Friday: 19^th Week in Ordinary Time-A

I Reading: Ezekiel 16:1-15.60.63: You were perfect in beauty because I had clothed you with my own splendour; and you have made yourself a prostitute.

Gospel: Matthew 19:3-12: You were so unteachable that Moses allowed you to divorce your wives; it was not like this from the beginning.

The Sanctity of Marriage, Mt 19:1-12

The questions regarding marriage and divorce are always burning questions, extremely controversial within societies heavily influenced by Christian teaching. God blessed the male and female and united them to be the companions for procreation to continue the work of God and to help each other till the end of their lives. God never intended them to be divorced because of the unity and indisobility of the marriage.

What Jesus did was that he spoke up and taught about the issue, and the issue was as controversial in his days as it has been in succeeding generation (Mt 5:31-32; 1Cor 7:1-7;7:8-16).

1. A contrast between two attitudes toward Jesus (v.1-3)

a. Jesus left Galilee and entered Jordan

b. Attitude 1: Seeking help by the large crowds

c. Attitude 2: Testing and questioning by the religionists-questioned him about marriage

2. There is the creation of male and female (v.4)

3. There is a creation of a new family (v.5)

4. There is the creation of one body (v.5-6)

a. God joins the two bodies into one body

b. Man is not to separate the body of marriage

5. There is the ideal of permanence in marriage (v.7-8)

a. The question of legal divorce

b. Divorce was only a confession

c. The cause: hard hearts

d. Divorce was never intended by God

6. There is the allowance for divorce: Marital unfaithfulness (v.9)

7. There is the supernatural power needed for marriage (v.10-11)

a. Disciples questioned the hard and fast rule

b. Jesus replied: Only believers can receive this truth

8. There is the highest ideal in marriage: Total devotion to God’s kingdom (v.12)

Thought: Creation is the root basis for marriage: one male for one female; one female for one male. There was no one else, just Adam and Eve. This was not so with the creation of other animals. They were created en masse; a large number were created simultaneously. The male and female were created in the image and likeness of God as spiritual beings, created for much higher purposes sharing their purposes together in constant fellowship with God.

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