Matthew 19

Notes for BSF

JESUS STRESSES THE HOLINESS OF MARITAL VOWS (Matthew 19:1-12)

Matthew 19:3
The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him.

In one of their numerous attempts to get rid of Jesus, the Pharisees, on this occasion, tried to trap Jesus in controversial topics, such as these below:

"Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?" (Matthew 19:3)

Jesus answered: "What God has joined together, let not man separate." (Matthew 19:4)

God created men and women in His image (Cf.Genesis 1:27-28; 2:23-25). From the beginning, man was meant to be one with one woman. Marriage between one man and one woman was to remain holy, inseparable by man.

However, there was an exception.

"Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?" (Matthew 19:7)

Jesus answered: "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives but from the beginning it was not so." (Matthew 19:8)

Back in the days of Moses, women could not support themselves without either support from their fathers or their husbands -- because women could not work. Their role in society was to take care of the family and be fully supported by the male head of the family. If the husbands abandoned their wives, the wives would most likely starve to death or die from exposure to the elements. In such a society, women needed protection against spiritually and/or physically abusive marital relationships. As defined by God since the beginning, marriage was a holy joining of one man and one woman, an eternal commitment that should not be taken as a whim as it is in our culture today. However, knowing humans to be humans, God provided "a way out" for people who are stuck in an unhealthy marriage through Moses (Deuteronomy 24:1-4).

To protect the women, God did not permit men to divorce their wives for just any random reason (like our laws allow nowadays). In fact, there was only one reason for divorce: adultery. This law prevented men from abandoning women, and at the same time allowed women to be freed from spiritually unfaithful husbands. Along the same lines, this law also protected faithful husbands whose wives were unfaithful.

Despite this one and only "loophole," we need to recognize the point Jesus is making here: Marriage is a blessing from God between two people. He brings a man and a woman together, joining them for an eternity. What God has joined, man cannot break apart. Divorce was never intended for the couple God has brought together. When we fail to view marriage through such a godly perspective, we can easily be caught trapped in a unhealthy and unbalanced relationship, leading to inevitable divorces of marriages that should not have taken place in the first place. And divorces resulting from any reason other than adultery do not fare well in the eyes of God:

Matthew 19:9
And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.

Many people who do not like the "rules" of the Bible, even self-proclaimed Christians, would often label these rules as outdated, archaic. They would make the case that these rules may have applied in the old days, but we now live in a modern society, and these rules need to be amended to fit the social standards and views of today.

Friends, who is God here? Is God God, or are we God? If we expect God to remain faithful to His promises pronounced since the beginning of time, and we look forward to these promises fulfilled, why should we expect Him to be "fickle" when it comes to His laws? God does not change. He is as He was -- and therefore, His definition of marriage has not changed through time. Marital vows between two people remain just as serious and holy as they were since Adam and Eve. As Christians, we are to uphold ALL values of God -- not only those that are convenient for us. When our fleshly lust draws us away from God's Will, reflect and understand the sin that is at work, and then, repent. God is very clear about His stance on the issue of marriage and divorce. There is no gray area here.

Upon understanding the seriousness of marital vows, the disciples responded:

Matthew 19:10
If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry.

Celibacy is a choice (Matthew 19:10-15; 1 Corinthians 7)
As taught by Jesus and stressed by Paul, celibacy is a calling.

1. It is noble to remain celibate for God’s will.
2. However, if we cannot control lust of the flesh, then it is best that we marry one person and remain devoted to that person for the rest of our lives.

Whether we are called to be celibate or choose to marry, take it to prayer. There is no success in any walk apart from God.


LITTLE CHILDREN ARE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN (Matthew 19:13-15)

The people brought little children along so that Jesus could pray over them. However, the disciples rebuked those who brought the little children (Mark 10:13). The text does not explain why the disciples would disapprove, but we can speculate that perhaps their trip with Jesus was of a more serious nature, and they thought it would be improper to have the proceedings be interrupted by children. Regardless of the reason, we learn that Jesus was displeased with the disciples' actions (Mark 10:14) and welcomed and embraced the children.

Mark 10:15
Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.

As we grow and mature into adulthood, we become more and more aware of social etiquette and can often be burdened by them. Children, on the other hand, are not so inhibited by social bindings. All their true emotions are readily displayed on their faces -- Love, joy, sadness, anger, guilt, etc. are all honestly revealed. With raw honesty, they approach Jesus -- And Jesus wholeheartedly welcomes it all. This is how we are to approach Jesus, completely open, completely naked.


JESUS IS NOT JUST A GOOD TEACHER (Matthew 19:16-22; Mark 10:17-31)

The rich ruler showed no humility. 

First, he called Jesus, “teacher,” instead of recognizing Him as the Messiah or the Son of God. 

Second, he called Jesus, “good,” which induced Jesus to rebuke him because no one is good other than God. "Good" is a standard of measurement. Unless we are perfectly good, who are we to define "good"? Hence, only God can define truly define what is good, because He is without sin and perfect. By calling Jesus "good," the rich ruler put himself in the position of God, using his own values to judge Jesus. Instead of seeing things with God’s standards, he defined “good” based on his own terms – This is pride. 

Third, he was focused on fulfilling tasks rather than seeking to have the heart of God. He believed he could live up to all the expectation and accomplish any task given to him. However, When asked to give up everything for God, he was unwilling to let go of his riches.

Entering into eternal life is not just about fulfilling tasks. There is always something more that we can do better; there is always something we need to do better in order for us to be “perfect.”  Jesus exposed his sin of pride and his love of money. Jesus pointed out the flaw in the rich ruler’s thinking, showing him that in his heart, he held money and riches above God – Money and riches were his idols. Instead of taking the time to reflect and eventually repent, the rich ruler immediately rejected Jesus' teaching. He had no real interest in entering into God’s kingdom; he only wanted what he wanted, not what God has to offer.