"Her who is divorced" in the quoted passage refers specifically back to the woman who the man divorced for reasons other than sexual immorality. It's not just "a divorced woman" as some versions translate it. So, this entire saying about adultery would only apply to people who are divorced for reasons other than sexual immorality. So, I think it's less rodeo, and more about just reading things differently.
18Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery.
This scripture from Luke is pretty much what seems to be your point of view on divorce; and I think what NOV25 is saying is that this scripture (and some others) are about "putting away"
without divorce and not about "divorce" proper... and to some extent I can see it.... although it would be nice if it specified.
More importantly... God characterizes himself as one who "gave a certificate of divorce" in Jerimiah and Isaiah (because of "sexual immorality" even... He is very descriptive on this point) then expresses his intent to "marry" again in the new testament; so you may have to argue with God on this one someday.
I still think that the standard between believing Christians is:
“Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’a 5and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’b? 6So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”
"No divorce" for married people in Christ is a reasonable expectation to me. The only believers I would expect to get a divorce are ones who are married to a non-believer for whatever reason; and that non-believer who will not beholden themselves to Christ ends the marriage.
Since Paul says:
8Now to the unmarried and widows I say this: It is good for them to remain unmarried, as I am. 9But if they cannot control themselves, let them marry.
I don't know if there is any way to prove that "unmarried" does not include divorced people.
27Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed. Are you loosed from a wife? Do not seek a wife. 28But even if you do marry, you have not sinned;
if this can refer back to:
15But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases.
Then I could see why people would say that marriage to a Christian after being divorced from an unbeliever is okay.
So, I don't think it's a bunch of mental gymnastics going on, or if there is, it's because this topic actually requires an absurd amount of mental gymnastics, because there is a vast chasm between Jewish language & culture and most modern people's language & culture.
