MARRIAGE MOVE OVER
No sex. No marriage. No kids. For good. Shocked?

JESUS was often shocking. Read chapter 19 of Matthew's Gospel. Here we find Him telling off a few hypocrites who wanted a religious excuse for divorcing wives who burnt their dinners or whatever. Jesus insists on God's marriage-design: it's for life.

Cue the startled disciples: "If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry". ("Can't get shot of an old model? Better not get hitched?")

Without turning a hair, Jesus tells them that some will, indeed, not get married - to better serve God. (His original words were "castrate themselves" which is about as drastic a metaphor as you get.)

Now, it's just possible, in our casual age, that the shock factor of not marrying is lost on us. But Jesus wasn't just talking about forgetting the legal bit and living together. He was talking about lifelong sexual abstinence and singleness. You don't get much more abstinent than "castration". No sex please. And no marriage. And no kids.

To the Jews Jesus was talking to, this was about as shocking as it got. Their entire worldview was based around family life. "Have as many little children as you can" was their motto.

But Jesus brings a new order. Old "Adam and Eve style" reproduction is passing away. Yes, their job was to "go forth and multiply". And this is good, right, and important to God. Yet Jesus has a new task in hand: "Go forth and - make disciples" (Matthew 28:19).

This is the reason for the biblical gift of celibacy. Since its emphasis is less on natural birth than on new birth, we find Jesus, Paul and John all commending singleness and celibacy: it frees you up for God's kingdom (Jesus in Matthew 19:12); it leaves you "undivided" for God (Paul in 1 Corinthians 7:35), able to follow Jesus "wherever He goes" (John in Revelation 14:4).

Sure, marriage is good. Babies are good. But let's not dismiss celibacy as applying only to a decreasing number of priests and nuns. Those committed to singleness are freer to be spiritual parents, to win souls - to make disciples. So as Jesus shockingly said: If you can - go for it (Matthew 19:12).

I want you to live as free of complications as possible. When you're unmarried, you're free to concentrate on simply pleasing the Master. (Paul in 1 Corinthians 7:35, The Message)

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Further reading Get inspired about celibacy. See Undivided.

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