Daily Word: Matthew 19:3-12 – The Unbreakable Bond of Love | Friday, Aug 14 (St. Maximilian Kolbe)
The Pharisees test Jesus on divorce. He points them back to the beginning. Unpack the Greek of “suzeugnumi” and “eunouchos” in this 4-minute reflection on the indissolubility of marriage, with a closing tribute to St. Maximilian Kolbe.
DAILY WORD
spwworship
8/14/20265 min read
Scripture Reference: Matthew 19:3-12 (Friday of the 19th Week in Ordinary Time – Memorial of St. Maximilian Kolbe)
“So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must separate.” (Matthew 19:6)
The Pharisees approach Jesus with a question designed to trap Him. They ask: “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?” It is a question that pits the strict school of Shammai (who allowed divorce only for serious matters) against the more permissive school of Hillel (who allowed it for almost any reason). They expect Jesus to choose a side and alienate the other.
Jesus does not play their game. Instead, He takes them back to the beginning. He does not appeal to rabbinic traditions or legal loopholes. He appeals to the original design of the Creator: “From the beginning it was not so.”
He quotes Genesis: “A man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” Then He declares: “What God has joined together, no human being must separate.”
The Language of Union: Proskollaō and Suzeugnumi (v. 5-6)
The Greek text unveils the depth of this union. When Jesus speaks of a man being “joined” to his wife, the Greek verb is proskollaō. This word means to be glued, cemented, or fused together. It carries the image of two pieces of wood permanently bonded with such strength that they cannot be pulled apart without breaking. It is the language of the covenant—irreversible, inseparable, and sacred.
When Jesus says “what God has joined together,” the Greek verb is suzeugnumi — to yoke together, as oxen are yoked to a plow. The image is striking: in marriage, two individuals are placed under the same yoke, pulling in the same direction, toward the same purpose. God Himself is the one who places them under this yoke. To break this union is to tear apart what God has bound.
This is not a legal restriction; it is a revelation of God’s original intention. Marriage, in its deepest reality, is a participation in the covenant love of God—a love that is faithful, fruitful, and eternal.
The Hardness of Heart: Sklerokardia (v. 8)
The Pharisees press further: “Why then did Moses command that a man give a certificate of divorce and dismiss her?”
Jesus responds: “Because of the hardness of your hearts Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.”
The Greek word for “hardness” is sklerokardia — a hardening of the heart, a spiritual sclerosis that resists the call of grace. The allowance for divorce was a concession to human sinfulness, not a divine ideal. God’s original plan was not compromised; it was accommodated to the hardness of the human heart.
Moses did not command divorce; he regulated it to limit its damage. The permission was a symptom of the fall, not a reflection of God’s will. Jesus calls His disciples back to the original design—a design that reveals the heart of God.
The Radical Call: Chōrizō and Eunouchos (v. 9-12)
Jesus then concludes: “Whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”
The Greek verb for “divorce” is chōrizō — to separate, to divide, to put asunder. It is the opposite of proskollaō. What God has glued together, man must not pull apart.
Then the disciples respond: “If that is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” It is a practical, almost cynical observation. If marriage is so demanding, why bother?
Jesus does not deny the difficulty. Instead, He speaks of a higher calling: “Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; and some have renounced marriage for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.”
The Greek word for “incapable of marriage” (or “eunuch”) is eunouchos. Jesus identifies three categories:
Those born eunuchs (natural incapacity).
Those made eunuchs by others (forced castration).
Those who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom (voluntary renunciation for the sake of the Gospel).
This third category is the radical call to celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom. It is not a rejection of marriage; it is a prophetic witness to the coming Kingdom, where the deepest union is with Christ Himself.
Saint Maximilian Kolbe: The Martyr of Charity
Today the Church honors Saint Maximilian Maria Kolbe, a Franciscan priest who lived out the radical demands of the Gospel in the most extreme circumstances.
Born in Poland in 1894, Kolbe dedicated his life to the Immaculate Virgin. He founded the Militia of the Immaculata and was a tireless evangelist, using modern media to spread the faith.
During World War II, he was arrested and sent to Auschwitz. In the starvation bunker, when a guard selected a prisoner to be executed, the man cried out, “My wife! My children!” Maximilian Kolbe stepped forward and offered his own life in exchange.
He spent his final days in the bunker, praying, singing hymns, and comforting his fellow prisoners. After two weeks, he was the last one alive and was given a lethal injection. He died on August 14, 1941, a “martyr of charity.”
The Connection: The Unbreakable Bond of Love
Maximilian Kolbe’s sacrifice is the Gospel of Matthew 19 lived to its fullest. He did not merely talk about the permanence of love; he embodied it. He loved not with words, but in deed and in truth.
The unbreakable bond of marriage finds its ultimate meaning in the unbreakable bond of Christ’s love for His Church. Kolbe gave his life for a man he did not know—because he understood that love is not about calculation but about complete self-giving.
The call to renounce marriage for the sake of the Kingdom is not a rejection of the gift of marriage. It is a prophecy of the Kingdom, where the only bond that ultimately matters is the bond with Christ. Kolbe’s celibacy was not an absence of love; it was a superabundance of love, poured out for all.
St. John Paul II, who canonized Kolbe in 1982, called him a "martyr of charity". His life reminds us that love is the only thing that never ends (1 Corinthians 13:8). The bonds of marriage, family, and friendship are sacred—but they all point to the ultimate bond, the bond of charity that unites us to God and to one another.
What This Means for Your Friday
Today, reflect on the call to love without limits.
In your marriage or relationships: Do you see them as a covenant sealed by God, or as a contract that can be broken? The Gospel calls us to a love that is irrevocable.
In your singleness or vocation: Do you see your state in life as a gift? Whether married or celibate, you are called to a love that is total, faithful, and fruitful.
In your daily life: Are you willing to love like Kolbe—to sacrifice yourself for the good of another, even when it costs you everything?
A Short Prayer
Lord Jesus, You are the faithful Bridegroom who never abandons His bride. Give us the courage to love as You love—without calculation, without reservation, and without end. Through the intercession of St. Maximilian Kolbe, teach us to offer our lives for others, even in the smallest daily sacrifices. May our love be a sign of Your eternal love, which nothing can separate. Amen.
Connect
Join our community for uplifting worship content
Contact
Subscribe
apocrifo1815@gmail.com
© 2026. All rights reserved.