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Explanation for:
Matthew
19
:
4
Who answering, said to them: Have ye not read, that he who made man from the beginning, Made them male and female? And he said:
10
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{"arr":[{"author-name":"Gregory the Theologian","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88c5f2a7f789cd7951c81_Gregory%20the%20Theologian.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"He was aware of the right questions to raise and when to silence those who questioned Him. When confronted with the inquiry, “By what authority are you doing this?” (Luke 20:2), and recognizing the profound ignorance of His interrogators, He responded by inquiring, “Was John’s baptism from heaven or from men?” (Luke 20:4). By making it impossible for them to respond, He trapped His questioners. Similarly, we, emulating Christ, can also occasionally silence the inquiries of the overly curious and resolve their inappropriate queries with even more perplexing ones. For we ourselves possess no true wisdom, even if at times we might boast of unwise actions. Yet, when Christ perceives that a question necessitates thoughtful consideration, He does not condescend to provide wise responses to the questioners. He said, “Your question reflects a regard for chastity and warrants a lenient answer. However, concerning chastity, I observe that many hold a flawed understanding, and their laws are neither fair nor just. Why is it that the law restrains women while granting men freedom? The wife who transgresses against her husband faces legal repercussions for adultery, yet a husband who does the same is not held accountable. I cannot accept such laws, nor do I endorse such customs. Husbands, having shaped the legislation, have turned the law against their wives, leaving children under paternal authority while neglecting the vulnerable. Contrary to this, God ordained otherwise, declaring, “Honor your father and your mother” (Exodus 20:12)—this is the first commandment accompanied by the promise: it will go well with you, and anyone who speaks ill of their father or mother shall be put to death (Exodus 21:16). Observe how this legislation offers equality, honoring the good and punishing the evil. Additionally, the blessings of a father enrich the homes of his children, while a mother's curses lay them to waste (Sir. 3:9). Consider how just the law is; one Creator fashioned husband and wife, one flesh—both share one image, one law, one mortality, and one resurrection, equally born of husband and wife, with children owing the same duty to both parents. How can you demand chastity while failing to uphold it? You ask for what you do not provide. Why, being of the same esteemed nature yourselves, do you not legislate with fairness? If we assess the faults, both wife and husband fell into sin, with the serpent leading both astray, neither being weaker or stronger. However, if we look at the greater truth, both find salvation through Christ’s suffering. For the husband, He became flesh, and for the wife, He died—salvation through His death is available to both. Christ is acknowledged as the seed of David, which may be perceived as honoring the husband, yet He is also born of the Virgin—honoring the wives!"},{"author-name":"Jerome of Stridon","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88dcd3432c6dd41375498_Jerome%20of%20Stridon.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"In the opening of the book of Genesis, it is stated that God created man and woman. By using the singular terms \\"man\\" and \\"woman,\\" He indicates that a second marital union should be avoided. This choice of words suggests that the intent is not to promote multiple unions that could fracture the original bond but rather to emphasize the commitment of a husband to his wife alone."},{"author-name":"John Chrysostom","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88ea76859f9f8e2ffd3ee_John%20Chrysostom.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"What response does He give them? Did He not state, ‘Why do you test Me, you hypocrites’ (Matthew 22:18)? While He addresses this later, He does not respond in this manner at this moment. Why is that? To display gentleness alongside His authority. He does not remain silent entirely, lest they presume His ignorance; nor does He constantly scold, to illustrate that all matters should be handled with humility. How does He reply to them? He asks, ‘Have you not read,’ indicating that He, who has fashioned man and woman from the very beginning, has indeed created them? He also declared, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh; therefore they are no longer two but one flesh. What God has joined together, let not man separate’ (vv. 4-6). Be amazed at the teacher’s wisdom! In response to the inquiry, ‘Is it permissible?’ He refrains from saying immediately, ‘You should not,’ fearing they might take offense and cause a disturbance. Instead, before delivering His definitive answer, He clarifies His teaching by revealing that His directive aligns with His Father’s decree and that it complements Moses’ law rather than opposing it.