But Aren't Some Born Gay?

"When Jesus had finished these words, He departed from Galilee and came into the region of Judea beyond the Jordan; and large crowds followed Him, and He healed them there. Some Pharisees came to Jesus, testing Him and asking, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all?" And He answered and said, "Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE, and said, 'FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND BE JOINED 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 no man separate." They said to Him, "Why then did Moses command to GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE AND SEND her AWAY?" He said to them, "Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way. "And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery." The disciples said to Him, "If the relationship of the man with his wife is like this, it is better not to marry." But He said to them, "Not all men can accept this statement, but only those to whom it has been given. "For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother's womb; and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men; and there are also eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to accept this, let him accept it." - (Matthew 19:1-12, NASB)

In Indianapolis, there is a church called the Jesus Metropolitan Community Church (http://www.jesusmcc.org) who recently created 5 billboards which were displayed throughout the city. Each of these billboards were created in order to ask a rhetorical question, "Would Jesus Discriminate?" A rhetorical question of course is one in which an answer is expected. Thus, the expected answer to this question is "Of course not, Jesus would never discriminate against homosexuals."

The argument from this church based upon the passage above is this: Eunuchs were born the way that they were. Eunuchs chose not to have sex with women because they did not want to have sex with women. Eunuchs, therefore, were primarily homosexuals. Jesus stated that they were "born that way from their mother's womb." (Mt 19:12) Therefore, homosexuals were born gay and Jesus affirmed this. Not only did he affirm it but He accepted this and even endorsed it. He didn’t just permit such men to be that way, He understood it, and He accepted it.

Now, at first glance this may sound like a plausible argument. Jesus did say that some Eunuchs were born that way from their mothers womb. However, I want to point out three problems with this interpretation and reasons for why this interpretation cannot be true.

1. The context is marriage and sex within marriage. Not homosexuality.

The context here is marriage. The question asked to Jesus was about marriage and His response is also in the context of marriage. More succinctly, it is about the issue of divorce in marriage. No hint of sexuality is even addressed in the original question. When interpreting Scripture, context is king. You must pull out of the text ("exegesis") the authors intended meaning or AIM. You cannot read meaning into the text ("eisesis"). When you do, problems will always occur. Therefore, from the beginning, we need to acknowledge that the context is marriage.

2. The choice is only to have sex within marriage or to not have sex. It is not the choice to be heterosexual or homosexual.

Jesus permission for divorce is for adultery only. His argument is that only those who have been married to a woman who commits adultery has a reason for divorce. He doesn’t say that you have to pursue just because your spouse does such a thing. Only that this is the only action that permits it. His answer has nothing to do with sexuality in general. It deals with the issue of divorce.

3. The confirmation of such a claim is an appeal to the Order of Creation and God's definition of marriage. It is not an appeal to sexual identity at birth.

Jesus' claim is based upon an argument from the Order of Creation. Whenever an argument is defended properly from Genesis 1-2 it is a universal principle. This is very important. God created the world in perfection. This account is founded in Genesis 1-2. Therefore, marriage is properly defined as one man and one woman. Why? "Because it was this way from the beginning" Jesus argues. (Mt 19:4-6; Gen 2:24)

Therefore, when we look at the claims brought up by the JMCC church we can undeniably state that their interpretation was false. The context, choice, and confirmation all point to what is being addressed in verse 12. What is being addressed in verse 12? The JMCC believes it is the concept that Eunuchs were homosexuals and that Jesus was approving this behavior. Before we go any further, we need to ask ourselves:

"What is a Eunuch?"

A Eunuch is a "casterated man". Our English word is a transliteration of the Greek word EUNOUCHOS. It is a man who has testicles which do not function in the proper way. The term literally means "one who has abstained from wedlock". These men have chosen not to get married.

Why would they do such a thing? Many were placed in charge of a ruling household. In order to protect the queen and make sure that the man did not hace sexual relations with her in order to build up his own kingdom, the man would choose to become casterated. His genitles were not removed but rendered useless. Some, as Jesus said, were born that way. I read that this is a result of the testicles not dropping after birth (http://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/LVanswers/2005/08-24.htm). Yet, no surgical procedure was available in that day and age. Today, 1.5% of men born are born with this problem too.

Jesus is simply noting this in his answer. He says that there are 3 types of Eunuchs: those born that way, those who were made that way, and those who made themselves that way. We have just noted how some were born that way. They simply had a birth defect. Others are forced by kings and made that way because of their authority over women so that they would not try to have relations with the Queen. Still others choose to do this to themselves. Why would they do this? Possibly for service to a king. Some also did this in order for them to remain pure in the Jewish religion. According to OT Law, they were permitted from becoming priests (Lev 21:17-21) and from entering the temple (Deut 23:1-2). There are different opinions on what it mean to "enter the temple" - whether it meant to worship within it, serve within it, or get married to a Jewish woman. If the last option is correct, it would mean that a foreigner who wanted to become Jewish could do so but not to marry. Therefore, such an act may have been for religious reasons.

Whichever is the right answer, two questions still remain: "Would Jesus Discriminate?" and "Was he referring to homosexual Eunuchs in this passage?" Let's briefly examine each of these questions:

"Did Jesus Discriminate?"

I think the clear and obvious answer to this question is "Yes, He would discriminate." His answer to the religious leaders was a blatent attack upon them and an appeal to the Order of Creation. Thus, he discriminated towards both the religious leaders and indirectly also against anyone who would attempt to have sex outside of marriage. Marriage, as God defined it, was between one man and one woman. The context, choice, and confirmation of this conversation all suggest that He did intend to discriminate against anyone who did not follow the Word of God. However, we still need to answer the final question:

"Were Eunuchs homosexual?"

The logical answer to the second question is "No, He was in no way referring to homosexuality when He spoke about Eunuchs". Given a proper understanding of who Eunuchs are, the restrictions that they had been given, and how they were used within society, we can conclude that Jesus in no way confirms homosexuality in His statements.

In fact, I believe that Jesus appeals to Eunuchs in order to demonstrate that some are willing to go to extreme measures in order to live out their faithfulness to God. Celibacy is not for everyone but it can be a gift if given to God as a demonstration of love toward Him. Happiness in this lifetime is not as important as living our lives in such a way as to please our Heavenly Father.

Were Eunuchs born gay? No. Neither is anyone else. "Aren't some born gay?" Not according to Jesus.