Jesus Christ had some definite views on marriage and divorce. In fact, the Roman Catholic Church believes that Holy Matrimony is one of the Seven Sacraments. Consequently, divorce is not taken lightly because it would be a sin to destroy a sacrament. In the words of Jesus: "At the beginning God made them male and female; for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and the two shall become as one. They are no longer two but one in flesh. Therefore let no man separate what God has joined" (Mark 10:6-9).
The position taken by Jesus with regard to divorce is quite strong and unequivocal. It is no wonder that the Roman Catholic Church regards marriage as a sacrament.
Jesus does not agree with Deut. 24, which permits a husband to get rid of a wife with a written decree of divorce for the purpose of remarriage. In speaking about marriage and divorce, Jesus shows his authority, which is more than human in its divine origins. Thus, Jesus, as the Son of God, is informing others of the true nature of spiritual law.
The synoptic gospels are Matthew, Mark and Luke. The term 'synoptic' is used because scholars believe that these three gospels share a common origin, which separates then from the Gospel According to Saint John, a work thought to have other sources.
As we have already seen, Jesus, in the gospels, is not in favor of divorce. Robert M. Grant states: "According to the teaching of Jesus, marriage was based on the will of God as expressed in the creation story. Moses permitted divorce only as a concession to the hard-heartedness of the people; and while separation was possible, remarriage was equivalent to adultery" (412-413). Jesus leaves no doubt about his feelings concerning divorce, which he considers to be a form of adultery if the man divorces his wife or the woman divorces her husband: "What I say to you is: everyone who divorces his wife--lewd conduct is a separate case--forces her to com...