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 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 

 

In yesterday's reading, Peter came to Jesus (after Jesus had taught about forgiveness and mutual correction in the Church) 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 own 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 trespass."

 

  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 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."   Let us note that the text tells us that Jesus has now left Galilee, and has come closer to the region near Jerusalem.  For the moment He is in territory to the east, in the region of Judea beyond the Jordan (often called Perea in the shifting regions ruled for Rome - see map).  Nonetheless Christ is now in Judea, and so the Pharisees come testing Him.  The basis of their test, as my study Bible explains, is Deuteronomy 24:1-4.  It says that God's condescension, or allowance for human weakness, does not override the original principle of permanent monogamous marriage as revealed in Genesis 1 and 2.  With authority, my study Bible comments, Christ adds His own clear prohibition against divorce here.  (See also Matthew 5:31-32; Malachi 2:13-16.)  Christ names sexual immorality as a basis for divorce, which shows that a marriage bond can be destroyed by sins which are effectively abuse of the marriage.  In the early Church, my study Bible notes, the permissible reasons for divorce were expanded to include threat to a spouse's or child's life and desertion, in all cases acknowledging the spiritual tragedy of such circumstance.

 

 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 comments that Christ steers the disciples toward an understanding of the holiness of virginity -- this is not as a rejection of marriage, but rather it is a special calling for those to whom it has been given.  Eunuchs were men who had been castrated, my study Bible explains, whether by birth defect, disease, or mutilation, and often they were employed to guard women of nobility.  But here Jesus uses the term figuratively for those who freely choose lifelong celibacy for the kingdom of heaven.  This kind of consecrated virginity is not to be confused with any form of self-mutilation, which was condemned by the Church at the First Ecumenical Council (AD 325).  See also 1 Corinthians 7:7, 25-38.

Although in a very modern cultural setting, celibacy is not widely known nor necessarily understood, there is a very long history of celibacy as part of a commitment to religious life.  This extends even before Christianity, and into many religions.  In this sense, as Jesus describes it here, celibacy is a kind of commitment like a marriage bond, but it is marriage to the Church, or to Christ, first in one's life.  I have a personal friend for whom celibacy has become a choice in life that came along with his growth in the Christian faith and his commitment to this life.  Celibacy for him has been a pathway to greater growth, to more strength and discipline in his life, to putting himself and his life in better order than it had ever been.  This commitment has also come along with a growth in facing various fears of life and conquering them.  We should not underestimate the power of such commitments and their significance throughout history.  Moreover, here this type of celibacy is linked to a conversation on marriage and prohibitions against divorce.  We might not think they go together, until we stop to consider what Jesus is really saying here.  What Christ explains (and we can also read this in the Old Testament, in the verses cited in Malachi 2:13-16) is that both marriage, and the kind of celibacy He describes here, come under the bonds first of a commitment to God.  As the marriage is sanctified and upheld by God, so is celibacy "for the kingdom of heaven's sake."    Both are, at the heart of the matter, about love.  They are a commitment to God who is love, expressed and made commitment to in different ways for those who are called to either way.  As Jesus puts it, for those "to whom it has been given."   Within the bond of marriage, and of learning love for one another in this context, but also in the commitment to faith through celibacy, both become roads to love -- to knowing and living love as guided and given by God.  In this context, sin becomes abuse of a marriage bond, either literally or figuratively.  And when we think about what righteousness is, this makes sense, as true righteousness means "right-relatedness."  It is God who mediates our relationships with one another, and this is the idea for which we strive in life, the way we ask to be given and in which we are corrected and disciplined, and in which we grow and blossom in expressions which at heart are those of love.  When St. Paul speaks of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23, what he is describing are qualities produced in us as fruits of love which we learn and "sprout" through the love of God and sharing in the life of God for us.  If we think of marriage as part of this commitment to love, we understand marriage as a layperson's way to learn real sanctity, growth in the love of God and what that means and what it can produce.  And so it is with a commitment to celibacy; we are meant to grow into the person God calls us to become either way.  Let us consider -- even in a modern context in which sexuality can easily become a form of idolatry and of objectifying other human beings -- what it means to put God first, to understand ourselves as children of God who continue to grow and have much to learn about love and about the righteousness that teaches us peace and the ways in which we relate to neighbor.  For God is love, and this is the purpose of both a sanctified virginity and a holy marriage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?

