Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so

 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these sayings, that He departed from Galilee and came to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan.  And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them there.  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?"  And He answered and said to them, "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'?  So then, they are no longer two but one flesh.  Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."  They said to Him, "Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?"  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.  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."

His disciples said to Him, "If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry."  But He said to them, "All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given:  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."

- Matthew 19:1-12

Yesterday we read that Peter came to Jesus and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?  Up to seven times?"  Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.  Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.  And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.  But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made.  The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'  Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.  But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!'  So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'  And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt.  So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done.  Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant!  I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.  Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?'  And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.  So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses."

Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these sayings, that He departed from Galilee and came to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan.  And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them there.   The text indicates to us that Jesus has just moved His ministry closer to Jerusalem, to the center of the religious leaders.  We read that great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them there.  Clearly it is a signal that He is moving His ministry closer to the Passion which He has now twice warned the disciples will come.  And the leadership does notice Him, as we read in the verses that follow.

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?"  And He answered and said to them, "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'?  So then, they are no longer two but one flesh.  Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."  They said to Him, "Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?"  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."  At Jesus' time, divorce was an important issue which was debated among the Pharisees and other of the groups that shaped religious leadership.  The Pharisees, in fact, tended to be more in agreement with Jesus' perspective on divorce.  The basis for this test of the Pharisees is Deuteronomy 24:1-4.  My study bible says that God's condescension, or allowance for human weakness, does not override the original principle of permanent monogamous marriage, revealed in Genesis 1, 2.

"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."   Together with His statement in verse 6 above, "Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate,"  these two teachings are what my study bible calls authoritative prohibitions against divorce.  In the ancient Church, permissible reasons for divorce were expanded to include threat to a spouse's or child's life, and desertion -- but in all cases acknowledging the spiritual tragedy in such a circumstance.

His disciples said to Him, "If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry."  But He said to them, "All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given:  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."  My study bible makes note here that Christ is steering the disciples toward understanding the holiness of virginity (as in monastic celibacy in devotion to God).  It's not a rejection of marriage but rather characterized as a special calling for those to whom it has been given.  Eunuchs were very common in the ancient world and through the Middle Ages, often even as powerful court attendants.  They were men who had been castrated, either by birth defect, disease, or deliberate mutilation.  Often they were employed to guard women of nobility, and wielded great influence either as part of a class or network, or at times individually.  Jesus uses the term figuratively here, for those who freely dedicated themselves to a life of celibacy for the sake of the kingdom of heaven.   This consecrated virginity is not to be confused with self-mutilation, my study bible says, which was condemned at the First Ecumenical Council (AD 325).  See also 1 Corinthians 7:7, 25-38.

It's interesting to consider Jesus' use of the term eunuch as figurative image of one who devotes themselves wholly to the Church, to God.  Celibacy in this context is a kind of declaration of marriage to God, a full-hearted devotion to service in the Church.  In this respect, we can see the tie-in with Christ's feelings about divorce.  One way and the other, He is calling for the devotion of human beings in love -- be that in marriage or to the Church.  Jesus also says elsewhere that where one's treasure is, there one's heart is also (6:21).  We might as well say that what we choose to devote ourselves to becomes treasure, and Jesus is giving us an example of the goodness and importance of true devotion to the things that are proper in the lives of human beings.  If it is marriage we choose, then let us make the most of the possibilities inherent in marriage.  Let us learn devotion and sacrifice, even as monastics sacrifice their lives for the Church.  To be truly devoted to a marriage most definitely asks of us sacrifice.  For two to become one flesh there is the immediate notion that both must mutually sacrifice, each one for the other.  This is a very Christian idea, as it is the heart and definition of the Cross.  In fact, in the tradition of the Church, marriage is often called the layperson's way to union with God, marriage having its own ascetic for union with one another.  Above all, what Jesus suggests is a dimension to marriage that is not present when we think of marriage in material terms, as if we are simply adding something to ourselves, rather than the two becoming one flesh.  In each instance, whether Jesus speaks of the consecration to the Church through celibacy or of the concept of marriage, He's speaking of a kind of devotion that implies cherishing the other, sacrifice, and hence love.  He, of course, expresses the ultimate idea of devotion through His Passion, in which He will lay down His life for His friends (John 15:13).  The disciples clearly are struck by Christ's idea of permanent monogamous marriage, and the difficulties presented without the contemporary notion of easy divorce.  But Christ's teaching invites in a different perspective on love, and particularly on the status of women in this context (for only Jewish men could ask for divorce).  Let us consider the kind of love He asks us to develop and cultivate, and the things He makes us consider as worthy of that kind of love and devotion and sacrifice.  His ministry extends itself to marriage, and as a holy mystery or sacrament of the Church, God's presence as Trinity becomes a part of married life, helping us in nurturing this bond and to grow in our capacity for growth in it.  Let us consider where He leads and transfigures human institutions through His image of matrimony, and how He teaches us what sacrifice is for.