What is the meaning of Matthew 19:4? Jesus answered “Jesus answered,” (Matthew 19:4) sets the tone. The Son of God responds authoritatively, not speculatively. • His words carry the weight of divine judgment, echoing John 12:48 where He says, “the word I have spoken will judge him on the last day.” • Because Christ is “the Word” (John 1:1), this answer stands as the final, sufficient authority for faith and practice. Have you not read By asking, “Have you not read…,” Jesus directs His listeners back to Scripture already in their hands. • He expects the written Word to be known—mirroring Deuteronomy 6:6-9, where Israel is commanded to keep God’s words on heart, teach them, talk of them, bind them, write them. • The phrase highlights personal responsibility to know Scripture; ignorance is not excusable (2 Timothy 3:15: “from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures”). that from the beginning Jesus roots His teaching “from the beginning,” pointing to creation, not culture. • Genesis 1–2 provides God’s unchanging design before sin entered (Genesis 1:31, “God saw all that He had made, and it was very good”). • Malachi 3:6 affirms, “I, the LORD, do not change,” underscoring that the Creator’s pattern is timeless and binding. the Creator Calling God “the Creator” spotlights His rights over humanity. • Isaiah 45:12: “It is I who made the earth and created man upon it.” • Acts 17:24-26 shows Paul adopting the same creation foundation: “The God who made the world… gives everyone life and breath.” • When the Maker speaks, the creature’s role is to listen and obey. made them male and female The Creator “made them male and female,” a direct quotation of Genesis 1:27. • Two distinct sexes are part of the “very good” creation (Genesis 1:31); they are intentional, complementary, and intrinsic, not fluid or optional. • Jesus later adds in Matthew 19:5-6 that this male-female union becomes “one flesh,” reiterating marriage as exclusive, lifelong, and monogamous, echoing Genesis 2:24 and affirmed in Ephesians 5:31-33. • Mark 10:6-9 parallels the same teaching, showing consistency across the Gospels. summary Matthew 19:4 grounds Jesus’ view of marriage, sexuality, and gender in the unchanging act of creation. He appeals to the written Word, expects His audience to know it, and treats it as decisive. The verse affirms that from the very beginning, God intentionally created humanity in two sexes, male and female, establishing the blueprint for marriage and human relationships that remains authoritative today. |
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