Matthew 19:5Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

To the question of ‘Is it permissible?’ He does not immediately respond with a ‘No,’ fearing they may be offended and cause an uproar; rather, He clarifies His stance first, revealing that His directive aligns with His Father’s commandment and is not at odds with Moses but fully in line with it. Observe that He reinforces His teaching not only through the fact that God created man and woman but also through the command He issued after their creation; He did not merely state that God created one man and one woman, but rather commanded them—each one—to unite as one. Had God intended for a man to leave his wife for another, He would have made one man and many women. Thus, through both the act of creation and the establishment of the law, Jesus Christ demonstrates that marriage is intended to be a lifelong union, never to be dissolved. Notice how He expresses, ‘He who created from the beginning, male and female have I created,’ indicating that since they originate from a single source, they must remain united as one body. Then, contemplating the gravity of violating this command and affirming the law, He does not merely say, ‘Do not dissolve, do not separate,’ but rather, ‘What God has joined together, let not man separate.’ If you cite Moses, I appeal to the God of Moses, affirming the timelessness of this ordinance. God formed male and female from the outset. This law, the most ancient, although now seemingly introduced by me, has been established with great care. God did not merely bring the husband to the wife but commanded him to leave both his mother and father; He did not just instruct him to approach his wife but to cling to her, illustrating through His own words the permanence of the bond. Yet He did not stop there; He also called for a deeper union: ‘they shall become one flesh.’ Having thoroughly interpreted the ancient law—established by deed and word—and having verified its reliability through Him who originated it, He elaborates with authority, intensifying His statement with, ‘For this reason, there are no longer two, but one flesh.’ Thus, as it is wrong to harm the flesh, so too is it wrong to separate from one’s spouse. He continued by affirming, ‘What God has united, let not man separate.’ With these words, He illustrates that divorce contradicts both nature and law: against nature, as the unity of flesh is severed; against law, as one attempts to divide that which God has joined and has not commanded to be divided. What follows from this? Should we not be in awe and honor the wisdom expressed? Should we not be amazed by such harmony with the Father? Yet the Pharisees do none of this; they persist in their arguments and counter.

It appears to me that the Scriptures here disapprove of polygamy; if there are two Christs, then there would be two husbands and two wives, but if there is one Christ, the sole head of the Church, there exists but one flesh, and all else should be rejected. If a second marriage is not acceptable, what can we say about a third? The first marriage is a divine decree, the second a concession, and the third is pure wickedness. Those who breach even this boundary are akin to swine and have few examples of such disgrace."

When a man abandons his first wife out of desire for another, he introduces division; however, God also separates—He who brought them together—when, in service to Him and by mutual consent, we regard our spouses as if we do not have them, as noted in 1 Corinthians 7:29.

Thus, when Christ refers to the Creator’s words, He cites, “For this cause,” indicating that the woman was made from the man’s rib (as noted prior to this command), affirming that a man should leave his father and mother, and the two shall become one flesh. This signifies becoming one body, united in a sacred bond. Since God has ordained for them to be one body, it follows that divorce is not allowed.

Chrysostom points out, “and against the Law, as you seek to split what God has joined.” Thus, “WHAT GOD HAS JOINED TOGETHER, LET NOT MAN PUT ASUNDER.” If you refer to Moses, I draw your attention to the Lord Himself: Moses could not have established a Law that contradicts the Lord. God did not merely unite a husband with a wife and instruct them to leave their parents, but commanded them to become one flesh, indicating through His very words that this bond is indissoluble.

This union involves a profound level of spiritual and physical connection, requiring the husband to leave behind the family he comes from, a bond unlike any other. What, then, is the significance of Christ's reference to Adam's divinely inspired words? It is that, according to Christ's declaration, Adam not only foretold the future but also established moral law, speaking of what should not only be but ought to be, illustrating not merely the husband's desire for his wife, but also his responsibilities toward her. Consequently, the Lord further states, as recorded in Eu. Mk. 10:8, “For this reason, they are no longer two, but one flesh.”

Thus, their marital bond is stronger than any other relationship, surpassing the natural bond a child shares with their parents as he leaves them to unite with his wife.

"He shall cleave to his wife" indicates the most profound and intimate connection, one that cannot be broken. "They shall be two, one flesh," signifies that the husband and wife should be unified in thought, feeling, purpose, and action; they shall be one entity, animated by a shared spirit. This encapsulates the concept of marriage as ordained by divine intention. If they are bound in such a union, they must not be torn apart; a man is to have only one spouse and not abandon her. For these reasons, coupled with the understanding that God created one man and one woman from the outset and has united them in such profound ties, separation is not permissible: "What God has joined together, let not man separate." The only instance in which this divine ordinance can be nullified is in the case of infidelity, which breaches the sanctity of the marriage covenant, thereby permitting divorce in such circumstances (Matt. 19:9).

Therefore, both through the act of creation and the establishment of the law, Jesus Christ clarified that a husband and wife should be united eternally and never divided: "What God hath joined together, let not man separate." If you refer to Moses, I point to the Lord of Moses, affirming the longevity of this institution, as God "in the beginning created man and woman." This law is indeed the most ancient although I may seem to be introducing it now, and it has been set forth with a specific purpose. For I did not merely bring a husband to a wife, nor did I command the abandonment of both mother and father without directive; rather, I called for their union, emphasizing inseparability through these very words. "The flesh is one; thus, just as it is unlawful to divide flesh, so it is against the divine law to separate from one's wife" (Chrysostom).

The creation of a singular couple (Genesis 1:27) illustrates that the union of husband and wife is a sacred bond, instituted by God, and to breach this covenant is to go against the will of the Creator. The matrimonial bond stands even more profound than the closest familial connection, as a son leaves his parents to unite with his wife. They are one flesh (Gen. 2:24), and just as it is unnatural to split a body into separate parts, so it is contrary to nature to sever the union of husband and wife. Such is the divine order of marriage as initially established.