Matthew Chapter Nineteen
Teaching About Divorce
[Text parallels Mark 10:1-12]
19:1 Now when Jesus had finished these sayings, he went away from Galilee and entered the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. 2 And large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.
After Jesus concluded His discourses on being like a child, the problem of temptation, and the need to offer forgiveness to others, He left the region of Galilee and headed south. They entered the region of Judea but stayed on the east side of the Jordan River (into an area later known as Perea). Large crowds followed Him there and Jesus healed and taught them while in that region (see Mark 10:1).
19:3 And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” 4 He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” 7 They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” 8 He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”
Undoubtedly following Jesus as close as possible throughout His traveling, the Pharisees, who have already decided to kill Jesus (see Matthew 12:14), probably saw His rising popularity as a threat. So they once again publicly try to test Him in the hope of proving that He is a fraud. They ask, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” We need to remember that the issue of divorce is widely misunderstood (even today). We know from reading Malachi who clearly wrote, “For I hate divorce!” says the LORD, the God of Israel. “To divorce your wife is to overwhelm her with cruelty,” (Malachi 2:16, NLT) yet at the same time, God allows divorce under certain circumstances. The source of the misunderstanding and confusion can be traced to man’s interpretation of those God-given allowances, which in turn creates what some people might call a ‘gray’ regulation instead of an absolute rule. Making divorce the perfect subject for a ‘trick’ question.
Jesus had already spoken about divorce in His “Sermon on the Mount” (see Matthew 5:31-32), which He will largely repeat here. In response to the Pharisee’s question, Jesus essentially asks, “Have you not read the book of Genesis?” He walks them through the creation of man and woman followed by a review of Genesis 2:24, which is probably what they wanted to hear, as they now ask, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” Jesus explains that the allowance in the law given to Moses was due to the hardness of their hearts. It was not due to God changing His mind, but as a result of the depravity of the human heart. Jesus once again clarifies the only acceptable reason for divorce is on the grounds of sexual immorality (Greek ‘porneia’,[1] fornication or any other sexual sin). If done for any other reason, would result in committing adultery.[2]
Jesus clarified that the law did not encourage nor command (as they stated in their question) in any way to divorce. He did, however, acknowledge that divorce was permitted under limited circumstances, but then told them that the allowance was due to their sinful hearts. Some believe that the Pharisees were hoping that Jesus would take a “hard core” stance against divorce, as the leadership of the region was Herod Antipas who was a proponent of adultery[3] and one who would have no problem in arresting or putting Jesus to death. Instead of an opportunity to ‘trick’ Jesus into saying something that could later be used to incriminate Him or perhaps a chance to defend their liberal view of divorce, the Pharisees were identified by Jesus as examples of the moral corruption Moses faced many years earlier by their forefathers, which silenced them for the moment.
19:10 The disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” 11 But he said to them, “Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. 12 For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it.”
During this time the Jews had a very ‘relaxed’ view of divorce, to the point it was commonplace, especially if there was any disagreement. Later, an entire tractate of the Talmud was dedicated to the “writ of divorce,” known as the Tractate Gittin, which offered stricter guidelines and some protection from arbitrary divorce. However, the disciples would have been brought up understanding that divorce was for their benefit, essentially being nothing more than an apparatus for their pleasure. So when they heard Jesus explain that what “God has joined together,” was not to be separated, and that the only valid reason for divorce was sexual immorality, the disciples were confused. After the Pharisees had left, they approach Jesus and ask, if those restrictions regarding divorce are true, then would it be better not to marry? That question offers some insight about marriage during this time, it was clearly not as God intended (see Genesis 2:24; Deuteronomy 24:1-4; 1 Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 5:31).
Jesus offers an interesting insight on the concept of marriage. He begins by saying not everyone can receive what He is about to say. In other words not everyone is going to accept this as being true. It will only be understood by those given discernment from God. The Greek word ‘eunouchoi’,[4] transliterated here as ‘eunuchs’, essentially refers to the keeper of the bed, a chamberlain, one who has been emasculated, the word can also refer to one being impotent, or lives like eunuchs in voluntary abstinence. Jesus replies, “Some are born as eunuchs, some have been made eunuchs by others, and some choose not to marry for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.” (verse 12, NLT)
The use of this passage to support celibacy by the Roman church is without justification. It is clear that Jesus did not view marriage as undesirable, except in special cases, as in His own state of celibacy. Replying to the disciples, He pointed out that marriage is not for everyone. Some are born eunuchs, that is, without normal sexual desire. Others, especially slaves, have been castrated. Still others “have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake” (v. 12). By this, He did not mean self-imposed castration, as was once advocated by the early church and practiced, for instance, by Origen, through incorrect understanding of this passage.[5]
Let the Children Come!
