Bible Study: Marriage
The following is a handout I typed up for the Newman Bible Study. Feel free to use it as you see fit.
Biblical Data
Ephesians 5:21-33 21 Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ. 22 Wives, be subject to your husbands as you are to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife just as Christ is the head of the church, the body of which he is the Savior. 24 Just as the church is subject to Christ, so also wives ought to be, in everything, to their husbands. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 in order to make her holy by cleansing her with the washing of water by the word, 27 so as to present the church to himself in splendor, without a spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind—yes, so that she may be holy and without blemish. 28 In the same way, husbands should love their wives as they do their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hates his own body, but he nourishes and tenderly cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, 30 because we are members of his body. 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” 32 This is a great mystery, and I am applying it to Christ and the church. 33 Each of you, however, should love his wife as himself, and a wife should respect her husband.
Discussion: Who is subjected to whom here? Is it the husband to wife? The wife to the husband? They are subjected to each other (v21). But how exactly? How does a wife show subjugation to a husband? They should be subject in everything (v24). How does a husband show subjugation to his wife? He should love them by nurturing them and tenderly caring for her (v29). He must also be willing to die for her (v25). Why is the image of marriage important to Christianity? Because this is the model which we are to understand Jesus’ relationship to the church, that is, to each of us. Each marriage is really about salvation, first and foremost.
Biblical Data
Matthew 19:3-12 3 Some Pharisees came to [Jesus], and to test him they asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause?” 4 He answered, “Have you not read that the one who made them at 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 flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” 7 They said to him, “Why then did Moses command us to give a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her?” 8 He said to them, “It was because you were so hard-hearted that 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.” 10 His disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” 11 But he said to them, “Not everyone can accept this teaching, but only those to whom it is given. 12 For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.”
Old Words:
Porneia: From which we get the word “pornography.” This is meant to indicate an illicit relationship, such as incest (Leviticus 18:6-18 & 1 Corinthians 5:1).
Moichao: sexual infidelity or sexul misconduct
Discussion: What are the Pharisees asking Jesus? Whether it was lawful to divorce a woman for any reason. What was Jesus answer? No. God put them together, and we should not go against God. How did the Jews respond? They said Moses allowed divorce. How did Jesus respond? While Moses gave you permission, God only tolerated it. It was never God’s will (Ezekiel 20:25 & Malachi 2:16). Does Jesus make an exception? No, though many believe He does. There are several problems with that interpretation. 1) It contradicts what Jesus just said about marriage being permanent (v6). The Pharisees understood this as being permanent and is why they asked about Moses (v7). If adultery were a legit reason for divorce, Jesus would be agreeing with the Pharisees, not disagreeing with them. If you wanted a divorce for any reason whatsoever, all you would have to do is have an affair, which is the exact opposite of what Jesus is teaching. 2) This contradicts other places in scripture where no exceptions are given (1 Corinthians 7:10-11, and the same accounts in Mark and Luke). 3) Adultery couldn’t be a legitimate reason for divorce because the punishment for adultery in the Old Testament was death, not divorce (Leviticus 20:10 & Deuteronomy 22:13-27). 4) This wouldn’t explain the reaction of the disciples. They said it was better not to marry (v10), which only makes sense if Jesus is making no exceptions. This is further reinforced when Jesus says that not all men can accept His teaching (v11).
Biblical Data
Numbers 25:1-13 (No more room, read from Bible)
1 Corinthians 7:12-16 (No more room, read from Bible)
Discussion: What was wrong with mixed marriages? How did God reward those who got rid of mixed marriages? What does a mixed marriage signify about the marriage God has with the Church? In case you find yourself in a mixed marriage, what does St. Paul instruct? Have you ever been cheated on, or cheated on someone else? How did that make you feel? Would you be tempted to divorce in that case? Read Hosea. All of it.
What Does the Bible Say About: Marriage
Ephesians 5:21-33 21 Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ. 22 Wives, be subject to your husbands as you are to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife just as Christ is the head of the church, the body of which he is the Savior. 24 Just as the church is subject to Christ, so also wives ought to be, in everything, to their husbands. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 in order to make her holy by cleansing her with the washing of water by the word, 27 so as to present the church to himself in splendor, without a spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind—yes, so that she may be holy and without blemish. 28 In the same way, husbands should love their wives as they do their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hates his own body, but he nourishes and tenderly cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, 30 because we are members of his body. 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” 32 This is a great mystery, and I am applying it to Christ and the church. 33 Each of you, however, should love his wife as himself, and a wife should respect her husband.
Discussion: Who is subjected to whom here? Is it the husband to wife? The wife to the husband? They are subjected to each other (v21). But how exactly? How does a wife show subjugation to a husband? They should be subject in everything (v24). How does a husband show subjugation to his wife? He should love them by nurturing them and tenderly caring for her (v29). He must also be willing to die for her (v25). Why is the image of marriage important to Christianity? Because this is the model which we are to understand Jesus’ relationship to the church, that is, to each of us. Each marriage is really about salvation, first and foremost.
Biblical Data
Matthew 19:3-12 3 Some Pharisees came to [Jesus], and to test him they asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause?” 4 He answered, “Have you not read that the one who made them at 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 flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” 7 They said to him, “Why then did Moses command us to give a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her?” 8 He said to them, “It was because you were so hard-hearted that 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.” 10 His disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” 11 But he said to them, “Not everyone can accept this teaching, but only those to whom it is given. 12 For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.”
Old Words:
Porneia: From which we get the word “pornography.” This is meant to indicate an illicit relationship, such as incest (Leviticus 18:6-18 & 1 Corinthians 5:1).
Moichao: sexual infidelity or sexul misconduct
Discussion: What are the Pharisees asking Jesus? Whether it was lawful to divorce a woman for any reason. What was Jesus answer? No. God put them together, and we should not go against God. How did the Jews respond? They said Moses allowed divorce. How did Jesus respond? While Moses gave you permission, God only tolerated it. It was never God’s will (Ezekiel 20:25 & Malachi 2:16). Does Jesus make an exception? No, though many believe He does. There are several problems with that interpretation. 1) It contradicts what Jesus just said about marriage being permanent (v6). The Pharisees understood this as being permanent and is why they asked about Moses (v7). If adultery were a legit reason for divorce, Jesus would be agreeing with the Pharisees, not disagreeing with them. If you wanted a divorce for any reason whatsoever, all you would have to do is have an affair, which is the exact opposite of what Jesus is teaching. 2) This contradicts other places in scripture where no exceptions are given (1 Corinthians 7:10-11, and the same accounts in Mark and Luke). 3) Adultery couldn’t be a legitimate reason for divorce because the punishment for adultery in the Old Testament was death, not divorce (Leviticus 20:10 & Deuteronomy 22:13-27). 4) This wouldn’t explain the reaction of the disciples. They said it was better not to marry (v10), which only makes sense if Jesus is making no exceptions. This is further reinforced when Jesus says that not all men can accept His teaching (v11).
Biblical Data
Numbers 25:1-13 (No more room, read from Bible)
1 Corinthians 7:12-16 (No more room, read from Bible)
Discussion: What was wrong with mixed marriages? How did God reward those who got rid of mixed marriages? What does a mixed marriage signify about the marriage God has with the Church? In case you find yourself in a mixed marriage, what does St. Paul instruct? Have you ever been cheated on, or cheated on someone else? How did that make you feel? Would you be tempted to divorce in that case? Read Hosea. All of it.
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