Jesus & the Law – on marriage & family … (11/22/18)
The ancient Jewish culture (and as such also the ancient Law of the Israelites) was in great part founded upon familial relations remaining tight-knit. Indeed, the very first law given to the Jews in the Bible was God’s command for them to “be fruitful and multiply” (see Genesis 1:28 – also Leviticus 26:9)1, and one of the Law’s primary “Ten Commandments” was the requirement to “honor your mother and father” (see Exodus 20:12, Leviticus 19:3, & Deuteronomy 5:16). As such, verbally cursing or physically striking one’s parents – or in any other way acting as a “rebellious son” – was considered in ancient Israel to be an offense that warranted (and indeed mandated) the death penalty (see Exodus 20:12, Exodus 21:15-17, Leviticus 20:9, & Deuteronomy 21:18-21). In stark contrast, Jesus not only preached a gospel founded upon a radical forgiveness of sin (including those sins deemed by the Law to be capital crimes – see Matthew 6:12-15, Matthew 9:13, Matthew 18:21-222, Matthew 26:28, Mark 2:17, Mark 11:25, Luke 5:32, Luke 6:37, Luke 7:47-48, Luke 17:3-4, & John 8:1-11 et al), he also openly redefined what it meant to be considered “family” under the Law – stating quite boldly (and, certainly according to the legal interpretations of the Pharisees, quite heretically): “Whomever comes to me and does not hate3 father and mother, wife and children, and brothers and sisters– yes, even life itself – cannot be my disciple.” (see Luke 14:26 – also Matthew 10:37)
Indeed, once when he was informed that his mother and brothers were waiting to speak with him, he had the audacity to point to his nearby followers and reply, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whomever does the will of my heavenly Father4 is my true brother and sister and mother.” (see Matthew 12:46-50, Mark 3:31-35, & Luke 8:19-21 – also Matthew 23:9, Luke 22:28-30, John 15:14, & John 19:26-27), and another time even announced to his disciples that, “everyone who has left homes or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for the sake of my Good News … will receive a hundredfold in this age, and eternal life in the age to come.” (see Mark 10:28-30 – also Matthew 19:27-29 & Luke 18:28-30)
The Law was also quite clear in both its furtherance of marriage (for procreative purposes, as well as to assure the sustainability of the Jewish culture – see Genesis 2:24, Deuteronomy 22:13, Deuteronomy 23:2-9, Deuteronomy 24:5) and its frowning upon divorce (probably for similar reasons – see Deuteronomy 22:19 & Deuteronomy 24:1-4). As such, it comes as no surprise when we see Jesus – radical reformer of the Law that he was – clearly downplaying the sanctity of marital unions while also denouncing the dissolution of any such unions already sanctified. Whereas the Law identified marriage as a sacred contract, Jesus made it quite clear that marriage was anything but heavenly, saying that “in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are instead like angels in Heaven” (see Matthew 22:25-30 – also Mark 12:18-25 & Luke 20:27-36) and even affirmed his disciples’ opinion that “it is better not to marry.” (see Matthew 19:10-11) In addition, whereas the Law made it clear that divorce was allowed by anyone providing his wife with the required certificate thereof, Jesus denounced divorce entirely – making it equally clear that “[it was] because of your hardness of heart [that Moses] wrote this commencement for you, and yet … what God has joined together, let no one separate … [As such] anyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery.” (see Mark 10:2-12 – also Matthew 5:31-325 & Luke 16:18)
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1 NOTE that this commandment – along with most if not all of the other Mitzvot found in the Torah – was actually given by “the Elohim,” the Greek word for “gods” in the plural (Strong’s #430 – directly distinguishable from el, the same word’s singular form – Strong’s #410, as found in Isaiah 45:22) that is incorrectly translated as the singular moniker “God” in most Bibles. In truth, the Elohim actually represent highly dysfunctional “fallen angels” – very much like the highly dysfunctional commandments they announce throughout the Pentateuch, and very unlike the Father of perfect Love (YHWH or Adonai in the ancient texts, translated as “LORD” in many Bibles – see Strong’s #3068 & #113, respectively) who Jesus adores, worships, and follows (see Matthew 5:48, Luke 6:36, & 1 John 4 et al).
2 NOTE that Jesus’ reference to the sum of “seventy times seven times” in this passage is quite significant – first & foremost for the way it dramatically (and obviously purposefully) contrasts with the only other time it is used in the entire Bible (see Genesis 4:24), and secondly for the way it symbolically calls for everyone in the entire world (the seventy nations mentioned in Genesis 10) to be forgiven completely & without limitation (with seven representing completion or perfection in the Jewish culture of the day).
3 NOTE the Greek word here translated as “hate” is miseo (Strong’s #3404), a term that just as often meant “to love less than” or “to hold in less esteem” (see also Matthew 5:43-44, Matthew 24:9-10, & Luke 6:22-27 et al).
4 It is worth remembering that Jesus’ heavenly Father was the embodiment of “perfect Love” (Matthew 5:48) – a Love that knew neither fear nor punishment (1 John 4:18). And as such, the will of said Father can only summon its followers to a similar purity of selfless service and all-forgiving caring.
5NOTE that the phrase “except on the grounds of unchastity” present in this passage (and also found in Matthew 19:3-11) is completely absent in the reflective passages found in all three of the other canonical Gospels.
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