Luke 16:18
“Everyone who divorces his wife, and marries another, commits adultery. He who marries one who is divorced from a husband commits adultery.”
What does Luke 16:18 mean?
Jesus speaks here about the seriousness of marriage vows in God's eyes. When someone leaves a spouse and remarries, they're breaking the covenant they made, and Jesus calls this adultery, which was understood as betrayal of the deepest kind. This applies both to the person who initiates the divorce and remarries, and to anyone who marries a divorced person. Many people find this teaching difficult, especially those who've experienced the real pain of broken marriages or who are in second relationships. It's worth knowing that Jesus was emphasizing how sacred the marriage commitment is, not creating a rule meant to shame people already carrying the weight of failed relationships. Different Christian communities understand and apply this teaching in different ways, recognizing that God's grace meets us in our actual, complicated lives.