07/05/12

Right age of marriage

Mark 5:43 - And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat.


In the miracle where Jesus bought the daughter of Jarries back to life there were these instructions which Jesus gave to the people with Him. The people with Him were Peter, John and Jarries and the instructions were that no man should know it.

What is that no man should know? Was it that Jesus bought her to life? For that they would have required her to be hid the rest of her life.

We need to understand there are very few instances where the Aramaic words are written along with their translations. It was the Apostles who gave the instructions to translate the half written Gospels from Aramaic to Greek but yet they made sure some of the words were left as it was in Aramaic, like in this case. Had it not been important they would not have done so.

The age of the girl was given as twelve years and there is no other place other than this where the age of the person healed was given. We need to understand during those times people would get the girl married at the age of twelve. The Jews believed that puberty was a sign of adulthood of a girl and therefore the girls were made to marry at the age of twelve. We read Islam goes a step ahead and their prophet married a girl of age nine. They justify themselves with records of the Jews allowing marriage at the age of twelve. But they do not try to find out what God had to say about this.

In this event we find Jesus uses the words 'Talitha' which was a term used for a little girl and according to the Jews such a term used for a girl of twelve years was not acceptable. They required a person to address a girl of twelve years as a woman and not little girl. This was the custom of the Jews but not what the Lord had addressed them. When Jesus instructed the people with Him not to let others know of it, it was about the term that He used for the girl and not what He did to the girl.

We have laws in different countries regarding the legal age of marriage. Some put as sixteen, some eighteen and some twenty one. But since people do not understand what marriage is they have these rules. They look at the physical ability of the body more than the purpose of marriage. People who think marriage is about sex and reproduction, therefore have this attitude. We cannot blame the Muslims for accepting the marriage of their prophet with a girl of nine for they do not understand what marriage is and why God set rules about marriage. This is the cause of them having crazy rules concerning marriage because it is all about gratification of the body more than the spiritual purpose.

No doubt the body needs to be able for marriage but that does not mean that once the body is able one can get married. A boy is able to become a father right from the age of 6. Even though full puberty is reached at the age of 16 yet their body is able for fatherhood just at the age of 6. That does not mean a boy of 6 can get married.

People need to understand why the Lord allowed marriage to more than one woman in the early days and then set to only one, and in the latter days indirectly says blessed is the one who does not marry (let me make it clear here that these are not the end days and there is lots of years before the second coming of the Lord).

Marriage is something that we do that symbolizes things of the Heavens so that we understand things not possible otherwise. It is because of this when the topic of the Church being the bride comes up or when the topic of the Heavenly marriage of the Son comes up people imagine an earthly marriage in Heaven, doing just the opposite of what marriage is.

Marriage is something Heavenly enacted on earth and not something earthly which will happen in Heaven. Thus a person who does not know this should think twice before getting married.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord, You made this creation and gave us statutes to follow so that by following them we would be able to understand things which are hidden from man. Lord, let us not be lost in the statutes but pursue its understanding and purpose. Let marriage be that Heavenly bond which You called as Church, let us understand our roles in marriage and thus fulfil your instructions in Spirit and Truth...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference Scriptures ]
Mark 5:38-43
38 And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly.
39 And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth.
40 And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying.
41 And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise.
42 And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment.
43 And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat.

Genesis 2:23-25
23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

1 Corinthians 7:1-16
1 Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.
2 Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.
3 Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband.
4 The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife.
5 Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.
6 But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment.
7 For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that.
8 I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I.
9 But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.
10 And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband:
11 But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife.
12 But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away.
13 And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him.
14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.
15 But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace.
16 For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife?

The Word of God was given free to us, therefore we should also share it freely with others. (All rights are with God)