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 Peter came to Jesus and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?  Up to seven times?"  This was after Jesus had taught about forgiveness in the Church.  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.   Jesus leaves His "home country" of Galilee, where He's spent most of His ministry, and come closer to Jerusalem, into Judea.  No doubt His popularity there, with "great multitudes" who follow Him, attracts the attention of the leadership in Jerusalem.

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?"   The Pharisees come to Jesus with a test; in this case, the test is on the legality of divorce.  Pharisees were experts in the Mosaic Law, and this question requires interpretation of Deut. 24:1-4.  But Jesus will give His own answer, and His own perspective.

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."   My study bible says, "The yearning of a husband and wife for one another was planted in human nature by God before the Fall.  The harmony of Adam and Eve with God and with each other was a great virtue.  Adam considered Eve a part of himself (Gen. 2:23).  When he cut himself off from the love of God, that harmony was broken.  Jesus restores the marriage relationship to its original state, giving it a spiritual dimension."  The essence of Jesus' answer is about love, about the bonding that occurs between two people that goes so deep they become one new entity.  In His clear interpretation, this bond is the work of God.

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 says that "divorce is permitted only for sexual immorality, which destroys a marriage -- a teaching held also by the stricter school of the Pharisees.  The reasons for divorce were eventually increased in the ancient Church to include threat to one partner's life, desertion, and forced prostitution."  It notes that while the Church may grant divorce, it regards it as a spiritual tragedy requiring great pastoral care.  Let's note also that in this question and answer between the Pharisees and Jesus, the perspective is regarding a man divorcing a woman.

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." At Jesus' time, of course, eunuchs were commonly men who were castrated in order to serve in some royal capacity, such as guard of the bedchambers (chamberlain).  Under various forms of autocratic rule, it was possible for eunuchs to hold high authoritative or administrative positions, or to wield influence with nobility.  But Jesus uses this word as analogy, referring to elective celibacy.  My study bible says that "eunuchs are lifelong celibates.  Jesus praises those who have made themselves eunuchs, that is, those who are celibate by free choice and according to God's will for them.  Jesus does not endorse mutilation but the putting away of wicked thoughts.  The first Ecumenical Council (A.D. 325) rejected willful mutilation."

Jesus begins His answer to today's question by the Pharisees with an emphasis on love, on the bonds between people.  We have to remember that it wasn't possible for women to initiate divorce; Jesus is speaking strictly to the case of a man divorcing a woman.  So immediately we must understand the social hierarchy at play.  Women were dependent upon men socially and economically.  A divorce wasn't merely a separation of persons but meant something much greater.  In spiritual terms, however, Jesus focuses on the bond that God creates between people, marriage as a sacrament, and this is also essential for us to keep in mind.  Over and over again, in the recent readings in Matthew's Gospel, Jesus has focused on community:  the importance of the little ones and the strays, the importance of forgiveness and mutual correction.   Here the bond in marriage becomes a core piece of community as Jesus envisions it.  It is important to understand the focus on male and female because it gives us a sense of social hierarchies, and once again the emphasis on the use of power in this community.  Jesus speaks of the ease with which a man could get a certificate of divorce as attributed to the "hardness of your hearts."  It is once again a case of the socially dependent being cast off by the more powerful in the community that He condemns as hardness of heart.  But Jesus' antidote to this is the emphasis on the bond of love that is more powerful than even the family ties the man may have to his own parents, another important indication about wealth and power, as family ties (particularly father and mother) are easily the source of both.  Sexuality, then, serves God's purposes -- in Jesus' perspective -- of love, the bonds created by God.  When He speaks of eunuchs, it's also the case of a voluntary celibacy meant to serve community, "for the kingdom of heaven's sake."  We may have all kinds of questions regarding this teaching and modern life, wherever we may live.  But Jesus' emphasis on the bonds of love and the sacramental nature of marriage still holds its strong message of spiritual purpose to human lives.  It also contains messages here about what we sacrifice for that higher purpose, the calling of a purpose of a real community defined by God who is love.  The Teacher goes back to the purpose and function of creation, the higher capacities of human beings for love, as well as giving us teaching here on what destroys that purpose and love.  How do you define community?  What has God placed in your life in the bond of love?  What is the worth of a sacrament and how do we care for that?  These remain essential questions, even 2,000 years later.