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Gospel of Matthew Chapter 19

by Paul George  
9/09/2008 / Bible Studies

Matthew 19:1-26

Verse 1, "When Jesus had finished these words. He departed from Galilee and came into the region Judea beyond the Jordan" (NASB). This is the first time in Matthew's Gospel that Jesus moved into Judea for ministry. Until now, Jesus' public ministry was in Galilee. Now Jesus began to move toward Jerusalem, and the Cross. Even as He journeys to Jerusalem to suffer and die, He manifests His compassion in healing those who come to Him and preparing His disciples for what lay ahead of them in view of His rejection.

Again, the Pharisees approached Jesus with a question intended to trap Him. This time they asked a question about divorce. The rabbis were divided on what were legitimate grounds for divorce. In mainstream Judaism, there were two dominant views both of which held that divorce was permissible if the husband found "some indecency" in his wife (Deuteronomy 24:1). A second view permitted divorce for any offense that a wife might have committed, real or imagined by the husband. This even included a wife not cooking her husband's meal to his liking. Jesus' quotation of Genesis 1:27 and 2:24 shows that He believed that marriage unites a man and a woman in a "one flesh" relationship. In view of this union, Jesus concluded, a husband and wife are no longer two but one (v 6). Since God has done this, separating them with divorce is rebellion against God. In His answer, Jesus was taking what was written in Malachi 2:16, rather than the opinions of the rabbis. Malachi had revealed that God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16).

Jesus focused on the God-ordained and supernaturally created unity of the married couple that rests on how God made human beings, not just the sanctity of a covenant relationship between the husband and the wife. Marriage does not break down simply because one partner breaks the covenant with his or her spouse.

Jesus did not answerer the Pharisees' question, at least it was not the answer they wanted to hear about how one should apply the Mosaic Law on this subject, so they asked Him this question, why did Moses allow divorce (Deuteronomy 24:1-4). Jesus explained that the concession in the Mosaic Law was just that, a concession. It did not reflect the will of God in creation but the hardness of the human heart. Jesus' point is God permitted divorce as He permitted sin because not permitting it creates worse situations.

This is not saying that the Israelite who divorced his wife for the reasons God permitted committed sin, it is saying that the divorce option that God granted the Israelites testifies to man's sinfulness. Therefore, one should always view divorce as evidence of sin, specifically hardness of heart. He or she should never view it as simply a morally neutral option that God granted, the correctness or incorrectness of which depended on the definition of the indecency. The Pharisees' attitude toward the issue was wrong. They were looking for grounds for divorce and not reconciliation.

What was the indecency for which Moses permitted divorce? It was not adultery since the penalty for that was death, not divorce (Deuteronomy 22:22). It could not be suspicion of adultery either since there was a specified procedure for handling those cases (Numbers 5:5-31). Probably it was any gross immoral behavior short of adultery.

Jesus introduced His position on this subject with words that stressed His authority: "I say to you." His was the true view because it came from Him who came to fulfill the law. Matthew recorded only Jesus' words concerning a man who divorces his wife, probably because in Judaism wives could not divorce their husbands. However, Mark recorded Jesus saying that the same thing holds true for a woman who divorces her husband (Mark 10:12).Mark wrote originally for a Roman audience. Wives could divorce their husbands under Roman law. Matthew's original readers lived under Jewish law that did not permit wives to divorce their husbands.

Just as Moses permitted divorce because of the hardness of man's heart, so did Jesus. Yet whereas Moses was indefinite about the indecency that constituted grounds for a divorce, Jesus specified the indecency as fornication. Jesus' specification of marital unfaithfulness as the sole ground for divorce conflicted with the law's requirement that the Jews should stone those unfaithful in marriage. Jesus was also abolishing the death penalty for marital unfaithfulness by taking the position He took. He was teaching that His hearers could deal with marital unfaithfulness through divorce rather than through execution, though divorce was only a divine concession and not His preference.

