The Meaning of Marriage

1. Jesus’ encounter with the Pharisees:
Jesus encounters the Pharisees on the subject of marriage and divorce. While the Pharisees are seeking to tarnish Jesus’ popularity with the crowds, Jesus replies with a vision for marriage that is different than theirs.
The Pharisees asked, “Is it lawful?”
Jesus answered with, “In the beginning…”
The difference is that the Pharisees are focusing on the law’s allowances for marriage while Jesus is focusing on God’s design for marriage.
2. God’s design for marriage:
Jesus goes to Genesis for his teaching about marriage. He quotes, “God made them male and female.”, and, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”
Jesus’ teaching in this passage is that the very creation of man as male and female image bearers implies that marriage is designed to be permanent.
3. Why/How?
God has designed us as image bearers. (We are supposed to make him known.)
God’s standards show us his best for image bearing. (This is how we display a clear image instead of a distorted image.)
God’s design for marriage is that it be a picture of His relationship with His people. God never forsakes his covenant with his people.
Therefore husbands and wives should not forsake their covenant with God and each other.
Application:
What is our motivation in getting married?
Do we get married to meet our needs for companionship, love, acceptance? Marriage cannot bear this load. Let us look to Jesus to meet all of our relational needs.
Marriage was designed to be a picture of God and his people.
Let us look to the reality of God’s relationship with his people and let it govern our own marriages as pictures of that reality.
God is faithful to his people even when they are unfaithful. Let your faithfulness be like God’s faithfulness.
God is pursuing his people in love even when they are unlovely. Let your pursuit be like God’s pursuit.
Final Note: If you have divorce in your past, you are not more of a sinner than anyone else. The Good News is that Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins and take away our shame. If you have trusted in him, he has washed you clean! Do not try to bear shame that Jesus has already born on your behalf. Trust in Him for forgiveness!