Divorce

Help me understand this passage. What was Jesus saying to the people?

Matthew 5:31-32 - 31 "It has been said, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.' 32 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.

This passage is found in the sermon on the mount - and follows this passage.

Matthew 5:27-30 - 27 "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 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. 30 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.

Since I am not the type of person who can dismiss Scripture, but one who struggles to understand it, help me understand what Jesus is saying. Thanks.

How does the Christian Church deal with Divorce?

How does the Christian Church deal with divorce? The statistics use to say that a marriage had a better chance to survive in the church. Today the numbers are almost equal with society.

What do we do with passages like the following?

Malachi 2:16 - "I hate divorce," says the Lord God of Israel
NIV

Matthew 1:18-19 - 18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
NIV

Matthew 5:31-32 - 31 "It has been said, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.' 32 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.
NIV

What does the church say today about Divorce?

Divorce and Remarriage

I posted this to the questions raised in the Homosexuality post.

What about it folks - do we condone some sins - the ones we commit or are comfortable with while condemning the ones we do not do or feel uncomfortable about?

Is divorce a sin? If it is, how can one repent?

Is remarriage a sin? If so, how can we repent? Must we divorce again to rid ourselves of one sin while committing another?

What does the Scripture say? I will add a new post for this discussion and keep them one for the homosexual issue at hand.

So what are your thoughts?

Malachi 2:16 - "I hate divorce," says the Lord God of Israel,

Matthew 5:27-32 - 27 "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 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. 30 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. 31 "It has been said, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.' 32 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 19:3-9 -3 Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?" 4 "Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' 5 and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh' ? 6 So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." 7 "Why then," they asked, "did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?" 8 Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. 9 I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery."