Friday 17 August 2012

17th August 2012 Matthew 19:3-12




Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”. “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”. “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”. Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.” The disciples said to him, “If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.”. Jesus replied, “Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others—and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”

We've all heard the first part of this reading, but I've never really taken on board the last verses before. Jesus says the majority should be married; but only if they can accept it. The example of eunochs is used, but that is just that, an example. There is freedom in this text, not against monogamy, but to find monogamy is whatever form of love is right for you.

Gay love; of course that is part of this.

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