What The Bible REALLY Says About Marriage

There has been plenty written and said recently about marriage, same-sex union, and the Bible. Many Christians have loudly and repeatedly shared, said, or posted the words of Jesus when He is speaking to some Pharisees in Judaea:

Matthew 19:4-5 (KJV 1900) — 4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, 5 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?

Now, is Jesus saying that God created man and woman and brought them together in what we call today "Holy Matrimony"? 

YES! 

But......that is not all Jesus is saying.

Unfortunately, many who champion the words of verse 4 overlook the following verses, and the overall context of what Jesus is really trying to teach. First, lets look at the entire conversation Jesus had with the Pharisees:

Matthew 19:1–12 (KJV 1900) — 1 And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these sayings, he departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judaea beyond Jordan; 2 And great multitudes followed him; and he healed them there. 3 The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? 4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, 5 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? 6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. 7 They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? 8 He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery. 10 His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry. 11 But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. 12 For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother’s womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.

As you can see, the Pharisees initiated the conversation, and it has nothing to do with same-sex marriages. The question was asked in relation to DIVORCE, and Jesus' answer is a description as to why and how God began the institution of marriage. Did God design marriage to be between one man and one woman -YES. But also JUST AS IMPORTANT, God designed that marriage to be FOR LIFE! It is interesting to me to read and see how so many Christians are up in arms with this issue today, yet they have no problem with divorce. Truth be told, many of them are divorced themselves. Where is the consistency?

Have you ever stopped to wonder if our hypocritical attitude on this subject is actually repelling more people away from the Gospel instead of drawing them in? If you think the Bible is against same-sex marriage as a viable option (and it is), then you should also feel the same way about divorce (because Jesus does).  Where is the outrage over people discarding their sacred vows, tearing apart families, and causing confusion as to the Bible's stand against divorce? We cannot pick and choose the issues that we support or are against. Consistency is needed not only in the pulpit, but in the pew/seats as well. 

Just as those who have experienced divorce like to be treated with love and compassion, maybe we should be willing to extend that same grace to those fighting with the issue of same-sex marriage?