Matthew 19
Notes
Transcript
The Question Of Divorce Matthew 19:1-12
The Question Of Divorce Matthew 19:1-12
1 When Jesus had finished saying these things, he departed from Galilee and went to the region of Judea across the Jordan. 2 Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there. 3 Some Pharisees approached him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife on any grounds?”
4 “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that he who created them in the beginning made them male and female, 5 and he also said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
7 “Why then,” they asked him, “did Moses command us to give divorce papers and to send her away?”
8 He told them, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because of the hardness of your hearts, but it was not like that from the beginning. 9 I tell you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another commits adultery.”
10 His disciples said to him, “If the relationship of a man with his wife is like this, it’s better not to marry.”
11 He responded, “Not everyone can accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given. 12 For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother’s womb, there are eunuchs who were made by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves that way because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who is able to accept it should accept it.”
3 Some Pharisees approached him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife on any grounds?”
4 “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that he who created them in the beginning made them male and female, 5 and he also said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
The Pharisees’ question reflects the rabbinic debate between conservative and liberal schools on divorce grounds
The word “test” echoes Satan’s temptation of Jesus; the Pharisees represent the kingdom of Satan in Matthew’s dualism
God’s original intention was one wife per man; marriage supersedes the parental relationship and is a union not to be broken by human act
7 “Why then,” they asked him, “did Moses command us to give divorce papers and to send her away?”
8 He told them, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because of the hardness of your hearts, but it was not like that from the beginning. 9 I tell you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another commits adultery.”
Moses permitted divorce due to hardness of hearts, not as God’s best will
God’s ideal was no divorce; He tolerates sin’s consequences but doesn’t endorse them
The Lord restricted divorce to one ground: unchastity
10 His disciples said to him, “If the relationship of a man with his wife is like this, it’s better not to marry.”
11 He responded, “Not everyone can accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given. 12 For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother’s womb, there are eunuchs who were made by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves that way because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who is able to accept it should accept it.”
The disciples reacted with extremes, thinking it better not to marry than risk divorce
Only those given special grace can remain celibate; this calling is not for everyone
Blessing The Children Matthew 19:13-15
Blessing The Children Matthew 19:13-15
13 Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 Jesus said, “Leave the little children alone, and don’t try to keep them from coming to me, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” 15 After placing his hands on them, he went on from there.
Bringing children to elders for blessing was a Jewish custom, likely connected to Day of Atonement practices
In honor/shame culture, mothers and children belonged in the home; bringing them to public space exposed them to vulnerability
Jesus affirmed children’s value and declared the kingdom belongs to such as these
Jesus laid hands on them and blessed them, demonstrating that children matter to Him
The Rich Young Ruler Matthew 19:16-22
The Rich Young Ruler Matthew 19:16-22
16 Just then someone came up and asked him, “Teacher, what good must I do to have eternal life?”
17 “Why do you ask me about what is good?” he said to him. “There is only one who is good. If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
18 “Which ones?” he asked him.
Jesus answered: Do not murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not bear false witness; 19 honor your father and your mother; and love your neighbor as yourself.
20 “I have kept all these,” the young man told him. “What do I still lack?”
21 “If you want to be perfect,” Jesus said to him, “go, sell your belongings and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22 When the young man heard that, he went away grieving, because he had many possessions.
16 Just then someone came up and asked him, “Teacher, what good must I do to have eternal life?”
17 “Why do you ask me about what is good?” he said to him. “There is only one who is good. If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
The contrast is stark: the kingdom belongs to children, yet adults struggle to enter
The man’s question reveals ignorance of Jesus’ true identity and the nature of salvation
Jesus probed his understanding: He was not denying His deity but offering the man an opportunity to recognize it
Jesus used the law to convict the man of sin, not to suggest salvation comes through works
18 “Which ones?” he asked him.
Jesus answered: Do not murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not bear false witness; 19 honor your father and your mother; and love your neighbor as yourself.
20 “I have kept all these,” the young man told him. “What do I still lack?”
Jesus quoted the commandments dealing with our fellow man, culminating in “love your neighbor as yourself”
The man boasted he had kept all these since youth, blind to his own selfishness
21 “If you want to be perfect,” Jesus said to him, “go, sell your belongings and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22 When the young man heard that, he went away grieving, because he had many possessions.
Jesus exposed the man’s failure to love his neighbor by commanding him to sell all and give to the poor
True salvation requires acknowledging sin and God’s grace, not works
The man went away sorrowful, unwilling to release his wealth to follow Jesus
Possessions And The Kingdom Matthew 19:23-30
Possessions And The Kingdom Matthew 19:23-30
23 Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”
25 When the disciples heard this, they were utterly astonished and asked, “Then who can be saved?”
26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
27 Then Peter responded to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you. So what will there be for us?”
28 Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, in the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields because of my name will receive a hundred times more and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.
23 Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”
25 When the disciples heard this, they were utterly astonished and asked, “Then who can be saved?”
26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Jesus turns to His disciples to reflect on the encounter: wealth makes kingdom entry difficult
Riches become idols; it’s hard to possess them without trusting in them
The camel-through-needle proverb expresses impossibility, not difficulty
The disciples were shocked; Jewish theology taught that wealth signified God’s blessing
“With God all things are possible”—salvation is impossible for humans but possible for God alone
27 Then Peter responded to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you. So what will there be for us?”
28 Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, in the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields because of my name will receive a hundred times more and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.
Peter asks what reward awaits those who have left everything to follow Jesus
Jesus promises that those who sacrifice for the kingdom will receive many times more in this age and eternal life in the age to come
Kingdom values invert worldly priorities. What are you clinging to that competes with allegiance to Christ?
Kingdom values invert worldly priorities. What are you clinging to that competes with allegiance to Christ?
