3 The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?” 4 And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”
The Pharisees really had it as an agenda to trap Jesus (Check out: The Enemy Among Us). However, in some divine way, we benefit from these traps. Because the traps made Jesus address some topics He may not have (For example marriage and divorce).
In the first part of Matthew 19, Jesus clearly establishes a few truths about creation and marriage that we want to share with you in simple short points. You ready?
- #1. God made mankind (v4). This dispels all the evolution theories being circulated. Dear Christian, God made you and me; we didn’t originate from apelike ancestors.
And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’
- #2. Marriage is between a male and a female (v4-5). A quote from one of my mentors comes to mind: ‘God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.’ [To know what God says about homosexuality you can check out Dear homosexual, it’s okay ~ Jesus].
“Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?
- #3. Marriage is between two people (v5-6).
‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”
- #4. The two people have to be independent of their parents to be joined together (v5):
‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?
- #5. God is the official who joins them together and is a witness to the vows (v6). God recognises all legal marriage covenants and will hold people responsible for their vows.
"So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”
- #6. God purposed marriage to be a permanent covenant (v6). “So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”
- #7. God frowns on the separation of marriages and as such on adultery (v6-9).
6 So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”
7 They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?”
8 He said to them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.”
- #8. God frowns on abuse in marriages (v7-8): Here Jesus explains why Moses allowed divorce in cases of adultery. Moses saw that if he did not permit divorce, many women would suffer untold hardships from ungodly husbands. It was not supposed to be so but for the hardness of the hearts of mankind.
7 They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?”
8 He said to them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.
- #9. Jesus alluded that it is better not to marry, but that only a few people can accept it (v10-11)
10 His disciples said to Him, “If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry.”
11 But He said to them, “All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given:
- #10. It is given to some not to marry by birth, by men, or for the sake of the kingdom (v12).
12 For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother’s womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He who is able to accept it, let him accept it."
Dear friends, marriage is a big deal for God and I pray that He grants us a deep understanding of this. May the Lord teach us and help us to have rich, righteous, and romantic relationships. Heyy… you’re blessed!
Do share your lessons from Matthew 19 with us. Remember to tag us on 📲:
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