The subject of how to deal with divorce cases involving marital unfaithfulness was of particular interest to the Jews in view of Old Testament and rabbinic teaching on this subject. Some scholars who believe that Jesus meant to discourage remarriage in verse 9 interpret the disciples' statement in verse 10 as evidence that they understood Him in this light. If a person has to remain unmarried after he divorces, it would be better if he never married in the first place. However, this is probably not, what Jesus meant in verse 9. The evidence for this is His reference to eunuchs in verse 12.

The disciples thought that if they could not divorce and remarry, they would be better off remaining single. Jesus responded that not everyone could live by the conclusion of the disciples in verse 10, namely, never marrying. Jesus told the disciples there are those who could live according to the conclusion of the disciples, namely, eunuchs.

In verse 12, Jesus identified three types of eunuchs. Some eunuchs were born impotent or without normal sexual drive and therefore remained unmarried. Other eunuchs were eunuchs because others had castrated them, most notably those eunuchs who served in government positions where they had frequent access to harems. Still other eunuchs were those who had chosen an unmarried life for themselves so they could serve God more effectively. However, neither Jesus nor the apostles viewed celibacy as an intrinsically holier state than marriage (1 Timothy 4:1-3; Hebrews 13:4; cf. 1 Corinthians 9:5). They viewed it as a special calling that God has given some of His servants so they can be more useful in His service.

Jesus held a very high view of marriage. When a man and a woman marry, God creates a union that is as strong as the union that bound Adam and Eve together. However, even though God hates divorce He permits it in cases where gross sexual indecency has entered the marriage. Jesus urged His disciples not to divorce, and if they divorced, He urged them not to remarry. However, He did not go as far as prohibiting remarriage. He encouraged them to realize that living unmarried after a divorce is a realistic possibility for many people, but He conceded it was not possible for all. A primary consideration should be how one could most effectively carry on his or her work of preparing for the kingdom.

Matthew did not record the Pharisees' reaction to this teaching. His primary concern was the teaching itself. He only cited the Pharisees' participation because it illustrated their continuing antagonism, a major theme in his Gospel, and because it provided the setting for Jesus' authoritative teaching.

A second incident occurred that provided another opportunity for Jesus to emphasize the importance of childlike characteristics in His disciples. It was customary for people to bring their children to rabbis for blessings (Genesis 48:14; Numbers 27:18). The disciples rebuked those who brought the children to Jesus (Mark 10:13; Luke 18:15). Matthew, Mark, and Luke did not reveal why the disciples rebuked the people for bringing the children to Jesus. However, the fact that they did it revealed their need for Jesus' exhortation that followed. They were not behaving with humility as Jesus had previously taught them to do (chapter 18).

The Jews cherished their children but viewed them as needing to learn, to be respectful, and to listen. Jesus welcomed the children. This attitude is harmonious with His attitude toward all the humble, dependent, needy, trusting, and vulnerable people who came to Him. Furthermore, children coming to Him symbolized people with the characteristics of children coming to Him. Jesus did not want to discourage anyone like them from coming to Him. He did not say the kingdom belonged to children but to people who are similar to children. Children provided an excellent object lesson that Jesus used to illustrate the qualities necessary for entering and serving in the kingdom.

The difference between this lesson and the one in chapter 18 is that there the focus was on the childlike quality of humility that is so important in a disciple. Here Jesus broadened the lesson to include other childlike characteristics.

Verse 16, opens the door for Jesus to teach a lesson concerning human problems. A rich young man asked Jesus what he needed to do to obtain eternal life. The term "eternal life" occurs here for the first time in Matthew's Gospel. However, the concept of eternal life occurs in Matthew 7:14.

Eternal life is life that continues forever in God's presence as opposed to eternal damnation apart from God's presence. The young man's idea of how one obtains eternal life was far from what Jesus had been preaching. The rich young man thought one had to perform some particular act of righteousness in addition to keeping the Mosaic Law (v 20). He wanted Jesus to tell him what that act was. Jesus' question in verse 17 did not imply that He was unable to answer the young man's question. Jesus' question implied the rich young man had an improper understanding of goodness. Jesus went on to explain that no one can be is good enough to obtain eternal life. The young man had asked Jesus questions about goodness that only God could adequately answer.

