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Explanation for:
Matthew
19
:
5
For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and they two shall be in one flesh.
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":"\\"It is written, ‘And they shall be two,’ as ‘one flesh’ (Matthew 19:5), and this united flesh will share the same honor. Paul also sets forth the virtue of chastity through his example. But in what manner and through what example? This mystery is profound; I refer to Christ and the Church (Eph. 5:32). The wife is encouraged to honor Christ through her husband, and likewise, the husband is to uphold the honor of the Church through his wife. The wife should revere her husband out of her reverence for Christ, while the husband should love his wife in the same way that Christ loves the Church. Let us approach these words with thoughtful attention. Just as the churning of milk produces butter (Proverbs 30:33), reflect carefully, and you may uncover something even more enriching within them. It appears to me that the Scriptures here disapprove of polygamy; if there are two Christs, then there would be two husbands and two wives, but if there is one Christ, the sole head of the Church, there exists but one flesh, and all else should be rejected. If a second marriage is not acceptable, what can we say about a third? The first marriage is a divine decree, the second a concession, and the third is pure wickedness. Those who breach even this boundary are akin to swine and have few examples of such disgrace.\\""},{"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":"Similarly, it is stated, “He shall be joined to his wife,” emphasizing the singular, not “to his wives.” The essence of the matrimonial covenant is that the two become one flesh. Purity and spirit are unified, creating a single spiritual entity. Hence, what God has united, let no one put asunder. The ancient Synodal Russian translation asserts, “Therefore, what God has joined together, let man not separate.” This uniting occurs when man and woman become one flesh; no human can sever this bond, except God Himself. When a man abandons his first wife out of desire for another, he introduces division; however, God also separates—He who brought them together—when, in service to Him and by mutual consent, we regard our spouses as if we do not have them, as noted in 1 Corinthians 7:29."},{"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 was His response to them? Did He not declare, ‘Why do you test me, you hypocrites’ (Matthew 22:18)? Although He later states this, He does not do so here. Why? To demonstrate humility alongside His authority. He does not remain silent forever, so they do not assume ignorance on His part; nor does He reprimand at all times, teaching us that we must endure all things with gentleness. How does He reply? Have you not read, for He who has fashioned male and female from the very beginning, I am the creator? And He specified, For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh; thus, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore, what God has united, let no man separate (vv. 4-6). Behold the wisdom of the Teacher! To the question of ‘Is it permissible?’ He does not immediately respond with a ‘No,’ fearing they may be offended and cause an uproar; rather, He clarifies His stance first, revealing that His directive aligns with His Father’s commandment and is not at odds with Moses but fully in line with it. Observe that He reinforces His teaching not only through the fact that God created man and woman but also through the command He issued after their creation; He did not merely state that God created one man and one woman, but rather commanded them—each one—to unite as one. Had God intended for a man to leave his wife for another, He would have made one man and many women. Thus, through both the act of creation and the establishment of the law, Jesus Christ demonstrates that marriage is intended to be a lifelong union, never to be dissolved. Notice how He expresses, ‘He who created from the beginning, male and female have I created,’ indicating that since they originate from a single source, they must remain united as one body. Then, contemplating the gravity of violating this command and affirming the law, He does not merely say, ‘Do not dissolve, do not separate,’ but rather, ‘What God has joined together, let not man separate.’ If you cite Moses, I appeal to the God of Moses, affirming the timelessness of this ordinance. God formed male and female from the outset. This law, the most ancient, although now seemingly introduced by me, has been established with great care. God did not merely bring the husband to the wife but commanded him to leave both his mother and father; He did not just instruct him to approach his wife but to cling to her, illustrating through His own words the permanence of the bond. Yet He did not stop there; He also called for a deeper union: ‘they shall become one flesh.’ Having thoroughly interpreted the ancient law—established by deed and word—and having verified its reliability through Him who originated it, He elaborates with authority, intensifying His statement with, ‘For this reason, there are no longer two, but one flesh.’ Thus, as it is wrong to harm the flesh, so too is it wrong to separate from one’s spouse. He continued by affirming, ‘What God has united, let not man separate.’ With these words, He illustrates that divorce contradicts both nature and law: against nature, as the unity of flesh is severed; against law, as one attempts to divide that which God has joined and has not commanded to be divided. What follows from this? Should we not be in awe and honor the wisdom expressed? Should we not be amazed by such harmony with the Father? Yet the Pharisees do none of this; they persist in their arguments and counter."},{"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":"In the book of Genesis, it is recorded that Adam expressed the words, “Therefore shall man leave his father and mother,” yet Christ attributes this statement to God, declaring, “therefore shall he leave,” and so forth. We contend that Adam spoke these words through divine inspiration, meaning that Adam's pronouncement is indeed the pronouncement of God Himself."},{"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":"Demonstrating through the very essence of creation that divorce is not permissible, He further supports this assertion with God’s command. It is noteworthy that in Genesis, these words appear to originate from Adam, who speaks prophetically about his wife; nonetheless, Christ clarifies that this is a divine command rather than merely a prophecy from Adam. It is important to recognize that this statement can indeed be interpreted as both a prophecy inspired by God and a commandment issued through Adam, who may have been speaking under divine inspiration. Thus, when Christ refers to the Creator’s words, He cites, “For this cause,” indicating that the woman was made from the man’s rib (as noted prior to this command), affirming that a man should leave his father and mother, and the two shall become one flesh. This signifies becoming one body, united in a sacred bond. Since God has ordained for them to be one body, it follows that divorce is not allowed."