Gospel of Matthew - Chapter 19 Part 1
In this first installment of Father Michael Garcia's look at the Gospel of Matthew Chapter 19, we discover Jesus's journey from Galilee to Jerusalem, the Pharisees' testing of Jesus, and His emphasis on the sanctity of marriage.
Notes
- This chapter covers the topic of divorce. Jesus is questioned by Pharisees on the lawfulness of divorce for any cause, to which he responds by referring back to the creation of male and female, indicating the inseparability of married couples. This is viewed as Jesus bypassing the Mosaic law and returning to the original intent of the Creator, emphasizing the importance of complementarity and procreation within marriage.
- Jesus's response indicates a rejection of the idea of changing the definition of marriage, implying that such changes are not in alignment with the Creator's intentions.
- Catholic teaching states that marriage is between a man and a woman for life, for the good of the spouses and for the procreation and education of children.
- When asked why Moses allowed divorce, Jesus responds that it was due to the hardness of people's hearts, but emphasizes that it was not so in the beginning.
- Jesus also states that anyone who divorces his wife (except for unchastity) and marries another commits adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman also commits adultery.