[Text parallels Mark 10:13-16 and Luke 18:15-17]
19:13 Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, 14 but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” 15 And he laid his hands on them and went away.
The first appearance of the idea of laying one’s hand on another in the New Testament was recorded in Matthew 9:18 when a Jewish leader asked Jesus to lay His hands on his dead daughter to raise her to life again. Beginning with this passage, the placing of hands for healing, or to obtain some form of blessing, can be found over 15 times in the New Testament. Here we read that little children were being brought to Jesus so that He might lay His hands on them and pray, undoubtedly to receive a blessing from Him.
When the disciples saw this, they tried to intervene and stop them from approaching Jesus. Many question why the disciples thought they needed to stop and rebuke them (likely their parents), especially after the discourse about children in the previous chapter. While there may be a potential reason why, the text does not offer any. Jesus loves children and wanted them to come, He again reminds the disciples that, “the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.” (verse 14b, NLT, see Matthew 18:3) When they approached Him, Jesus laid His hands on them before leaving.
Considerations
The concept of the laying on of hands is not unique to the New Testament, the first use of laying on of hands is found in Exodus 29:10 as a symbolic transference of sin to an innocent animal before the animal was to be sacrificed (see also Exodus 29:15, 19; Leviticus 1:4; 3:2, 8, 13; 4:4, 15, 24, 29, 33; 8:14, 18, 22; 16:21). We also see the people of Israel laying their hands on the Levites who then lay their hands on the heads of bulls being sacrificed during the Levite cleansing (see Numbers 8:5-22); and then again when someone committed blasphemy, the people who heard the words spoken were to lay their hands on the guilty party before they were to be stoned to death (see Leviticus 24:10-26).
Then later toward the end of his life, we read Moses transferred authority to his protégé Joshua by laying hands on him (see Numbers 27:18-23; Deuteronomy 34:9). Many churches today still employ a similar process, often called the “Imposition of Hands,” used during special ceremonies such as the ordaining or installing of a minister, graduation from confirmation, etc.
In each case a symbolic ’transference’ occurs, in regards to a sacrifice offered, the sins of the person were symbolically transferred to the animal, in a sense the animal dies in place of the person, by the hands of the person whose sins are being atoned.
A Wealthy Young Man Inquires About Salvation
[Text parallels Mark 10:17-31 and Luke 18:18-30]
19:16 And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
A man approaches Jesus and asks Him, what good deed must he do to obtain eternal life. Before reading further, ask yourself how would you answer that question if someone asked you. Commit to memory your answer for the moment. Now back to the story. The Greek word that is translated as ‘good deed’ and ‘good’, is ‘agathon’,[6] its meaning can include good, best, useful, distinguished, excellent, benevolent, profitable, etc. The focus is on an action, something done, or that needs to be done. Being omniscient, Jesus would know this man very well, perhaps the deflection of the question by first noting, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good,” was to help him recognize that Jesus is more than a teacher, that He is indeed the Messiah. So how did you answer that question? If the answer required more than the repenting of sin and accepting the free offer of salvation from Jesus, it would be wrong. The point of the exercise is to understand that without Jesus, mankind cannot be saved. However, since no one can be saved by practicing the law[7], and that those that came prior to Jesus being resurrected would also saved by Jesus,[8] why did Jesus tell this man that he needed to keep the commandments? It was a test. Due to human nature and temptation, believers need to regularly take the same test, essentially asking is there something (or someone) in their life more important than Jesus? If there is, repent and return to Jesus (see Acts 3:19; Revelation 2:5).
Jesus says that if this man wants eternal life, he needs to keep the commandments. The man’s question as to which ones, is not necessarily an audacious inquiry, or even one offered out of ignorance, as the law has many more commandments than the Ten Commandments.[9] Jesus tells him that he needs to observe: “You shall not murder” (see Exodus 20:13); “You shall not commit adultery” (see Exodus 20:14); “You shall not steal” (see Exodus 20:15); “You shall not bear false witness” (see Exodus 20:16); “Honor your father and mother” (see Exodus 20:12); and, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (see Leviticus 19:18, note that this last commandment is not one of the Ten Commandments). The man replies that he has kept all of those. It is interesting that the man then asks, “What do I still lack?” Did he feel that Jesus knew of some hidden truth about eternity, or did he think those six commandments were too easy? Regardless, Jesus knew his heart, this line of questioning lead to the man’s weakness, the main barrier to his salvation, his wealth and possessions. Jesus said, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” The man was unwilling to give up what he had, so he left. Jesus was not saying that believers could not be wealthy or have valuable possessions, He was exposing the fact that this man put his possessions ahead of Jesus.
