It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
33 “Again you have heard that it was said to your ancestors, ‘Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow.’ 34 But I say to you, do not swear at all; not by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 Do not swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. 37 Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more is from the evil one.
Jesus continues the Sermon on the Mount by teaching His disciples that righteousness must reach the whole person. In the verses just before this passage, He taught that adultery begins in the heart when a person looks with lust (vv. 27-30). He now continues that teaching by addressing marriage itself. The commandment against adultery protects the covenant of marriage, and Jesus shows that marriage is to be treated with fidelity, seriousness, and reverence before God.
Jesus begins by recalling the command, “Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce” (v. 31). This refers to Deuteronomy 24:1-4, where the Law of Moses speaks of a written bill of divorce. In that setting, the practice of divorce was already assumed. The written document gave legal recognition to the separation and offered some protection to the woman in a society where divorce was usually initiated by the man and where a wife commonly depended on her husband for support. Within that legal setting, the bill of divorce could show that she had been released from the marriage household and help protect her from being treated as an adulteress if she entered another union, a charge that carried grave consequences under the Law. Jesus now speaks with the authority of the Son: “But I say to you” (v. 32). He brings the matter back to God’s intention for marriage.
In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus later explains this more fully by returning to Genesis: “From the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’” and “the two shall become one flesh” (Matthew 19:4-5; Genesis 1:27; 2:24). Marriage is a covenantal union of husband and wife, ordered by God toward faithful love. Because of that, Jesus teaches that divorce and remarriage can lead to adultery when a true marriage bond remains. Saint Paul preserves the same teaching when he writes, “A wife should not separate from her husband” and “a husband should not divorce his wife” (1 Corinthians 7:10-11).
Matthew includes the phrase, “unless the marriage is unlawful” (v. 32). The phrase refers to unions that were unlawful from the beginning, especially unions forbidden by Mosaic law because of close blood or legal relationships (Leviticus 18:6-18). Such unions were regarded as invalid rather than true lawful marriages. This helps explain how Matthew’s wording preserves Jesus’ teaching on the permanence of marriage. It addresses a situation in which the union itself was not a lawful marriage.
This teaching can be painful for many readers because divorce, separation, and wounded family life touch many homes. Jesus speaks clearly because marriage is holy and because human lives are deeply affected by broken promises. His teaching protects the dignity of husband and wife and calls His disciples to faithful love. At the same time, those who carry wounds from marriage or family life should bring them to Christ with honesty, repentance where needed, and trust in His mercy. The Lord who teaches the truth also heals wounded hearts and calls His people to walk in grace.
Jesus then turns to oaths. He recalls the command not to take a false oath, but to fulfill what one has vowed to the Lord (v. 33). The Old Testament teaches reverence for God’s name and the seriousness of vows (Leviticus 19:12; Numbers 30:3; Deuteronomy 23:22). An oath called upon God as witness, so it was never a casual matter. Jesus addresses a practice in which people tried to strengthen their words by swearing by heaven, earth, Jerusalem, or even their own head (vv. 34-36). These formulas could appear to avoid using God’s name directly, but Jesus shows that everything named is still related to God. Heaven is God’s throne, earth is His footstool, and Jerusalem is the city of the great King (vv. 34-35; Isaiah 66:1; Psalm 48:2).
Jesus’ command, “Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No’” (v. 37), calls His disciples to truthful speech. A disciple’s word should be reliable without extra guarantees. Truthfulness should be so ordinary in the life of a Christian that people do not need layers of promises to believe what is said. Saint James gives the same instruction: “Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No’” (James 5:12).
This teaching reaches daily life. Marriage vows, promises, agreements, ordinary conversations, and private speech all belong before God. Words can build trust or weaken it. Jesus calls His disciples to live with integrity, so that speech reflects a heart formed by truth. When a person speaks honestly, keeps promises, and refuses deception, that person bears quiet witness to the God who is always faithful.
Lord Jesus, teach me to honor the promises I make and to speak the truth with a sincere heart. Strengthen marriages and families, heal those wounded by broken relationships, and help Your disciples live with fidelity, honesty, and trust in Your mercy. Amen.
Sources and References
The New American Bible, Revised Edition. Matthew 5:31-37 and notes on Matthew 5:31-32 and Matthew 5:33-37.
Hahn, Scott, and Curtis Mitch. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2010. Page 16.
José María Casciaro, gen. ed. The Navarre Bible: New Testament, Expanded Edition. Dublin: Four Courts Press; New York: Scepter Publishers, 2008. Pages 63-64.
Brown, Raymond E., Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E. Murphy, eds. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990. Pages 642-643, paragraphs 31-33.
Aguilar Chiu, José Enrique, Richard J. Clifford, Carol J. Dempsey, Eileen M. Schuller, Thomas D. Stegman, and Ronald D. Witherup, eds. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. New York: Paulist Press, 2018. Page 921.
Collins, John J., Gina Hens-Piazza, Barbara Reid OP, and Donald Senior CP, eds. The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century. Third Fully Revised Edition, with a Foreword by Pope Francis. London: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2022. Page 1183.
Comments