\\n\\nHe underscores His message not only by asserting that God created male and female but also by referencing the command given post-creation. He did not merely declare that God created one man and one woman; rather, He stated that they were commanded to unite as one. If God had intended for a woman to be abandoned in favor of another, He would have crafted one man and multiple women. Thus, through the act of creation and the essence of the law, Jesus demonstrated the permanence of the union between husband and wife, affirming that they should remain bonded for life and never parted. Observe how He states, ‘He who created them from the beginning made them male and female,’ meaning that because they originate from a single source, they should unite as one body. Then, considering the gravity of breaching this command and affirming its law, He did not merely say, ‘Do not dissolve or separate,’ but proclaimed, ‘What God has united, let no one part.’ If you invoke Moses, I invoke the Lord of Moses, and I affirm the timelessness of this ordinance. God created male and female from the start; I am that Creator. This law is the oldest (though it appears to be newly introduced by Me) and is set with utmost seriousness. God did not simply lead the husband to the wife but commanded him to leave his parents; He didn’t just instruct him to approach the wife but enjoined him to cling to her, revealing through His choice of words the indissolubility of their bond. Yet, He went further, calling for a deeper union: ‘the two shall become one flesh.’ \\n\\nHaving articulated the ancient law, affirmed by both action and speech, and demonstrated its validity through the One who issued it, He elaborated further with authority, intensifying His assertion by stating, ‘For this cause, they are no longer two but one flesh.’ Therefore, just as it is a grievous act to sever flesh, so it is an offense to part from one’s spouse. He did not stop there; in His affirmation, He invoked God, asserting: ‘What God has joined together, let not man separate.’ Through these words, He reveals that to divorce contravenes both nature and divine law: against nature, as it entails the division of the same flesh; against law, because it attempts to dismantle what God has established and has not sanctioned for separation. What remains to be done? Should we not remain silent and celebrate what has been articulated? Would you not be in awe of such wisdom? Would you not be astonished by this harmony with the Father? Yet the Pharisees do not respond in kind; they continue to debate, asking further questions."},{"author-name":"Anonymous Commentary (Opus Imperfectum)","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":4,"exegesis-text":"A husband and a wife. Not a husband with multiple wives, implying that he is required to have several; nor a husband and a wife where one spouse is obligated to have multiple partners. Rather, He declared that it is a husband and a wife, so that the woman conceives that there is no other man in existence except for him, and the man perceives that there is no other woman in the world apart from her. For He did not take two or three ribs from Adam to form two or three wives. If a second or third wife were to come before you as Eve approached Adam, how could you proclaim to her, “This is bone of my bones” (Gen. 2:23)? If the woman before you is merely a rib, then she is not yours. Should you refrain from uttering those words to her, you will fail to affirm her as your wife; but if you do say them, it would not be truthful."},{"author-name":"Theophylact of Bulgaria","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8989296bafed9104677d7_Theophylact%20of%20Bulgaria.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":11,"exegesis-text":"\\"At the outset,\\" Christ declares, \\"God ordained that a man and a woman be united; therefore, a man must not be united with multiple wives, nor a woman with multiple husbands. Just as they were brought together from the very beginning, they should remain so, not dissolving their union without just cause.\\" To prevent the Pharisees from being taken aback, Christ does not use the phrase \\"I\\" created humanity, but rather speaks more generally: \\"He who created.\\" In this way, He indicates that God holds marriage in such high regard that He permit even a child to leave their parents in order to unite with their spouse."},{"author-name":"Euthymios Zigabenos","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":11,"exegesis-text":"This statement can be located within Genesis 2:24. Contemplate the Lord's humility; despite being aware of the temptation directed at Him, He refrained from asking, \\"Why are you tempting Me?