The Bible devotes a fair amount of space to marriage, how we should function within the marriage, the imagery around marriage, etc. The Bible also attempts to correct many of the errors and bad thinking we can easily have.

In 1^st Corinthians chapter 7, Paul clarifies a few misunderstandings about marriage. He clarifies that marriage is good and not being married is good. In fact, if you are not married you can be more focused on Kingdom work. He also tackles the issue of a marriage where one spouse is a Christian and the other is not. Evidentially some thought that this situation allowed for divorce.

In Matthew 22 the Sadducees, who minimized the supernatural and didn’t believe in the resurrection, were trying to trap Jesus by asking him a question about the wife/husband relationship after the resurrection. Deuteronomy chapter 25 discusses how an unmarried brother might marry his widow after he dies. The Sadducees took this and created a “proof” for their view of a resurrection. If we will live again, and if marriage is this sacred unbreakable bond, who’s wife would this woman be in the resurrection? See, the resurrection doesn’t work!

Matthew 22:30-32 (NIV)
³⁰ At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. ³¹ But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you, ³² ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.” ³³ When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching.

So Jesus actually teaches them about our eternal state, as it relates to marriage, and then confronts them with the truth of the resurrection – and the people were astonished. This is actually fairly instructive. How many times do those opposed to the gospel do so because they build their opposition on a false assumptions? Do we hold out unbiblical realities as critical truth?

- – -

In Jesus’ day there was a heated discussion around the issue of divorce. One Rabbi (Shammai) and his followers taught that divorce was permissible only on the grounds of adultery. Another Rabbi (Hillel) and his followers believed divorce was acceptable for many reasons (eventually this turned into any reason). So we see the following encounter:

Matthew 19:3 -12 (NIV)
³ Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?” ⁴ “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ ⁵ and 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’? ⁶ So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.” ⁷ “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?” ⁸ Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. ⁹ I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery.”

¹⁰ The disciples said to him, “If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.” ¹¹ Jesus replied, “Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. ¹² For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”

Jesus, here, gives at least four reasons in vs. 4-6 for the absolute permanency of marriage. I’d like to cover those and then cover a fifth reason from another test:

• Male and Female - Vs 4 – “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’

The way this is stated here points to an alignment of individuals – “male and female”. This is not saying that God made millions of males and millions of females. This could easily be understood to say that the one you

• United, hold fast, cleave - Vs 5a – For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’ (Gen 2:24)
• One flesh - Vs 5b-6a – …and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one

Jesus here goes one step further than this quote in Gen 2:24 – he emphasizes the point, “SO THEY ARE NO LONGER TWO, BUT ONE.”

At best the world might understand this as two people making a life long commitment to each other and that commitment is so strong that, in that sense they are united. Or they might understand, “the two will become one flesh” in light of children. When two people produce a child that child is the “one flesh” Scripture speaks of here. There is more here than just that. At a minimum, given the context of this passage, we should understand this statement to reflect a permanent change of unification – like tin and copper being melded together to form bronze.

• God joined them - Vs 6b – Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate

Jesus’ message in this passage caught both the Pharisees and the disciples off guard. They had been conditioned by their culture and Jesus’ answer seemed unreasonable. The Pharisees responded, “Why then did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”. (vs. 7) And the disciples responded by saying, “If there’s no way out of a marriage it’s better not to marry.” (vs. 10)

• Gods joining of a man and a woman in marriage is designed to be a living picture of his faithfulness to his people

In Ephesians Paul uses Gen 2:24 like Jesus did but he has an expanded understanding of “one flesh”

Ephesians 5:31-32 (NIV)
“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery – but I am talking about Christ and the church.

There is a mystery in this “one flesh” talk. There is something here that is difficult to understand, something that the world cannot and will not see correctly. It has been hidden and now will be revealed. Marriage, instituted before sin, points to another great reality. The reality of Jesus and his care for us. Unlike other Old Testament images instituted after the sin event, this one does not fall away as Jesus takes its place (like the temple and animal sacrifices for sin). This one lives on. From the beginning God has designed marriage to be a living illustration of his faithfulness to his people. Marriage was designed to illustrate what “one flesh” means in our relationship with Jesus.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

Marriage was designed so I can say, “Just as I love my wife and am completely dedicated to her welfare, Jesus cares for us. My resources are not my resources, my time is not my time – I am for her.”

Marriage is designed to image and live out statements like this:

Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV)
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Romans 8:38-39 (NIV)
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Hebrews 13:5 (NIV)
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”