors that precipitate it. Marriage is formed not through mere physical union but through the commitment of the heart; thus, it does not dissolve merely because of physical separation but rather from a fracture of intent. A man who releases his wife without taking another still remains her husband, for although they are apart in body, their intentions have not diverged. However, if he marries another woman, he has wholly renounced his first wife. Therefore, it is not the husband who releases his wife who is guilty of adultery, but the one who takes another spouse. Just as a husband who dismisses a virtuous wife acts with cruelty and injustice, so too does a man who retains a wanton woman act with foolishness and unfairness. The one who encourages debauchery is merely hiding his wife's wrongdoings. We are called to emulate God: in the same manner that God loves and cares for the Church, we ought to treat our partners. God remains faithful to His people unless they choose to turn away into idolatry or false teaching."},{"author-name":"Basil the Great","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c889927158e4af30595484_Basil%20the%20Great.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"According to Matthew 5:32, it is unlawful for someone who has divorced their wife to take another spouse, nor can anyone marry a woman who has been divorced by her husband. As stated in Matthew 19:9, “I say unto you, Whosoever shall divorce his wife not for adultery, and marry another, committeth adultery: and he that marrieth her that is divorced committeth adultery.”"},{"author-name":"Theophylact of Bulgaria","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8989296bafed9104677d7_Theophylact%20of%20Bulgaria.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":11,"exegesis-text":"But I,’ the Lord says, ‘declare unto you that it is justifiable to release only a spouse who has engaged in adultery; however, if someone dismisses a spouse who is innocent, he bears the responsibility if she turns to infidelity. Additionally, reflect on this: ‘He that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit with the Lord’ (1 Cor. 6:17). Herein lies a special union between the believer and Christ, for we are united as one body with Him and constitute members of Christ. Therefore, no one possesses the authority to sever this bond, as Paul states, ‘Who shall separate us from the love of God?’ For what God has brought together, ‘neither man, nor any other creature, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers,’ as Paul affirms, cannot be divided."},{"author-name":"Euthymios Zigabenos","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":11,"exegesis-text":"Regardless of whether he weds a single woman or one who has been divorced, he is engaging in infidelity. In the Gospel of Mark (Mark 10:10, 11), it is noted that this teaching was first directed to the Pharisees and subsequently conveyed to the disciples in a private setting. This topic is also addressed in the fifth chapter, where further clarification can be found. He instructed that only the fornicator or adulteress should be expelled due to the mingling of progeny and the ambiguous status of the unborn child; all other transgressions can be remedied, yet this particular one offers no chance for redemption. (These words may be applied to the virgin)."},{"author-name":"Abbot Panteleimon about the Trinity","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"I assure you that the sanctity of the marriage covenant is such that it cannot be annulled. Therefore, anyone who divorces his wife without the foundation of love on her part—since that very sin rends the marriage bond—and marries another, those who have truly loved; likewise, the individual who takes a divorced woman in marriage under similar circumstances, due to her husband’s capriciousness, prefaces the act; for according to both divine law and natural order, she remains bound to her first husband despite any formal severance made on paper. The Lord pronounced His judgment on this matter with utmost clarity, boldly and without mercy, though He refrained from naming Herod explicitly, while simultaneously laying bare His Divine doctrine on marriage in its entirety. Within His Church, regarded as a benevolent kingdom, the roles of husband and wife are equal: no husband possesses the authority to abandon his wife, nor does any wife have the right to forsake her husband. Nonetheless, His followers, still rooted in Jewish customs, perceived the privilege of dismissing a morally questionable wife as a significant advantage for the husband. The prospect of losing that privilege and being compelled to remain married to such a wife seemed to them an onerous burden."},{"author-name":"Michail (Lusin)","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c89550c567e172d15b3055_Michail%20(Lusin).png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"The new lawgiver affirms the original intention of marriage, which is meant to serve as the foundation of His new kingdom, aligned with the eternal law of God. Only adultery, as a betrayal of the original covenant of marriage through the very act of marriage, can justify divorce. Thus, anyone who separates from their spouse without this reason and marries another engages in adultery, since the law binds him to his estranged wife. Similarly, a person who marries a divorced woman without this justification also commits adultery, as she remains legally tied to her previous husband, despite having been released by him. cf. Matt. 5:31-32."},{"author-name":"Kochomski S.W.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"Is the term not considered adulterous? When a husband dismisses a wife accused of infidelity and enters into another union, does he not also sever what God has united? Indeed, in such instances, the bond is more swiftly broken by an offense, which undermines the marriage more profoundly, particularly when the sanctity of the union as a divine ordinance is elevated (see Matthew 5:32)."},{"author-name":"Gladkow B.I.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88bf0ceef8c96e09a6521_Gladkow%20B.I..png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"Jesus’ teachings on the topics of marriage, divorce, and celibacy, also referred to as virginity, arose from inquiries posed by the Pharisees, as well as follow-up questions from His disciples. These queries prompted Jesus to provide insights into the permanence of marriage and the nature of celibacy. He highlighted the unbreakable bond of marriage in general and addressed the question of divorce due to adultery, which is detailed in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:31-32)."}]}
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