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 sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. REFLECTIONSWritten by James DavidsonJesus attacks some serious Scripture twisting. V31 is not what Moses said. Check out Deuteronomy 24:1-4. In Jesus’ day some were saying divorce is fine for any reason, as long as you get the legal paperwork right. Moses was saying that if you divorce your wife and she re-marries and that marriage comes to an end, you can’t remarry her. Lord, show us where we are twisting Scripture to suit ourselves. There is disagreement as to how to translate there verses – just compare the old and new NIVs. But when you read what Jesus said when he expanded on them in Matthew 19:1-12, and in the light of the whole Bible’s teaching, God’s word to us on marriage is crystal clear. In the beginning God created marriage as a lifelong, exclusive, sexual relationship between a man and a woman. It is a model of Christ’s relationship with his church, as Paul teaches in Ephesians 5:22-33. So husband and wife are called to do everything in their power to enhance togetherness and unity and avoid anything that may create distance. Marriage between two sinful people is fragile. Either party can easily wreck it, just by neglecting it. So both parties are called to be attentive to the welfare of the other and the relationship. God reluctantly allows for divorce because he knows how sinful and destructive spouses can be. But he does not condone divorcing a spouse for any and every reason. When problems arise we are to work hard at solving them. This strengthens the relationship. There is no shame in seeking outside help.  And none of this makes being single second rate in any sense. Indeed Paul sees considerable advantage in being single, as we read in 1 Corinthians 7:32-35. ABOUT THE AUTHORJames is an Assistant Minister with our Bossley Park Morning Church.