Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate

 

 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 

 

On Saturday we read that, after Jesus gave a formula for mutual correction in the Church, Peter came to Him 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 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."  My study Bible explains that the basis of the Pharisees' test is Deuteronomy 24:1-4.  God's condescension, or allowance for human weakness, does not override the original principle of permanent monogamous marriage as revealed in Genesis 1; 2.  With authority, my study Bible teaches, Christ adds His own clear prohibition against divorce here ("So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate . . . 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").  Regarding Christ's last statement here, my study Bible also notes that the permissible reasons for divorce were expanded in the ancient Church.  These included threat to a spouse's or child's life and desertion, in all cases acknowledging the spiritual tragedy of such a situation.  In each of these cases for divorce, it's made clear that marriage can be destroyed by sin.  

 

 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."  Here my study Bible comments that Christ is steering the disciples toward understanding the holiness of virginity.  This comes not as a rejection of marriage but rather as a special calling for some -- to whom it has been given. Eunuchs were common in the ancient world; they were men who had been castrated -- either by birth defect, disease, or mutilation -- and were frequently employed to guard women of nobility.  Here Jesus is using this term figuratively to indicate those who freely choose lifelong celibacy for the sake of the kingdom of heaven.  This consecrated virginity, my study Bible adds, is not to be confused with self-mutilation, which the Church condemned at the First Ecumenical Council (AD 325).  See also 1 Corinthians 7:7, 25-38 for St. Paul's considerations on this subject.

 

 It seems quite important to understand that when Christ speaks of eunuchs, He does not speak of celibacy for its own sake, for we notice He contrasts "eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men," and "eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake."  It seems quite noticeable that the difference between the two is dedication and purpose: for the kingdom of heaven's sake.  That this discussion (and a type of introduction of monasticism) comes at the end of a discussion about marriage as a holy and sacramental institution is no seeming accident, and gives us pause to consider celibacy in this light.  For celibacy as a matter of purpose and dedication is what Christ is talking about.  Just as celibacy is expected and understood outside of marriage for a married person, so a person (such as a monastic) is dedicated to their purpose of serving the kingdom of heaven with fidelity.  We could say then, that such a type of celibacy indicates a marriage to God and to God's kingdom as the primary bond in life, as husbands and wives are united to one another.  But marriage itself comes under the same bond in this sense, when we are speaking of marriage within the Church and as part of a holy sacrament.  For Jesus puts it in these terms, making it clear that this union is something that God has put together:  As with other teachings He gives, Jesus begins with the Old Testament, quoting from Genesis 2:24:  "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh."  But adds His own strong prohibition against the breaking of this sacred bond, and making it clear that it is God who creates that bond, not man and wife alone and of themselves:  "So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."   So two people joined together by God echo the joining of an individual to the kingdom of heaven by God.  Just as eunuchs in historical times served their purposes of guarding palaces, and in particular the women who were a part of royal life, those who would be wives and mothers of dynasties, so the "eunuch" who serves the kingdom of God does so to serve and to protect it, building up through prayer strength, protection, and the spiritual walls of God's kingdom here on earth.  Celibacy plays a role in devotion and dedication, just as fidelity is important in a marriage (and we note that Jesus makes an exception for sexual immorality in the case of divorce).  We can see by their reactions just how astonishing an idea this is for the disciples, that marriage should carry with it the kind of dedication Christ is speaking of here.  But it is in emphasizing that kind of fidelity and chastity that Christ introduces the concept of celibacy for the sake of serving the kingdom of heaven, and so this level of dedication becomes a keystone of the Church through His teaching and even through His view on marriage itself.  There is a sense of commitment that runs more deeply below the usual sense of autonomy in a modern world, a bond that we can assume from Christ's words that only God can create.  Let us consider what it is to build a consecrated life; that is one lived for the kingdom of heaven's sake.  We could consider the prophets of the Old Testament as those who lived this commitment, and John the Baptist most deeply illustrating such a life, for he is the one in whose image the monastic life of the Church was inspired and built.  The holy institution of marriage is sanctified through the Church as one of its mysteries, Christ's first sign in St. John's Gospel being that which took place at a wedding, the water turned to wine of covenant and sacred bond, the beginning of Christ's ministry, so fruitfully brought about at the word and perhaps inspiration of His mother the Theotokos.  In these stories we find bond, commitment, mystery, sacred covenant, and the deep faith that goes into a life of service for the kingdom of heaven.  Let us consider our lives and the covenants that build faith, a deep trust, a way to find who we are through the mysteries of Christ and the consecration He makes possible.