M² Marriage
M² Marriage is a workgroup exploring a restored model of marriage centered on the teachings of Jesus... View more
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Getting Started: The Bible on Marriage
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Getting Started: The Bible on Marriage
Suzy and I have been praying about doing something to help all the married couples out there — a retreat or something as a place to start. It’s probably our life stage, but we can’t think of many couples we know who are doing well and feeling profoundly blessed to be together. A great many have been or are now contemplating divorce. As a friend of mine would say, “we ain’t got to live like that.”
I’m a little reluctant of trying to take this on. My first condition to Suzy was that we really study up on what Scripture had to say on the topic — not just as prep or background, but to make sure our own marriage is aligned to truth. So here goes:
Marriage in OT
- Gen 1:26-31: On the sixth day, God created humans in his image — specifically both male and female. The formulation here seems to make it definite one of two things: (1) either both male and female alone bear the complete image of God, or (2) together male and female bear a complete the image of God. Which it means is unclear, but both are given the Adamic Covenant and with it charge to be fruitful and have dominion as implications of the image they bear. This passage is not explicitly about marriage, yet how a person interprets it will definitely have bearing on how they view marriage. Jesus referenced this passage when teaching on divorce in Mt 19, pointing out the creator-authority of God is the source and upholder of the marriage union.
- Gen 2:20-24: Adam has no suitable helper/mate among the animals. God creates woman out off man. Adam recognizes Eve’s identity and by implication of that identity, the “one flesh” covenant of marriage is created — eventually used by Jesus (Mk 10:1-12, Mt 19:3-12). ( NOTE: Gen 2 differs from significantly from Gen 1:27 were humans are created “male and female” on the sixth day — both in the image of God. Paul picks up on this — with maybe some influence from Rabbinical tradition — in 1 Cor 11:7-9 when he claims men are the glory of God created in his image and women are the glory of men. But Paul also acknowledges two realities in that he later says, “Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman; for as woman was made from man, so man is now born of woman. And all things are from God.” v.11-12.)
- Deut 22:13-30: A collection of laws protecting marriage — especially the rights of men: husbands (against defilement of wives) and fathers (against loss of dowry). The primary concern, in my view, is the preservation of the lineage-rights system in a Lineage-Agrarian society. In all cases, a man may not violate another’s wife or a potential wife and must uphold dowry. A man may, through misconduct or direction or rape, be forced to marry a violated virgin, but he looses the right of divorce. Corrupting another man’s wife or betrothed will result in death — for the man and also the woman in certain cases. Marrying your mother or step-mother is prohibited.
- Deut 24:1-5: A man who finds something indecent in his wife divorces his wife by giving her a certificate of divorce — this is the case, not the rule (it is an assumed resisting practice). The rule is if she remarries and this too ends, he may not take her back — this would be an abomination since she is “defiled” and this will bring sin on land (v 1-4). This passage — and the rabbinical tradition surrounding it — seem to be the cause of Jesus’ discourse in Mt 19. Likewise, a man is exempt from all public service for the first year of marriage (v 5). Both laws establish marriage as something special.
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This discussion was modified 2 months, 2 weeks ago by
Ben.
sefaria.org
Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin said in the name of Rabbi Levi: Vayaven is written16The letters of vayiven can also be read vayaven, He acted with thought. – He...
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Marriage in the NT
- Sermon on the Mount
- Mt 19:3-12 Jesus answers the Pharisees’ question on divorce, likely based on a controversial interpretation of Deut 24:1-4. He references Genesis 1 (v.4) — where humanity is created in God’s image as male and female. He makes an appeal to Yahweh’s creator-authority then connects this immediately to Genesis 2 (skipping the woman-origin story) saying the same creator said they will form a new family unit and become one flesh. He then prohibits man separating what was joined by God’s authority. When the Pharisees’ object appealing to Moses, Jesus says Moses permitted it “because of the hardness of your hearts.” Jesus is rightly pointing out the Deut 24 law is permissive, not prescriptive. In fact, divorce is not legally instituted anywhere in the Law, though rules are given to govern man’s apparently established practice which had evolved after “the beginning” where God’s pure creative intention was revealed. It’s interesting that this section is followed directly by the blessing of Children — at least one way that marriage becomes “one flesh” — and the command to be like them to enter the Kingdom. Next, it’s The Rich Young Ruler whose moral-of-the-story is reward for giving up spouses and children among other things. If we take this as a whole teaching, these second two sections would add to marriage two important ideas. (1) “They were like two kids again” — pursuit of the Kingdom in marriage requires the freedom of dependence on God like children and perhaps an open-hearted joyful acceptance and innocence. (2) Marriage and family do not supersede Jesus and his Kingdom in priority and must be aligned through sacrifice and submission to following Jesus.
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