19:23 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person 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 greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Jesus then tells His disciples that wealthy people will have difficulty entering the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus uses the exaggeration of a camel going through the eye of a needle as hyperbole to illustrate that it is essentially impossible for a rich person to enter heaven. Many choose to believe Jesus would not exaggerate or use hyperbole, so they have created stories about one of the gates along the wall of ancient Jerusalem was called the “Eye of the Needle,’” (or similar name) or that instead of a camel, the word should refer to a rope or a cable. The problem is that none of these are true, Jesus often and effectively used hyperbole,[10] the point here is very clear. Wealthy people typically become attached to their possessions, and since those possessions are often the only thing that differentiates them from other people, they hold on to them and revere them higher than their relationship with God. Jesus is not saying one should live in poverty or not possess things, He is however, saying that people can be possessed by their own possessions, as the wealthy man clearly was here (see also Luke 12:15; 14:33; 1 Timothy 6:6-11; Hebrews 13:5).
When the disciples heard that it would be difficult for a rich person to enter heaven, they were shocked. They sincerely ask Jesus, “Who then can be saved?” The Jews at that time were taught that the accumulation of wealth was not only a virtue, it was seen as being essential. As demonstrated in the Tractate Nedarim of the Talmud, which reads, “The Holy One, blessed be He, brings his Presence to rest only on a person who is strong, wealthy, wise, and humble, and all of these derive from the example of Moses.” (Folio 38A)[11] In their minds, being wealthy was an indication of God’s blessing.
Jesus counters that belief and offers an important insight regarding the law and salvation, He says that salvation is impossible for any man to obtain on their own. But with God, all things are possible, including offering salvation for all human beings, regardless of wealth.
19:27 Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” 28 Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit 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 lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.
Perceiving that Jesus was teaching that the wealthy man would have difficulty in entering the Kingdom of Heaven because he would not be willing to give up his possessions to follow Jesus, Peter then asks if they, His disciples, who did give up everything to follow Him, would they be allowed in? Jesus replies that in the new world (Greek ‘palingenesia’,[12] regeneration, restoration, see also Acts 3:21) He will sit on His throne and those who have followed Him will sit on twelve thrones ruling alongside Him the restored Israel. It should be noticed that all believers will sit on the throne to judge the people of earth (see Revelation 2:26; 3:21; 20:4).[13]
Jesus makes it clear that life and the rewards in the Kingdom of Heaven will be greater than any loss or suffering encountered in this life.
The believer in Jesus Christ will have blessings now, blessings in the millennial kingdom, and blessings throughout all eternity. To be poor for the sake of Christ is to be rich indeed. Jim Elliot, a young missionary martyred by the Auca Indians of Ecuador whom he was seeking to reach for Christ, wrote shortly before his death, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”[14]
Jesus said that, “many who are first will be last, and the last first,” was a phrase He often used (or similar, see Matthew 20:16; Mark 10:31; Luke 13:30). Through the years there have been a number of interpretations of this verse. In context, the ‘first’ seem to refer to those that appear, using ‘human’ standards that would be the obvious “first in line” candidates, such as those that are wealthy, educated, hold a prominent position, have special talents, etc. The ‘last’ then would be the less-obvious, those behind the scenes, humble servants of God, teachers, evangelists, every-day believers, etc. We need to remember, “For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7b) This teaching would have been completely foreign to the disciples. To help them understand the equality of those that enter the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus presents the parable about the laborers in the vineyard. Many believe verse 30 introduces that parable and therefore should be the first verse of chapter twenty.
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[1] Strong’s Greek 4202.
[2] See commentary under Matthew 5:31-32.
[3] See Considerations under Matthew 2:7-12 regarding “Meet the Herods.”
[4] Strong’s Greek 2135.
[5] Walvoord, J. F. (2007). Matthew: Thy Kingdom Come (pp. 142–143). Galaxie Software.
[6] Strong’s Greek 18.
[7] See commentary under Matthew 5:19-20.
[8] See commentary under Matthew 11:11.
[9] See commentary under Matthew 15:1-9.
[10] See commentary under Matthew 7:1-5.
[11] Neusner, J. (2011). The Babylonian Talmud: A Translation and Commentary (Vol. 10a, p. 103). Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers.
[12] Strong’s Greek 3824.
[13] See the “Interpretation Variations” in the Introduction to the Olivet Discourse at the beginning of Matthew chapter 24.
[14] MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1985). Matthew (Vol. 3, p. 206). Chicago: Moody Press.