Matthew 19:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?

NIV: 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'?

NASB: and said, ‘FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND HIS MOTHER AND BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH’?

CSB: and he also said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'?

NLT: And he said, '‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’

KJV: And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?

NKJV: and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?

Jesus is answering a question from some Pharisees who are testing Him and trying to trip Him up. They want Him to say something controversial about the highly divisive issue of divorce. They hope any answer He gives will damage His popularity and, perhaps, give them cause to call Him a heretic (Matthew 19:1–4).

Jesus quoted from Genesis 1:27 in the previous verse, that God created people male and female. Now Jesus quotes from Genesis 2:24, which speaks of a man and woman becoming bound together in a marriage. Jesus, of course, knows the Pharisees have read these passages. His point is that those who treat divorce lightly do not value what God has revealed to them.

This point will be driven home in the following verse. Already, though, Jesus shows that God established marriage from the very beginning of creation. It is built into the design of humanity as men and women. Marriage is more than two people coming alongside each other to do life together; it is the union of two people into one flesh. This happens, in part, through sex, but also through the commitment built into the marriage connection.

Because that is true, what does it mean for breaking that union in divorce? Jesus reveals God's heart in the following verse.

Matthew 19:1–12 is Jesus' response to a question from Pharisees about divorce. After establishing that marriage was designed to be lifelong by God at creation, Jesus insists that divorce is unlawful except in the case of sexual immorality. The disciples suggest it would be better not to marry, at all, in that case. Jesus says that is not true, and a life of celibacy is only for certain people, such as eunuchs of various kinds.

Pharisees ask Jesus if it is lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause. Jesus reminds them marriage was designed by God at creation. Divorce, then, is lawful only in the case of sexual immorality. A rich young man asks Jesus what good thing he must do to have eternal life. Jesus insists only God is good. He challenges the man's sincerity by asking him to give all his wealth to the poor and follow Him. The man's refusal demonstrates how easy it is to prefer wealth to dependence on God. In response to the disciples' question, Jesus says salvation is impossible with men but not with God.

Matthew 19 follows Jesus' teachings about temptation and forgiveness in chapter 18. This passage begins with Jesus leaving behind Galilee and heading toward Jerusalem the long way around. Jesus tells the Pharisees that divorce is legal only in cases of sexual immorality. Jesus blesses little children and then answers a rich young man who asks how to have eternal life. The man leaves sad after Jesus challenges him to give his money to the poor and follow Him. Jesus says salvation is impossible with men, but not with God. Chapter 20 contains additional parables and examples, and is the last before Jesus arrives in Jerusalem in the days just prior to His crucifixion.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.