"For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh."
These were the words of God Himself on the day He created marriage and officiated the first ever wedding - the ceremony of Adam and Eve in the beautiful Garden of Eden with angels and animals observing. These words gave the Divine purpose of marriage. Jesus quoted these exact words when He spoke about marriage as did the Apostle Paul. Over the past 4 postings we have seen that marriage is worth it as we have broken down these words phrase by phrase:
For this cause - Because God created man with a need for companionship and designed a wife to be the only one who could perfectly fit that need.
A man shall leave his father and his mother - Once married, the most important human relationship we have is our spouse.
And cleave to his wife - Marriage is to be permanent.
Now we see the final phrase...AND THEY SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH. So what does that mean? I have heard a lot of different theological opinions - one of which even included something about sharing germs. But I think the best way to describe it is somewhat unusual when speaking of a wedding. To me, becoming "one flesh" means that in marriage, a husband and a wife become like a "two-headed monster" (btw - I have no idea who the couple is in the above picture- it was all I could find that looked like one person with two heads). In other words, the purpose of marriage is that we do life together - as one.
These were the words of God Himself on the day He created marriage and officiated the first ever wedding - the ceremony of Adam and Eve in the beautiful Garden of Eden with angels and animals observing. These words gave the Divine purpose of marriage. Jesus quoted these exact words when He spoke about marriage as did the Apostle Paul. Over the past 4 postings we have seen that marriage is worth it as we have broken down these words phrase by phrase:
For this cause - Because God created man with a need for companionship and designed a wife to be the only one who could perfectly fit that need.
A man shall leave his father and his mother - Once married, the most important human relationship we have is our spouse.
And cleave to his wife - Marriage is to be permanent.
Now we see the final phrase...AND THEY SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH. So what does that mean? I have heard a lot of different theological opinions - one of which even included something about sharing germs. But I think the best way to describe it is somewhat unusual when speaking of a wedding. To me, becoming "one flesh" means that in marriage, a husband and a wife become like a "two-headed monster" (btw - I have no idea who the couple is in the above picture- it was all I could find that looked like one person with two heads). In other words, the purpose of marriage is that we do life together - as one.
Think of it this way - when you were born you started out completely dependent on your parents. As you grew up your parents wisely gave you more and more independence and by the time you headed off to college you were totally independent. Marriage is neither. Marriage is not a relationship of dependence or independence. Marriage is "interdependence."
It's no longer "my" dreams, it's "our" dreams!
It's no longer "my" desires, it's "our" desires!
It's no longer "my" passion, it's "our" passion!
It's no longer "my" experiences. it's "our" experiences!
And the list goes on and one. Marriage is doing life together. Marriage is sharing life's joys, life's sorrows, life's fears, life's failures and life's successes together. That just may be the best part of marriage - it's growing old together - just as God intended. That's what makes your marriage worth it!
Be sure to read my other blog entitled "Hope For Hurting Pastors" at www.hurtingpastor.blogspot.com or email me at skdistler@gmail.com
2 comments:
Love your thoughts on marriage. Maybe if we focused on this more in church, we could get the church divorce rate down. :)
So good to hear from you, Gina! I think you are exactly right! Please give my "hellos" to your husband. Trust you and your family have a tremendous Christmas!
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