},{"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":"And He spoke, that is, Christ, continuing His address: \\"Have you not read it yet?\\" Therefore, a man shall leave his father and mother (Gen. 2:24), and so forth. In the beginning, God created a single man and a single woman, and it is evident that the Creator's design was for a man to have one wife and remain committed to her. \\"If God had intended for a wife to be left for another, He would have made one man with many wives\\" (Chrysostom). The fundamental law of marriage, articulated by God through Adam, conveys the same message: \\"Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother,\\" which signifies that a husband must hold fast to his wife, even more than to his parents. Thus, their marital bond is stronger than any other relationship, surpassing the natural bond a child shares with their parents as he leaves them to unite with his wife. \\n\\n\\"He shall cleave to his wife\\" indicates the most profound and intimate connection, one that cannot be broken. \\"They shall be two, one flesh,\\" signifies that the husband and wife should be unified in thought, feeling, purpose, and action; they shall be one entity, animated by a shared spirit. This encapsulates the concept of marriage as ordained by divine intention. If they are bound in such a union, they must not be torn apart; a man is to have only one spouse and not abandon her. For these reasons, coupled with the understanding that God created one man and one woman from the outset and has united them in such profound ties, separation is not permissible: \\"What God has joined together, let not man separate.\\" The only instance in which this divine ordinance can be nullified is in the case of infidelity, which breaches the sanctity of the marriage covenant, thereby permitting divorce in such circumstances (Matt. 19:9).\\n\\nTherefore, both through the act of creation and the establishment of the law, Jesus Christ clarified that a husband and wife should be united eternally and never divided: \\"What God hath joined together, let not man separate.\\" If you refer to Moses, I point to the Lord of Moses, affirming the longevity of this institution, as God \\"in the beginning created man and woman.\\" This law is indeed the most ancient although I may seem to be introducing it now, and it has been set forth with a specific purpose. For I did not merely bring a husband to a wife, nor did I command the abandonment of both mother and father without directive; rather, I called for their union, emphasizing inseparability through these very words. \\"The flesh is one; thus, just as it is unlawful to divide flesh, so it is against the divine law to separate from one's wife\\" (Chrysostom)."},{"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 spoke. Who? God, through the voice of the patriarch Adam, who upon first encountering Eve recognized her as his own flesh and bone. Inspired by God, he referred to her as a wife, acknowledging her as one taken from her husband, and by divine revelation established the enduring law of marriage for all of humanity. For this reason, stemming from a single, united origin, a man, that is, a husband, shall leave his father and mother and join with his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. The term \\"flesh\\" here signifies \\"man.\\" Thus, husband and wife unite as one entity: before creation, the wife existed within the husband as a single being; through the sacred bond of marriage, they are reunited as one. This union involves a profound level of spiritual and physical connection, requiring the husband to leave behind the family he comes from, a bond unlike any other. What, then, is the significance of Christ's reference to Adam's divinely inspired words? It is that, according to Christ's declaration, Adam not only foretold the future but also established moral law, speaking of what should not only be but ought to be, illustrating not merely the husband's desire for his wife, but also his responsibilities toward her. Consequently, the Lord further states, as recorded in Eu. Mk. 10:8, “For this reason, they are no longer two, but one flesh.”"},{"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":"The Lord Jesus continued, stating that it was God's intention for a husband and wife to exist together as one. This is why He allowed them to leave their parents and unite with each other. Have you not read in the book of Genesis: \\"FOR THIS CAUSE SHALL A MAN LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER, AND SHALL BE JOINED UNTO HIS WIFE; AND THEY SHALL BE ONE FLESH\\"? Therefore, they are no longer two individuals, but one flesh, sharing thoughts, feelings, intentions, and actions, functioning as a single entity, like one soul. To separate them goes against both natural order and divine Law: “against nature, because the same flesh is severed,” as St. Chrysostom points out, “and against the Law, as you seek to split what God has joined.” Thus, “WHAT GOD HAS JOINED TOGETHER, LET NOT MAN PUT ASUNDER.” If you refer to Moses, I draw your attention to the Lord Himself: Moses could not have established a Law that contradicts the Lord. God did not merely unite a husband with a wife and instruct them to leave their parents, but commanded them to become one flesh, indicating through His very words that this bond is indissoluble."},{"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":"In His discourse on marriage, divorce, and celibacy, Jesus addressed inquiries posed by the Pharisees and later by His disciples. These discussions led to His profound teachings on the permanence of marriage and the value of celibacy. He emphasized the sanctity of marriage, explicitly indicating that divorce is permissible only in instances of adultery, as previously noted in the context of the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:31-32)."},{"author-name":"Paul Matwejewski","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8969f5be0d592d5a10576_Paul%20Matwejewski.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"The Lord Jesus Christ elevated His audience's understanding by directing them back to the divine inception of marriage, thus addressing the core of the debate while illuminating the true meaning of the Mosaic law. When questioned by the Pharisees, His response included a question: \\"Is it not evident that He who created male and female from the beginning created them as one?\\" He reiterated, \\"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, there are no longer two but one flesh; what God has united, let no one separate. The creation of a singular couple (Genesis 1:27) illustrates that the union of husband and wife is a sacred bond, instituted by God, and to breach this covenant is to go against the will of the Creator. The matrimonial bond stands even more profound than the closest familial connection, as a son leaves his parents to unite with his wife. They are one flesh (Gen. 2:24), and just as it is unnatural to split a body into separate parts, so it is contrary to nature to sever the union of husband and wife. Such is the divine order of marriage as initially established."}]}
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