Modernized Matthew 19:1-12

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God have mercy on me for rewording His Holy Word, but I thought a modernized retelling of this passage may be insightful for all of us, especially today.

MATTHEW 19:1-12

^* When Jesus^* finished these words,^* he left Galilee and went to the District of Columbia across the Potomac.2Great crowds followed him, and he cured them there.3Some lawyers approached him, and tested him, saying, “Is it lawful for a man to marry another man?”4He said in reply, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’5and 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’?6So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must separate.”7They said to him, “Then why did The Supreme Court of the United States command that the man be allowed to marry another man?”8He said to them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts SCOTUS allowed you to do this, but from the beginning it was not so.9^e I say to you, whoever "marries" a person of the same sex commits adultery.”10[His] disciples said to him, “If that is the case.. it is better not to marry.”11He answered, “Not all can accept [this] word,but only those to whom that is granted.12Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage^* for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.”

Jesus was in the original passage (printed below from the NAB) talking about divorce and remarriage.  But the logic is still valid with different terms.

Remember, Jesus was a reformer of marriage too.  Or rather He was a marriage reclaimer.  We must reclaim God's design.

MATTHEW 19:1-12 (ORIGINAL VERSION)

1^* When Jesus^* finished these words,^* he left Galilee and went to the district of Judea across the Jordan.2Great crowds followed him, and he cured them there.3^a Some Pharisees approached him, and tested him,^* saying, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?”4^* b He said in reply, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’5^c 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’?6So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must separate.”7^* d They said to him, “Then why did Moses command that the man give the woman a bill of divorce and dismiss [her]?”8He said to them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.9^e I say to you,^* whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries another commits adultery.”10[His] disciples said to him, “If that is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.”11He answered, “Not all can accept [this] word,^* but only those to whom that is granted.12Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage^* for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.”