Did Jesus talk about homosexuality or same-sex marriage?

This week, we are addressing the issue of marriage. Specifically, we are asking “What policies would Jesus promote when it comes to the issue of marriage? Would Jesus promote the legalization of same-sex marriage, or would Jesus prohibit same-sex marriage? And more importantly, how would Jesus engage in the discussion surrounding same-sex marriage?”

Yesterday, we looked at both sides of the conversation that our culture is having when it comes to same-sex marriage. We ended yesterday by talking about the reality whether you regularly attend church or not; whether or not you regularly read the Bible, you are probably at least somewhat familiar with what the letters that make up the Bible have to say about the issue of homosexuality. And the reason why you are probably at least somewhat familiar with what the letters that make up the Bible have to say about homosexuality is due to the fact that Christians seem to have no problem telling people what the letters that make up the Bible have to say about homosexuality.

Many Christians who cannot quote the vast majority of the Bible seem to have no problem quoting the Bible when it comes to the issue of homosexuality. Many Christians have no problem quoting what author Preston Sprinkle refers to as the “Clobber passages” when it comes to homosexuality. Clobber passages like Leviticus 18:22, which reads:

'You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female;

it is an abomination.

Clobber passages like Leviticus 20:13, which reads:

'If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act; they shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguiltiness is upon them.

There are Christians who will quote these clobber passages and then add their own two cents with phrases like “God hates fags” or “God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve”. But is that how Jesus engaged in conversations regarding homosexuality? Is that how Paul engaged in conversations regarding homosexuality? Is that how early followers of Jesus engaged in conversations regarding homosexuality and same-sex marriage?

Now you may be very familiar with the message and teachings of Jesus, or you may have heard others who are very familiar with the message and teachings of Jesus, argue that Jesus never spoke about or addressed the issue of homosexuality. And since Jesus never spoke about homosexuality in a way that condemned homosexuality, then Jesus would not have a problem with same-sex marriages that involved two loving and committed people. If you have heard that argument; if that is your argument as to why same-sex marriage would be something Jesus would be okay with, I am glad that you are reading this.

I am glad that you are reading this because you are absolutely right to say that Jesus never addressed the issue of homosexuality in the accounts of His life that are recorded for us in the Bible. As a matter of fact, Jesus never quoted the clobber passages of Genesis 19 with Sodom and Gomorrah, or Leviticus 18 and 20. As a matter of fact, the Apostle Paul never quoted the clobber passages of Genesis 19 with Sodom and Gomorrah, or Leviticus 18 and 20. As a matter of fact, these clobber passages are never directly quoted by any writer of any letter in the New Testament of the Bible.

You see for Jesus, for Paul, for the writers of the letters that make up the New Testament of the Bible, the issue was not homosexuality and same-sex marriage, although homosexuality and same-sex marriage definitely existed throughout human history; for Jesus, for Paul, for the writers of the letters that make up the New Testament of the Bible, the issue was sexuality and marriage.

We see this reality revealed for us in a section of an account of Jesus life in the Bible called the gospel of Matthew. So let’s look at this event from history together beginning in Matthew 19:3:

Some Pharisees came to Jesus, testing Him and asking, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all?"

Matthew begins this section of his account of Jesus life by giving us front row seat to this event from history. Matthew explains that as large crowds followed Jesus as He traveled towards the city of Jerusalem, Jesus was confronted by some Pharisees. Now the Pharisees were the self righteous religious people and religious leaders of Jesus day. Matthew tells us that the Pharisees asked Jesus a question in an attempt to trap Jesus. And that question is a question that is still asked today: "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all?"  Matthew then reveals Jesus answer to their question in Matthew 19:4-6:

And He answered and said, "Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE, 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 '? "So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate."

Jesus begins to answer their question with the phrase “Have you not read” which is Jesus way of saying “You should know that answer to this question because you position yourselves as the self righteous religious experts. You should know the answer to this question because you think you already have the answer to this question but obviously you have not read like you should have read so that you could see the answer to your question which is right in front of your face.”

Jesus then reveals the answer to their question that was right in front of their face by quoting from a section of the very first letter in the Bible called the book of Genesis. Jesus quoted from Genesis 1:27, which refers to the creation of humanity. And in God’s creation of humanity, “God made them male and female”. What is so interesting here is that Jesus does not quote all of Genesis 1:27. Here is what all of Genesis 1:27 states:

God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Instead of quoting all of Genesis 1:27, Jesus quoted the last phrase of Genesis 1:27 from the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament. But why would Jesus only quote the last phrase of Genesis 1:27? You see, Jesus quoted the last phrase of Genesis 1:27, as the last phrase of Genesis 1:27 highlighted the differences between men and women. Genesis 1:27 reveals the reality that in God’s design, men and women have equal value and worth as being created in God’s relational image. But equality is not the issue that Jesus is highlighting here in His answer to the Pharisees. Jesus here is highlighting the reality that in God’s design, there is a distinctiveness between men and women.

After quoting the last phrase of Genesis 1:27, Jesus quotes Genesis 2:24. For this reason; in other words because it is not good for man to be alone in his unique distinctiveness; because it is not good for a woman to be alone in her unique distinctiveness; a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and they shall become one flesh. Jesus point here is that marriage is an institution that was created by God by which a man and a woman cut the cord, so to speak, from their parents and join together in a covenant commitment that involves one man and one woman for one lifetime and become one flesh. Now this phrase “one flesh” is not just talking about the physical aspect of sex. You see, marriage was designed by God to be a relationship that is marked by vulnerability, transparency and intimacy that provides a word picture to the world of the vulnerability, the transparency, and the intimacy that followers of Jesus will experience for all eternity with Him.

But notice the words that occur between the two quotes. Notice the words “and said”. Jesus here shows the causal linkage between the last phrase of Genesis 1:27 and Genesis 2:24 to reveal the reality that God created men and women with distinctiveness that was to be united in marriage in a way that those distinctive features between a man and a woman would complement one another in a lifelong commitment to one another.

You see, for Jesus, the issue was not about homosexuality; the issue was about sexuality. The issue was about when can men and women have sex. And for Paul, the issue was not about homosexuality; the issue was about sexuality. The issue was about when can men and women have sex. And for Jesus, and for the authors of the letters that make up the Bible, any sexual activity outside of a covenant marriage relationship; whether it is sex before marriage, sex in addition to marriage, which we call adultery, whether it is homosexual sexual activity, whether it is solo sexual activity, and any other sexual activity that occurs outside of marriage is outside God’s design and is rebelling against God’s design for sexuality.

And God’s design for sexuality applies to all of humanity, regardless of which religious system one chooses to participate in. God’s design does not just apply to Jewish people or Christians, because God’s design for sexuality was in place before there was a Jewish religious system. That is why Jesus did not quote Leviticus and that is why Paul did not quote Leviticus when it came to marriage and sexuality, because God’s design for marriage and sexuality was provided in Genesis, while God’s commands to the Jewish people, that we know as the Law, did not occur until Exodus 20. Thus, God’s design for marriage and sexuality applies to all humanity regardless of religious affiliation.

Now a natural question or objection that could arise at this point is “Well Dave, what about those who are born gay? What about those who have no choice when it comes to what sex they are attracted to?”

Friday, we will address those questions and discover another timeless truth when it comes to voting for Jesus...