Two Become One

And he answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the begining 'made them male and female,' 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 flesh?  So then, they are no longer tow but on flesh.  Therefore what God has joined together, let no man seperate."  They said to Him, "Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?"  He said to them, "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the begining it was not so."
Matthew 19: 4-8 NKJV

I suppose I shouldn't have been too overly shocked, I mean, he isn't a christian anyway.  In a recent conversation with a co worker, he related to me on just why he thought his marriage had lasted so long.  As he put it, "My wife dosen't tell me what to do, in fact if she ever did, we wouldn't be together for very long."  What?  Now, I've had conversations with christian friends who claim that one of the best ways to make a marriage last was that those involved were equal, no longer two, but one.   The very idea that one of those involved in a marriage would have absolute authority over their relationship sort of reminded me of the days of slavery.  The cold, hard truth is that in this nation of ours, between 40-50% of all marriages end in divorce.  My own parents became one of those dire statistics.  I've come to the conclusion that most marriages today are but marriages of convenience, with no strong intent to stay the course till death do them part.  How far we've come.  My dear friend Dennis once told me that one of the reasons the marriage of he and his wife had stood the test of time was that in their time divorce, "Was just not an option."  In this man I saw the faith and confidence that, despite whatever the world threw their way, his love, his commitment to his betrothed  would stand that test of time.  These two had become one.  As our Lord Jesus has told us when confronted by the Pharisees on the topic of divorce, "From the begining it was not so."   This is key to understanding our Lords view on what we see as our marriage vows.  Man will put his demands and limits on this sacred institution, but from the very begining God meant for that relationship of two people becoming one flesh to last a lifetime.  In our Lords eyes, there are no throw away marriages.

And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place.  Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into woman, and He brought her to the man.  And Adam said: "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; She shall be called woman, Because she was taken out of man."  Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
Genesis 2: 21-24 NKJV

It is interesting to me that one of the main definitions of the word woman has nothing to do with her gender nor her femininity.  No, for the word woman literally means "From man."  It is easy to see just why this is so, as Eve was created from a bone taken from Adam.  For those even considering that this is a non important coincidence, we do well to remember that with God there are NO coincidences!  For everything He does and accomplishes has a purpose.  We may not realize it at the time, but our Lord has a heartfelt reason for everything that He does.  With God there are no mistakes nor do overs, His each and every action is perfect every time.  Knowing this, we can be gauranteed that what He has brought together, no man shall seperate.  Of course, one of the arguments of this belief is the subject of infidelity.  What was the view of Jesus on infidelity?  Well, the Pharisees asked that very same question in order to trap Him.

"And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultry; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultry."
Matthew 19:9 NKJV

As I said, my own parents suffered the ordeal of divorce, but this was due to my own fathers infidelity.  I see no reason why my own mother should have been ashamed for asking for a divorce.  It was pretty cut and dry actually, a few court hearings and it was done with.  Let no man spererate?  Obviously my father did not abide by this belief.  Coming full circle back to my converation with my co worker, I was left wondering just how long his own relationship would last.  For if he viewed himself as the sole source of importance in his own marriage, he may one day be surprised by its destruction as so many have before him.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.  So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself.  For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.  For we are members of His body, of His flesh and His bones.  "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh."
Ephesians 5: 25-30 NKJV

The two become one.


~Scott~