Sex and the Kingdom of God

 

Recently Marvel released their newest superhero epic, "Eternals". Of particular interest to many is the fact that this is the first movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to have a sex scene. Marvel movies have been well known for their chastity and lack of intimacy. Many voices cry out, "About time!"

My goal here is not to condemn "Eternals" or sex scenes in movies in general, though I usually find that they are not helpful and only serve to titillate and stir up our fleshly lusts. What is of interest to me is the over-emphasis of our culture at large on sexuality. As if something glaring has been missing from the MCU all this time.

This is evidence of the attitude so many have in our society who believe that sexual gratification is of upmost if not primary importance. As if we cannot live a happy and fulfilled life without having all of our sexual desires, no matter how bizarre and deviant, expressed and satisfied. Much of this thinking has its roots in a materialistic, godless view of the world. Satan is at work through all this, seeking to destroy all that God has called good and beautiful.

In Matthew 19 we see Jesus discussing sexuality with some of the Pharisees and He offers us some important insights.

"4. Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,

5.  And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?

6.  Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

7.  They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?

8.  He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.

9.  And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.

10.  His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry.

11.  But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given.

12.  For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb; and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men; and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it."

Previously we have looked at God's intentions around "one flesh" in context of this passage and the early chapters of Genesis. As the conversation progresses, Jesus pushes in further and further into the thinking of the Pharisees and His own disciples about their sexuality.

These first century men were not that different from the men of our modern age. They were not sleeping around with anyone they had some attraction to, but they were still using sex and marriage as little more than tools to satisfy their fleshly cravings. They would follow the Old Testament law and get married, but they twisted the law so that they could divorce a woman for just about any reason that came to mind. Scholars tell us that men at this time would divorce their wives over issues as petty as the fact that they were bad cooks. Once divorced, they were free to marry whoever they pleased. Jesus condemned this sort of behavior as adultery.

While these men were a bit more faithful than many in our society today - they were at least getting married before having sex - still, the underlying driver of lust is still there. They were not embracing God's view of a covenant marriage; their selfish desires were what was fueling their views around sex and marriage.

Jesus' own disciples complained that the view of marriage Jesus was teaching was a bad thing, "It is not good to marry." they said.

Then Jesus takes an interesting turn. He basically says, "Yeah, this isn't for everybody..."  and proceeds to discuss eunuchs, or those that had been castrated for different reasons.

This makes an interesting contrast. There are those who use and abuse marriage and divorce simply to indulge their lust, and then there are those who are unable to even enjoy sex and marriage.

He points out two categories of eunuchs, those who lost their genitals unwillingly and those that lost them willingly. Daniel, the Old Testament prophet, was an example of a man who was made a eunuch by men when he was taken as a captive into Babylon as a young man. He was never able to marry or enjoy a family life.

Then there are those also who voluntarily become eunuchs for the Kingdom of God. I do not know of any in Scripture who willingly became eunuchs for the Kingdom of God, but there are many, including our Savior and the Apostle Paul who were celibate as part of their service to the Lord. In our modern setting we do not see men castrating themselves for the Lord, but we do see men and women who are celibate for the Kingdom of God. This is most common in denominations like the Catholic church.

It is good to notice what Jesus does not say about eunuchs. He doesn't say that being a eunuch in this way is somehow strange and abnormal. They are not misdirected, misguided or in some way missing out. They are not sexually repressed or in some way deviant, they are not odd. He acknowledges that there is goodness and glory in those who either by choice or by accident end up unable to enjoy a sexual relationship.

The point Jesus is making is that sex is not the be-all, end-all that society so often paints it to be. There are many valid paths to the good life, and several do not include sex as part of it.

Sex is perhaps the great idol of our society. We willfully seek out sexual fulfillment in open defiance of God's will. We believe we deserve to be fulfilled, that it is our right to pursue our sexual desires wherever they lead us. After all, God wants us to be happy, right? And how can we be happy without sex?

Even among Christians, those single adults in the church are often viewed with some suspicion. "Why aren't you married?" is an all-too-common question for the singleton to hear. While most Christian churches still honor marriage, the underlying attitude that sexual fulfillment is an absolute necessity and those who avoid it are in some way deviant, or at least, missing out is still prevalent.

Jesus flips this whole attitude on its head, there are those who find rich, abundant lives all the while practicing abstinence. Sex is wonderful, but missing out on sex can be wonderful too.

While Christ does acknowledge that it is a difficult path to follow, and only a few are called to it, He does not say it is an aberration. The life of a eunuch is just as valid and valuable as the life of who pursue marriage and family.

This teaching is especially timely for those who identify as homosexuals or experience same-sex attraction. Many of these individuals feel as if God has made them with these attractions and the only way for them to have a rich and satisfying life is by practicing homosexuality. The message Christ has for them is that there are larger things to be concerned with besides sexuality, and if they willingly surrender their sexuality to Him and focus their passion and energy into the Kingdom of God, they will find joy and delight that could never be found in a sinful lifestyle.

When the one-time, world heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali was training for a major fight he would go to extreme measures. He would seclude himself from friends and family and focus on only training for weeks or month on end. He had a carefully structured and restricted diet. Every day he pushed his body and mind to the limits to get himself ready to fight. Of particular interest is the fact that he would abstain from sex and masturbation before a fight. He believed this gave him greater focus and energy leading up to a fight. This was and continues to be a controversial point among boxers and professional athletes. Ali was willing to forgo that intimate embrace and release in order to prepare and perform at his highest level and achieve the glory of becoming the greatest boxer in the world. He was able to recognize that there are some things that are more important than sex.