Please explain Matthew 19:5.
Let us read Matthew 19:4-6, “And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”
The Pharisees had approached the Lord and asked Him about the possibility of a man divorcing his wife “for every cause” (verse 3). The Lord Jesus answered this question by quoting the Bible to those who asked Him. He said, “Have ye not read…?” In doing this, the Lord sets the perfect example to us when we are asked questions. Our opinions are worthless. Power is found in the Word of God. The Bible is perfect and powerful. We read in 1 Peter 3:15, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” We should be able to point people to the Bible to answer their questions.
In answering their question, the Lord Jesus quoted from Genesis 1:27 which says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” He also quoted from Genesis 5:2, “Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.” He then goes on to quote Genesis 2:24, “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”
It was Matthew 19:5 that you enquired about, so let us look at that verse a little closer. Matthew 19:5 says, “And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?” In these words, the Lord made three distinct and important statements.
“For this cause shall a man leave father and mother.” The marital relationship replaces the parental relationship. It is not that after marriage we have nothing to do with our mother and father, but the relationship between a husband and wife is a relationship that should endure until one of the marital partners die. The role of the parent is temporary. We raise our children to mature and be able to live without our supervision or discipline. Ephesians 6:1-2 says, “Children, OBEY YOUR PARENTS in the Lord: for this is right. HONOUR THY FATHER AND MOTHER; (which is the first commandment with promise;).” As long as we live in the care of our PARENTS, we are to obey them. When we become adults, we are no longer under the rule of our parents, but we are still to honor them as our MOTHER AND FATHER. Upon marriage a man and his wife take responsibility for their own homes and for the children that they have.
“Shall cleave to his wife.” The Greek word for cleave is: proskolláō and it means to glue to, to join. It is translated as ‘joined’ in Ephesians 5:31, “For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be JOINED unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.” It speaks of the permanence of the marital relationship. Marriage is intended to last ‘until death do us part.”
“They twain shall be one flesh.” In marriage, two people become one in the sight of God. Let us consider Genesis 5:1-2, “This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and CALLED THEIR NAME ADAM, in the day when they were created.” Although Adam and Eve were two people, the Lord called THEIR name Adam. He saw them as one person. The Lord Jesus goes on to say in Matthew 19:6, “Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” We read in Malachi 2:16, “For I hate divorce,” says the Lord…”
It is so important that we understand these things as we begin to consider a marital relationship. We need to ask the Lord to help us find the right mate and we need to ask the Lord to guide us in our marriages, so that as “two made one” we might serve and honor Him together. (462.2)