He answered, “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.” -Mark 10:11-12, NIV
Unlike Matthew, Mark (and Luke in 16:18) does not provide an explicit exception for divorcing an adulterous spouse.
Some find this omission in both Mark and Luke troubling. They may go as far as dismissing the divorce exception for sexual immorality provided in Matthew twice (see 5:32 and 19:9).
I think such a dismissal would be a pastoral and theological error.
It is true that both Mark and Luke fail to contain the exception for divorce provided in Matthew. Yet such an omission does not negate the presence of such an exception in an equally true and authoritative Gospel–namely, Matthew.
Does this mean the Gospel accounts contradict each other on the question of divorce theology?
No, I do not see it that way.
What I see in the Mark and Luke passages is silence on the matter of divorce permission. Matthew breaks this silence by offering sexual immorality as a permissible cause for divorce.
If all three Gospels are equally authoritative, the simple way to harmonize their voices on the matter is to consider the authors had difference audiences in mind and may have left out or put things in their accounts with them in mind.
Also, Luke states just prior to the verse on divorce (16:16-17) that nothing will pass away from “The Law or the Prophets.” The Old Testament Law is very clear about what to do in situations of adultery:
The adulterous party was to be executed making divorce unnecessary for the faithful spouse (see Deuteronomy 22:22, Leviticus 20:10, etc).
Divorce is a more merciful option. Hence, I believe this is the mitigating option Jesus provides in Matthew 19:9 and 5:32 consistent with His character.
Ultimately, the silence in Mark 1o and Luke 16 does not bother me. When taken into context and compared to other Scripture–especially Matthew 5:32 and 19:9–I see these accounts as addressing the abuse of divorce like Malachi 2 is as opposed to a blanketed rejection of divorce and remarriage like some suggest.
Agree with you…regarding the argument from silence, even the gospel of John tells us: “And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.” John 21:25 (NKJV)
It bothers me when theological stances are made based on “silence” or cherry-picking scriptures. There is plenty of comprehensive guidance in the bible when all of scripture is considered.
Yes, the argument from silence is a dangerous trap that too many succumb to.