Marriage in the Gospels

Marriage in St. Paul’s Teachings

1. To have a clear and deeper
understanding of the essential Christian
teachings on marriage given by Christ
himself
2. Explain the significance of the presence
of Christ and His actions in the wedding
at Cana to Christian marriage
3. Convince Christians to opt for a Catholic
marriage when they get married
4. Understand the significance of celibacy
in relation to marriage
Jesus wants us to
learn:
1. Marriage
2. Sexuality
3. Love
4. Related matters
(celibacy)
On the Matter of Love:

Christ teaches:
 to love one’s neighbor as he loves himself
 So as in marriage
Rf. Jn. 15:12-14
“This is my commandment, that you love one
another as I have loved you. 13* Greater
love has no man than this, that a man lay
down his life for his friends. 14* You are my
friends if you do what I command you.”
Love calls for fidelity, unconditional surrender
and forgiveness in instances of failure
On the Issue of Marriage

1. The wedding at Cana

 His presence shows how Jesus values the
marital union
 He makes sure a continuous supply of wine in
order to complete the joy of the celebration
“The Church attaches the great importance
to Jesus’ presence at the wedding at Cana.
She sees in the confirmation of the goodness
of marriage and the proclamation
henceforth that marriage will be an
efficacious sign of Christ’s presence” (CCC)
Question of Divorce
Mt. 19:3-11
3 And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, "Is it
lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause?" 4 He answered, "Have
you not read that he who made them from the beginning made
them male and female, 5 and said, 'For this reason a man shall
leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the
two shall become one'? 6 So they are no longer two but one.
What therefore God has joined together, let not man put
asunder." 7 They said to him, "Why then did Moses command one
to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?" 8 He said
to them, "For your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to
divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I
say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for unchastity, and
marries another, commits adultery; and he who marries a
divorced woman, commits adultery."

10 The disciples said to him, "If such is the case of a man

with his wife, it is not expedient to marry." 11 But he said to
them, "Not all men can receive this saying, but only those to
whom it is given.
Mk. 10:1-17
1* And he left there and went to the region of Judea and
beyond the Jordan, and crowds gathered to him again; and again,
as his custom was, he taught them.
2 And Pharisees came up and in order to test him asked, "Is it
lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" 3 He answered them, "What
did Moses command you?" 4* They said, "Moses allowed a man to
write a certificate of divorce, and to put her away." 5 But Jesus
said to them, "For your hardness of heart he wrote you this
commandment. 6* But from the beginning of creation, 'God
made them male and female.' 7* 'For this reason a man shall
leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, * 8 and the
two shall become one.' * So they are no longer two but one. * 9
What therefore God has joined together, let not man put
asunder."
10 And in the house the disciples asked him again about this
matter. 11* And he said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and
marries another, commits adultery against her; 12 and if she
divorces her husband and marries another, she commits
adultery."
Jesus’ teaching
 The original plan of God for male
and female in marriage is the
exclusive and permanent union
 They become one body

 Divorce on the time of Moses was

tolerated because of stubbornness

of heart
 Affected by sin, marriage could not
realize its original plan as presented by
God, but it was not without hope of its
reinstatement, as prophetic vision showed
 Christ intended that the “ sad picture” of
marital relationship would become part of
the whole objective of his redemptive
mission.
 Marriage through Jesus would finally find
its redeeming value, by going back to its
original purpose
1. Unity-it excludes extra marital
relationships or any form of polygamy
2. Indissolubility means “no” to divorce
and remarriage

N.B.: while Jesus affirmed these teachings,

he appears to have allowed exceptions:
“If a man divorces his wife, except in
case of porneia, and then marries
another, he is guilty of adultery”
 In covenantal relationship of love, husband
and wife have the capability to reflect the
relationship showing God’s faithfulness in
spite of His People’s constant unfaithfulness
 Achieving this image is possible only through
the grace of an undying faithfulness between
husband and wife who are both open to
forgiveness and reconciliation in time of
failures and weaknesses
 Marrying again would definitely close the
door to these possibilities
 Left substantial writings on the subject of
sex and marriage but reading and
understanding it is not that easy
 His ideas tended to be contradictory and
he appeared unable to make definite
statement when comparing marriage to
the single state of life
 He praised marriage by comparing it to
the relationship between Christ and the
Church, but he also that it would be good
for man not to touch a woman
 He also
acknowledged
marriage as gift of
vocation, yet,
somewhere else he
recommended it
only as a lesser evil
for those who could
not remain celibate
all through life
 Answer to questions about sexuality and marriage
he said:
“1 Now in regard to the matters about which you
wrote: "It is a good thing for a man not to touch a
woman, 2 but because of cases of immorality every
man should have his own wife, and every woman
her own husband. 3 The husband should fulfill his
duty toward his wife, and likewise the wife toward
her husband. 4 A wife does not have authority over
her own body, but rather her husband, and
similarly a husband does not have authority over
his own body, but rather his wife. 5 Do not deprive
each other, except perhaps by mutual consent for
a time, to be free for prayer, but then return to
one another, so that Satan may not tempt you
through your lack of self-control. (1 Cor. 7:1-5)
Explanation to seeming ambivalence:
Asceticism in response to sexual promiscuity

Preference for single life can only be understood in

the context of his perspective of eschatological
reality
The end of the world did not happen. Thus his
ideas have remained, and have gone a long
way in the development of Christian
tradition about marriage and sexuality.

Value of sexual act in marriage: (1 Cor. 7: 3-4)

Highly Developed Theology of Marriage:
Eph. 5:21-25; 28-32

21 * Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for

Christ. 22 Wives should be subordinate to their husbands as
to the
Lord. 23 For the husband is head of his wife just as Christ is
head of the church, he himself the savior of the body.
24 As the church is subordinate to Christ, so wives should
be subordinate to their husbands in everything.
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the
church and handed himself over for her
26 to sanctify her, cleansing her by the bath of water with
the word,
28 So (also) husbands should love their wives as
their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves
himself. 29 For no one hates his own flesh but
rather nourishes and cherishes it, even as Christ
does the church, 30 because we are members of
his body. 31 "For this reason a man shall leave
(his) father and (his) Mother and be joined to his
wife, and the two shall become one flesh."
32 This is a great mystery, but I speak in
reference to Christ and the church.
 Question: submission of wife to her
husband almost in all things
 Christ is the head of the Church
 Marriage symbolizes the Christ Church
relationship
 “submission” means submission in love
that reflects the kind of love he lavishes
on us.
 Christ-Church relationship as model for
husband-wife relationship
 Imagine that you are friends with a young
couple who are having a trouble with each
other and are much tempted to break up
their marriage. What would you tell them ,
using as your basis the teachings of Christ
in this lesson as your guide