The last part of verse 17 does not mean that Jesus believed a person could earn eternal life by obeying God's commandments. Obedience to God's commandments is a good preparation for entering into life. However, obedience alone will not do.

The rabbis had added so many commands to those in the Mosaic Law that the young man did not know which commandments Jesus meant. Jesus listed the sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and fifth commandments, in that order, plus part of "the greatest commandment" (Leviticus 19:18).

The fact that the young man claimed to have kept all of them reveals the superficiality of his understanding of God's demands. This is always the case when a person seeks to earn eternal life by his or her goodness. One can never be sure he or she has done enough. This young man may have been rich materially, but he was lacking what was more important, namely, the assurance of his salvation. By referring to being, "complete" Jesus was referring to the young man's belief that he needed to do something more to assure his eternal life. In verse 21, Jesus did not mean that the young man had eternal life and just needed to do a little more, to be assured he had eternal life. Jesus had told his disciples that perfection, the same Greek word translated "complete" here, came from following Him (Matthew 5:48). He repeated the same thing here.

What this young man needed to do was to become a disciple of Jesus, to start following Him and learning from Him. God's will did not just involve keeping commandments. It also involved following Jesus. If he did that, he would learn how a person obtains eternal life, not by good deeds but by faith in Jesus. To follow Jesus this rich young man would need to sell his possessions. He could not accompany Jesus, as he needed to without disposing of the things that would have distracted him. Such a material sacrifice to follow Jesus would gain a reward eventually. However, the young man was so attached to his great wealth that he was unwilling to part with it. He was willing to keep the whole Mosaic Law and even to do additional good works, but submitting to Jesus was something else. Jesus had put His finger on the crucial decision this young man had to make when He told him to dispose of his possessions. His decision revealed his values.

This passage does not teach that salvation is by works. Jesus did not tell the young man that he would obtain eternal life by doing some good thing, but neither did He rebuke him for the good things that he had done. He made it very clear that what he needed to do was to follow Jesus so he could come to faith in Jesus. Jesus did not make selling of possessions a condition for salvation. He made selling possessions here a condition for discipleship, not salvation.

Verse 24 introduces another very important truth. Jesus, using a proverbial expression for something impossible, Jesus presented an impossible situation. A man cannot save himself. However, God can save him.
Peter asked Jesus what those who had made this sacrifice could expect to receive. Jesus assured the disciples very definitely, God would reward them for leaving what they had left and following Him. The generation in verse 28 refers to the establishment of the messianic kingdom. Then Jesus will sit on His glorious throne and the 12 disciples will then sit on 12 thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel. The reward of these disciples for forsaking all and following Jesus would be sharing judgment and rule with the great Judge, Jesus, in His kingdom. This judgment will take place and this rule will begin on earth when Jesus returns at the Second Coming.

There is a vast difference between earning salvation with works and receiving a reward for works. Salvation is always apart from human works, but rewards are always in response to human works. Not only the 12 Apostles but also every self-sacrificing disciple will receive a reward for his or her sacrifice. Jesus meant that everyone who makes a sacrifice to follow Him would receive much more than he or she sacrificed as a reward. He did not mean that if one sacrifices one house he or she will receive 100 houses, etc. Additionally that person will inherit eternal life. That is, he or she will enter into the enjoyment of his or her eternal life in the kingdom as heirs for whom their heavenly Father has prepared many blessings.

Verse30 reveals what will take place when Jesus begins to reign in the kingdom. The first and last are positions representing greatness and lowliness respectively. The rich young man and the disciples are cases in point. The young man was rich then but would not have received many blessings in the kingdom had he been a believer in Jesus. The disciples, on the other hand, had given up everything to follow Jesus, but they would receive great blessings in the kingdom.

The principle taught in Matthew 19:27-30 is that neither poverty nor wealth guarantees eternal life; what guarantees eternal life is following Christ, in faith, and what guarantees eternal rewards is living according to His commands, obedience.

Retired pastor,Church of the Nazarene

Author of web site Exploring God's Word

www.thewordofgodonline.net

New American Standard Bible

King James Version

The World English Bible

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