What God has joined together

Matthew 19:1-12


1 Now when Jesus had finished these sayings, he went away from Galilee and entered the region of Judah beyond the Jordan. 2 And large crowds followed him, and he healed them there. 3 And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, "Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause?" 4 He answered, "Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, 'Therefore a man female shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate." 7 They said to him, " Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?" 8 He said to them, "Because of your hardness of heart. Moses allowed you to divorce you wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say to you : whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery." 10 The disciples said to him, "If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry." 11 But he said to them, "Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. 12 For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it."




Thinking and understanding


Basing his teaching on the principle of creation, Jesus taught the Pharisees who had brought with them the laws of Moses to try to put Jesus in a difficult situation. Men and women were created as equals and God made them unite through marriage. therefore, no man can separate two people whom God has joined together in marriage. However, marriage is not requirement for everyone. Some people are destined to be single from birth, while others devote themselves to a single life for sake of God's kingdom.



Who is God


God created human beings as male and female and formed communities of families. God desire to build up his kingdom through these precious families. Are we preparing ourselves in a pure and holy way for someone with whom we can build a family of faith in the Lord? Or, if God has already paired us with someone, are we striving with them to build a family of faith?



What lesson is God teaching us?


We must acknowledge and respect that some people have been called to be single. Just as marriage is a gift from God, a single life is also a gift from God. Therefore, we must stop our narrow-minded judgement, being on social expectations, of those who are single. we must also regard those who remain unmarried and devote themselves to God's work for the sake of God's Kingdom and the gospel as precious, and pray for their mission.