How does Matthew 19:7 connect with Genesis 2:24 on marriage's original intent?

Setting the Scene in Matthew 19

• Jesus is questioned about divorce (Matthew 19:3–6).

• He responds by quoting Genesis 2:24, grounding marriage in God’s creation design.

• Immediately the Pharisees counter:

“Why then, did Moses order a man to give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?” (Matthew 19:7).

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Genesis 2:24—God’s Blueprint for Marriage

• “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24)

• Key elements:

– Leaving: a decisive, public shift of allegiance.

– Uniting (cleaving): a permanent, covenantal bond.

– One flesh: physical, emotional, spiritual union created by God (cf. 1 Corinthians 6:16).

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Matthew 19:7–8—The Pharisees’ Question and Jesus’ Clarification

• Jesus explains that Moses permitted divorce “because of your hardness of heart, but it was not this way from the beginning” (Matthew 19:8).

• Divorce regulation was a concession, not God’s ideal.

• Jesus reaches back to Genesis 2:24 to reassert the original, unaltered purpose of marriage.

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Connecting the Texts: What Jesus Reveals about Original Intent

• Permanence over permission: Genesis sets the standard; Deuteronomy 24:1–4 merely limits the damage of sin.

• Divine joining: “What therefore God has joined together, let man not separate” (Matthew 19:6). The Genesis union is God-engineered, not humanly negotiated.

• Covenant priority: by citing Genesis, Jesus elevates marriage above cultural practice or legal loopholes.

• Heart issue: the Pharisees focus on legal exit strategies; Jesus exposes their hardened hearts and redirects them to God’s creation mandate.

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Practical Implications for Husbands and Wives Today

• View marriage as God’s lifelong covenant rather than a contract with escape clauses (Malachi 2:14–16).

• Guard unity—relational, physical, financial, spiritual—because “one flesh” is holistic (Ephesians 5:31–33).

• Address hardness of heart early: cultivate repentance, forgiveness, and open communication (Colossians 3:12–14).

• Uphold God’s original intent in community life, counseling, and personal example, pointing back to Genesis 2:24 whenever questions about divorce arise.