Many marriages end in divorce. Sometimes the reasons are flimsy, minor, and trivial. Dispute regarding eating onion and garlic ends 23-Year marriage in Gujarat. (NDTV 10 December 2025) Though God gave Israel freedom from slavery, the Israelites still remembered the food they ate as slaves. Even willing to choose onion and garlic, instead of freedom. “We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic.” (Numbers 11:5)
Reason for divorce: The Bible teaches that divorce is allowed when there is unfaithfulness between a husband and wife. (Matthew 5:32) Now, laws in various nations allow divorce because of incompatibility, mental illness, and many other reasons.
Defiled: According to their understanding, if the spouse could consume onion and garlic, then he/she is polluted or corrupted. Some cults and sects teach that the consumption of food could make a person unholy or defiled.
Made holy: Paul writes: “For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise, your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.” (I Corinthians 7:14) A believer is a child of God, set apart to be holy, and made righteous through the Lord Jesus Christ. Hence, the unbelieving spouse, despite the unbelief, is set apart (holy), for the Spirit of God to work in his/her life. And so are the children. God is Holy. Those who are made holy by the Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ are not defiled by the world; instead, they influence others, pointing them towards the Holy God.
External: The Lord Jesus Christ taught that what goes inside a person through the mouth does not corrupt a person. But what comes out of the heart is evil thoughts, murderous intentions, and deceitfulness defiles them. (Mark 7:15)
Marriage relationships: The Bible teaches that the marriage covenant is based on love: sacrificial love, forgiving love, embracing love, and sanctifying love. Accepting the spouse and making adjustments are the fruit of such love.
How do I handle disputes in my relationships?