MARRIAGE

Matt 19:3-6 The Pharisees also came unto Him, tempting Him, and saying unto Him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? And He answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that He, which made them at the beginning made them male and female, 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? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. (Also See Mark 10:7-9)

This chapter of the gospel according to Matthew begins with Jesus continuing His journey toward Jerusalem to celebrate His fourth and final Passover during His public ministry. As usual, agreat multitude followed Him, and He healed them there (See Vss. 1-2). Among the multitudes that gathered around Him there were Pharisees, who also came unto Him. This was a common practice with these Jewish leaders on every occasion that Jesus stopped in a certain place to teach those willing to hear, and heal those that were sick or afflicted in any way. Their reason for doing so is mentioned here - they were consistently tempting Him at every opportunity they had to do so. They were trying to find fault to accuse Him of the sin of blasphemy, which carried the death penalty under Jewish law. Healing on the Sabbath Day was a major fault they accused Him of, but on each occasion Jesus proved that to compassionately restore the health of the sick and afflicted was a deed that had God's authority and blessing to do so, even on the Sabbath.

Here in the lesson text, this group of Pharisees tempted Jesus with this entirely different question: Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? Although this was a question regarding divorce that Jesus later answered, He first addresses them about God's law of marriage. He said unto them, have ye not read, that He, which made them at the beginning made them male and female? Taking pride in their biblical knowledge, these Pharisees were more than likely knowledgeable of the Old Testament scripture which affirms this statement found in Genesis 1:27. To refer to this original scripture was to be the foundation on which Jesus would base His judgment on both marriage and divorce. This creation of mankind, male and female, was wisely designed from the beginning of time by the Creator in order for the world to be inhabited by people created in His own image. This was also noted in Gen. 1:27.

The marriage of a man and a woman was so important in the mind of God that their union was to be more important to them than their own father and mother, which brought them into the world and reared them into adulthood. This fact, Jesus also confirmed with Old Testament scripture. He told them, for this cause (that is, the union of a husband and wife in marriage), shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife. This tells us that the tender, more intimate relationship that binds husband and wife is much stronger than the ties that bind parents to their children. This being the endearing marital relationship between a man and women, Matthew tells us that they twain shall be one flesh, ...they are no more twain, but one flesh. Indeed, marriage unites two bodies into one. Separate interests of a husband and wife must be reconciled, and unity in decisions must be found. They are to be one in providing the physical things that sustain life; they are to have non-conflicting passions and desires; they are to support, comfort, and sustain one another in both times of joy and sorrow. It is only from a union between a man and a woman that one flesh, a child, having the same physical design as themselves, can possibly be produced. This is the fundamental law of marriage that is sanctioned by God and is almost an exact quotation from Genesis 2:24.

Finally, regarding marriage, Matthew records this commandment of God through His Son, Christ Jesus: What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. Some bible scholars say that the translation here, regarding marriage, is similar to that of a yoke being put upon two draft animals that cause them to labor equally with one another. Such is to be the unity throughout life's journey of a marriage between a man and a woman. This commandment is plain, simple, and can easily be understood by all who read it. When the laws of God create a marital union between a man and a woman - when the two become one flesh, no human ordinance has the right separate them except under conditions that are sanctioned by God, Himself. And what is that exception? The dissolution of a marriage, in the sight of God, is only sanctioned when either husband or wife commits the fornicating sin of adultery (See Matt. 5:31-32).