Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 3
In Matthew 19 and Mark 10, Jesus answers the Pharisees by quoting creation (“male and female,” “one flesh”) rather than debating Deuteronomy; what does that move teach about God’s intentions, and how should it shape the way Christians appeal to Scripture when looking for permission structures?
Another way to ask: Why does Jesus point back to creation (“male and female,” “one flesh”) instead of arguing about Deuteronomy? How should that affect how Christians use the Bible when they’re looking for “permission” to do something?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
Jesus’ move teaches that God’s intention for marriage is rooted in creation—God joining two into “one flesh”—and that later allowances are responses to sin, not the goal. The speaker implies Christians should interpret “permissions” through God’s original design, not use isolated texts to find loopholes.
- The Pharisees ask, “Is it lawful…for just any reason?” and Jesus responds, “Have you not read…made them male and female…two shall become one flesh.”
- Jesus concludes, “Therefore, what God has joined together, let not man separate,” emphasizing divine action, not human convenience.
- When pressed about Moses, Jesus says divorce was “because of the hardness of your hearts,” and adds, “from the beginning it was not so.”
- The speaker states, “Jesus points them back to God’s design in the beginning,” and calls the allowance “at the very least…a compromise.”
- He places Matthew 19 and Mark 10 side-by-side to show they describe the same incident and the same creation appeal.