31 “You have heard the law that says, ‘A man can divorce his wife by merely giving her a written notice of divorce.’[m] 32 But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman also commits adultery.
Matthew 5:31-32
In Jewish Law a man could divorce his wife if he felt that she had not been able to fulfil her duties as a wife. He would not need to go to court or convince anyone else but could simply get a written notice and the marriage would be finished. Note that this only was possible for the husband. Wives had no power to divorce their partners. Once again Jesus raises the bar of the Law and says that divorce is not permissible outside of unfaithfulness. You can not grow bored of a partner or frustrated by an argument and divorce them. Jesus says that marriage is a life-long covenant.
What is interesting is that he places all the blame for adultery on the husband and not the wife. He does not blame the wife for being put into a position of adultery, he blames the husband who divorced her. He is the one who would be at fault and it is his responsibility. This is a reflection of the power of the man in that culture, rather than a universal principle that men are always the ones at fault in a broken relationship.
What is clear, and will become more clear in his teaching, is that Jesus believed in the sanctity of marriage and the importance of love in every situation. I heard someone say a while ago that the grass is not greener on the other side, it is greener where it is watered. A thriving marriage is one that is invested in. All relationships have a destination, you are either becoming closer or becoming more distant. You can choose.