\\" as He did at another time (Matthew 22:18), nor did He exhibit anger as He had on other occasions. His refusal to rebuke consistently reflects His forbearance and serves to instruct His followers in enduring wrongs with patience. However, He is not perpetually patient, as such might lead the wicked to believe He is unaware of their actions, thereby exposing their deceit for what it is. Observe the depth of His understanding. When questioned about the permissibility of a matter, He did not explicitly declare it impermissible to avoid inciting dispute and anger, but rather guided them gently by referring to the creation of humanity in the beginning. What does He convey? Is it not evident that He who formed them from the inception created male and female? This indicates that from the start, there was one man for one woman. If God had intended for a man to dismiss his wife to take another, He would have created more women from the outset. The fact that He did not suggests His desire that a husband remain committed to his wife."},{"author-name":"Michail (Lusin)","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c89550c567e172d15b3055_Michail%20(Lusin).png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"He addressed them, without referencing the differing views of the rabbis, which the people also embraced. The Lord uses Scripture to illustrate the creation of man and woman and the foundational principles of marriage. In doing so, He clarifies the true significance of the matter and skillfully resolves the challenging inquiry. “Male,” meaning one, “and female,” also meaning one, He created (Gen. 1:27)."},{"author-name":"Kochomski S.W.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"He responded to them by emphasizing the honor bestowed upon the wife through her bond with her husband by lineage. He also sought to affirm the significance of marriage, which is not merely a social construct but rather a sacred institution reflecting the authority of divine law. Is it not evident that the Creator, who fashioned both male and female from the very beginning, did so singularly? The One who created mankind did not fashion the husband first and then, as an afterthought, the wife as if she were of lesser value or importance. Instead, He brought both into existence simultaneously from the outset. The term \\"I created\\" refers to humanity as a whole, encapsulating both the male and female forms, indicating that the Lord fashioned humanity as a unity comprising both genders, inherent and interdependent. Thus, while we can observe distinctions between noble and honorable husbands and those who may be undervalued and looked down upon, the original design encompassed both male and female as essential and dignified parts of God's creation."},{"author-name":"Abbot Panteleimon about the Trinity","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"He responded to them, saying, \\"Your inquiry indicates,\\" as St. Gregory the Theologian notes, \\"an appreciation for purity and thus merits a compassionate response. It is evident that many misconstrue the concept of purity and misinterpret the Law itself. Why does the Law restrain only women, granting freedom to men? Why is a wife who is unfaithful subject to punishment while a husband who betrays his wife faces no consequences? Such a Law and tradition are not recognized by me.\\" You inquire: Is this acceptable? Yet, embedded in this question is already an answer. Anything that a person questions and doubts cannot be deemed permissible. Concerning the sanctity of marriage, have you not read in the books of Moses that God, the one who created humanity, made man and woman? He created just one man and one woman. \\"If God intended for a man to abandon his wife and take another,\\" St. Chrysostom asserts, \\"He would have fashioned one man and multiple women.\\" Notice, there exists one Creator of both husband and wife; one essence in them; one law governing them, one death, one resurrection; and the same obligations must be fulfilled by children to both their father and mother, as it is written, \\"Honour thy father and thy mother,\\" and \\"Whoever curses his father or mother must be put to death\\" (Exodus 20:12, Exodus 21:17). Likewise, \\"The blessing of a father establishes the homes of his children, but the curse of a mother lays them to waste\\" (Sir. 3:9). If you argue, \\"The wife has sinned, and the husband has sinned; there was nothing to indicate one was weaker and the other stronger,\\" as St. Gregory the Theologian states, you observe that before God’s Law, both stand on equal footing. It is proclaimed that Christ descends from the lineage of David, and He is also referred to as the Seed of the Woman."},{"author-name":"Gladkow B.I.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88bf0ceef8c96e09a6521_Gladkow%20B.I..png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"Jesus’ discourse on marriage, divorce, and celibacy, specifically regarding virginity, was sparked by the inquiries of the Pharisees and later by the disciples. This prompted Jesus to clarify the permanence of marriage and the call to celibacy. The permanence of marriage is affirmed, along with the allowance for divorce in cases of infidelity, as articulated earlier in the exposition of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:31-32)."}]}
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