Mark 10:6-9 6But from the beginning of creation, ‘Male and female he made them.’ 7‘Because of this, a man shall leave his father and mother and be faithfully devoted to his wife, 8and the two shall become one flesh.’ As a result, they are no longer two but one flesh. 9What therefore God has joined together, let not person separate.”
The quote from Genesis 1:27 in verse 6 is fundamental to Christian theology and ethics. He uses this quotation to support his teaching on marriage. These three verses are crucial for understanding God’s plan for humanity and deserve a careful study in all their nuances. God’s plan from the beginning was for humans to be in a bond of unity as male and female. Marriage was God’s will for how humanity could best experience love and commitment. Humans are not meant to be alone or isolated from one another but in fellowship.
This relationship is best experienced in the companionship of a person of the opposite sex. Males and females complement and complete each other. We are similar in many ways but also fundamentally different. A male can never fully be a female, although some men try. The interpretation of male and female behavior and roles is determined by culture and a person’s choices, but the uniqueness remains at the biological level. When the uniqueness of a male and female are joined together with unconditional love, the resulting relationship models God’s love for humanity. God has given the gift of marriage as a way for two persons to learn how to love God fully and one another unconditionally. God also gives a special gift to those who are single and who find companionship in service to him (1 Corinthians 7:6).
After Adam and Eve, marriage became a decision every person had to make. The definition of “marriage” has changed over the millennia and varies according to culture. Marriage does not necessarily involve a ceremony of some type but at least the decision to bond physically with another person for companionship, procreation, and pleasure. The problem is that the deep problem of human sin has distorted God’s purposes for marriage, and therefore, all kinds of deviations have developed and are rampant in our day. Marriage requires leaving one’s father and mother and becoming an independent adult. That does not mean that one’s relationship with one’s parents ends. Ideally, the bond with extended family grows in a new way, but the bond between a husband and wife is much greater and more intimate.
Jesus puts the emphasis in verse 7 on the man because men were especially the problem with divorce and in the question the Pharisees had. The same principle is true for a woman in that she, too, must leave her family and create a new family with her husband. Jesus describes the new bond as one flesh. This new flesh is more than a physical sexual union but one united personhood. The couple must work out how to make decisions and live in harmony, which can be a stressful experience, especially for the newly married. Disagreements, friction, hurt feelings, and failures happen in all marriages. The best place to put into practice and learn about grace is in a marriage. So much of the Christian life can be grown through marriage.
Because God created humans with the gift of marriage, this bond should not be destroyed. Verse 9 gives the crucial issue. Divorce should not be part of the lives of sanctified disciples who live in the shadow of the cross. Problems can be worked out with committed and forgiving love. Problems result from being unfaithful to God, which leads to unfaithfulness to one another. The type of love found in Jesus Christ makes for the happiest and most fulfilling marriage. When this love is compromised with human thinking, emotions, unfaithfulness, brokenness, pain, and sorrow will result. Jesus’ teaching is very clear in these verses. The sad reality is that divorce does happen. The emotional pain of betrayal runs deep and seems insurmountable and unforgivable. God can heal such brokenness and forgive the sins that have caused it. Many, if not most such problems can be resolved ahead of time if we will live like Jesus Christ and love our spouse the way God loves us.
For older posts, click here.