Matthew 19:5
And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
Matthew 19:5 presents marriage as a divine institution, a solemn covenant and ordinance constituted by God. The marriage institution was made in Eden at creation when the foundations of the world were laid, and it stands as firm as the Sabbath of the fourth commandment, which was also instituted in Eden. God's original order is that a man is joined to one wife, and taking multiple wives departs from this arrangement and brings greater wickedness and unhappiness.
Leaving father and mother, cleaving to his wife, and becoming one flesh means husband and wife are joined for life, staying united through the vicissitudes of life as long as both live. This one-flesh bond makes marriage vows binding, so the covenant deserves marked respect and is not lightly set aside. In marriage husband and wife are to unite their affections and seek each other's happiness, becoming one without either losing individuality, which belongs to God. When love for God, who died for them, is their highest affection, their love for each other follows heaven's order.
Marriage joins a man and his wife together under God's higher law, and that bond remains in God's sight even when the laws of the land grant a divorce, so a legal divorce alone does not make husband and wife cease to be husband and wife. God gave only one cause why a wife may leave her husband or a husband leave his wife: only adultery can break the marriage vow before God and place the innocent husband or wife in a position to be free from it. The ground of adultery for leaving is to be prayerfully considered. A woman legally divorced for other reasons has no right to marry another man, but if she obtains a legal divorce on the ground that her husband was guilty of adultery, she is free to be married to whom she chooses.
Because marriage is a step taken for life, every marriage engagement should be carefully considered beforehand to decide whether that lifelong cleaving is possible. Jesus honored the marriage covenant throughout his ministry, using it to illustrate important truths. His presence at a Jewish marriage feast shows that its innocent joy pleased him, and his later use of marriage to illustrate important truths reflects the honor he gave the marriage covenant.