By Shane Gooch
In a few months from now we will head to the polls once more and one of the most pressing issues that will be on voters’ minds is the debate over the legalisation of same sex marriage. The Labor Party has promised to legalise same sex marriage in its first 100 days of office whilst the Coalition has vowed to hold a plebiscite on the matter. Either way within the next year it would seem a decision will be made on whether the current definition of marriage should stand or be amended to meet the demands of a shifting culture.
Amongst the myriad of arguments currently being put forward, marriage equality advocates continue to remind Christians that Jesus is silent on the issue of same sex attraction and homosexual marriage. In fact, a cursory glance of the New Testament reveals that the only author to speak of homosexuality was the apostle Paul. It is a striking argument for a generation taught to ask “What would Jesus do?”. In the seeming absence of an answer, many professing Christians have been making an incredible shift in their thinking.
Unfortunately, it is a trap that many Christians find themselves stumbling into, however the truth is not as straight forward as lobbyists would have you believe. Whilst it is true that Jesus never expressly remarks on marriage equality this should be unsurprising. Jesus’ focus throughout his ministry was to reveal himself as the Son of God, the Messiah and to usher in God’s kingdom. He did this through performing great miracles, teaching his followers and correcting the misconceptions of the day.
A keen student of the gospels would note that Jesus rarely raised the issues of his day but was more often than not responding to questions and accusations as they were brought to him. Whilst homosexuality was no doubt practiced, evidently it was not of such a concern to the people of Israel.
To say that Jesus is truly silent on the matter however is a misnomer. Whilst Jesus might never have expressly spoken of marriage equality he certainly had plenty to say regarding quality marriage.
On one occasion we are told that a group of Pharisees came to Jesus with a question regarding divorce and in Matthew 19:4-6 we read his response “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast 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 not man separate.”
As was typical of Jesus, his response to his accusers and the questioning of the crowds was to remind them of Old Testament truths. On this occasion Jesus returns his hearers to the beginning. Genesis 1:27 “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” and Genesis 2:24 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” Jesus’ focus here is on the created order. God created man and woman and joined them for life. It is from here that our existing definition of marriage originates.
Furthermore, Jesus spoke out against sexual immorality and adultery, calling it “evil” in Mark 7:20-23. Sexual immorality in this context is sexual behaviour outside of God’s ordained covenant of marriage. By referring to sexual immorality Jesus is grouping homosexuality, with all other sexual activity that might corrupt the marriage bond including polygamy and sex outside of wedlock.
These are just a few of the times that Jesus spoke on marriage and sexual sin, however they are issues that are consistently referenced throughout his ministry. Additionally, Jesus gave considerable time to the clear interpretation and endorsement of the Old Testament scriptures which consistently affirm quality marriage as being that which maintains God’s created order.
The argument over same sex marriage is often very personal and provocative, however Christians ought to take note that often the response of Jesus is not to attack the apparent distortions of God’s truth but rather to uphold the good institutions that God has established.
According to Jesus, God has a good design for marriage, and it is consistent with how he created his people; man and woman, united under God, for life. This, according to Jesus, is quality marriage.
Before you head to the polls on July 2 why not read the accounts of Jesus’ life and ministry for yourself? If you really want to know what Jesus has to say, not only on this issue but many others pressing to us today, what better place to start than his words as recorded for us in the gospels?