Matthew Chapter 19
18 ended with the parable of the unforgiving servant. This chapter is about divorce. Jesus has left Galilee and is in something called Judea beyond the Jordan. Perea is the area E of the Jordan per MSB.
2022 - Matthew does make it clear that there is a break between 18 and 19, so the teaching on divorce doesn't just come out of nowhere. And it is not necessarily connected with the parable at the end of 18.
The Pharisees show up even in this remote area, and try to trip Jesus up with their questions. This is their phrasing:
3 And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, "Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause?" [Mat 19:3 ESV] The end of the sentence could have been after wife, but they apparently knew there were causes that were a lawful basis for divorce. They are asking Jesus if you can divorce her just because you don't want her for your wife anymore. For any reason whatever. Jesus answers with three verses from Genesis - things Moses wrote. Gen 1:27, 5:2, and 2:24 are quoted in Mt 19.5. The gist is that marriage makes two people one in a supernatural way. It is something that God does, something that cannot be seen or proven by human means. It is a God thing. To divorce someone is to try and undo this God thing. In His eyes, it will be unsuccessful anyway. They were likely thinking "We have him now!". They were thinking of legal divorce, not God-agreed divorce.
They knew Moses said other things later. So they ask sarcastically why, then, did Moses say they could give a certificate. They ask why Moses "commanded" divorce. Per MSB they misrepresent what Moses said in Dt 24:1-4. But this wasn't a command to divorce, but a limitation on remarriage in the event of a divorce. Here is the passage from Deuteronomy:
1 "When a man takes a wife and marries her, if then she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, and she departs out of his house, 2 and if she goes and becomes another man's wife, 3 and the latter man hates her and writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, or if the latter man dies, who took her to be his wife, 4 then her former husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after she has been defiled, for that is an abomination before the LORD. And you shall not bring sin upon the land that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance. [Deu 24:1-4 ESV]
When you read it, it is certainly not about divorce. It is about remarriage. And the woman in view in the passage has given good reason for the divorce - indecency within her - and so this is not for just "any cause". The Pharisees are trying to persuade the crowds with misquotes, half-truths, and lies. This tactic is still around today.
Jesus clarifies, as to the original question of "for any cause":
9 And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery." [Mat 19:9 ESV] This verse is about men. That's the first thing I notice. About men who divorce their wives for anything other than sexual immorality. Those reasons are here invalidated, and that MAN is an adulterer if he remarries after this. Adultery is a capital offense. Some of the Pharisees asking the questions were almost certainly divorced themselves and Jesus has just said they are worthy of death. They would have been furious.
2022 - One might be tempted to say, from this phrasing, that it is ok to get rid of any wife by divorce so long as you don't get married again. But that's not really what it says. Divorce, except for immorality, is wrong always. In ADDITION to that, if you divorce AND remarry, then you have committed a crime worthy of death. This is how Jesus rebuked them for making Mosaic Law superior to God's intentions. They had asked "Why then did Moses..." the law-giver extraordinaire say it was ok then? Do you make yourself greater than Moses? Jesus makes it clear that there was a proper way of doing things long before Moses came along. That Moses' action was precipitated by the hardness and cruelty of Israel rather than by anything God commanded him to do (THIS IS KEY!!!), and that going strictly by God's Law, those who divorce ought to be stoned.
Outside chance this could be a FB post...
2020-The TCR footnote mentions that there are two additional phrases added in some manuscripts - one phrase in some, the other in others - to the end of vs. 9. Here it is as the ESV puts it:
9 And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery." [Mat 19:9 ESV]
Here is one of the other phrases, from the NKJV. It reads about the same, just more archaically, in the KJV:
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." [Mat 19:9 NKJV]
I did not find an example of the last one, but it is worded "...except for sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery." This one seems to be focused on consequences to the woman who is put away. Not sure how she is responsible in this way for what a former husband did to her. None of the translations I looked at - which is 14 mainstream English translations found in BLB. So this last one must be considered by most translators to have been added far later.
Even Jesus' own disciples are appalled at how strict Jesus is about divorce, saying if that's the case, it's better not to marry at all ever! This reaction is perhaps indicative of just how prevalent, even ubiquitous, divorce has become. Maybe even more so than today. Jesus addresses this with what strikes me as a rather odd tangent. He talks about how this saying is not meant for everyone, but only for those to whom it is given. I think this means it is for anyone who is contemplating marriage, and not for those who aren't physically able for marriage. It may mean that if you aren't willing to go into marriage with the standard for divorce set this high, then no, you probably shouldn't get married at all. The other possibility is that there were special marriage rules for eunuchs, who couldn't consummate a marriage anyway, but who might want to be married for companionship? Maybe a eunuch could divorce because the marriage wasn't consummated. Maybe he wasn't forthcoming about his limitations? What Jesus has just said would not apply to such a situation at all. So Jesus tells them this rule is not universal. MSB notes imply that this is a passage used to say that celibacy is better than marriage, which the Catholics use to require celibacy of priests. MSB says that's not at all what is in view here.
I wonder if there are any passages that talk about eunuchs and marriages elsewhere? 2020 - Reading the MSB note on vs 12 this year, I think I've taken this wrong in the past. They say "then maybe we shouldn't get married at all if we have to meet that standard!?!?!?" And Jesus agrees with them. His answer is that yes, for some, choosing celibacy is the best way to go. That's what his first sentence is about. Not everyone can meet this standard for marriage, and if you cannot, then no, you should not get married. He uses the word "eunuchs" not literally, as those who cannot have sex, but of those who might choose not to have sex. A eunuch is one who does not have sex, either because they cannot - as those born eunuchs, a very rare group, made eunuchs by men, another rare group, and then those who make themselves eunuchs The largest group, because it includes those who choose to remain celibate, not just those who physically make themselves celibate. This is still a difficult passage, but I think this is some progress this year.
2023 - We know that later in the NT, Paul will say that most people are incapable of self-imposed celibacy, so MOST people ought to get married - high standard or not. There are two small groups who might prefer marriage, but who cannot get married because they are eunuchs. These divorce laws are not about them, because the marriage laws are not about them. An un-consummated marriage is NOT a marriage in God's eyes. So for such to divorce is outside what we are talking about. But those who choose celibacy - in marriage - are flirting with this other problem that Paul talks about, and for this group, divorcing because they "prefer" celibacy after a properly consummated marriage, still have to deal with this rule. If they change their minds, and remarry, even this very "devout" group, is still committing adultery. Knowing the Pharisees, there were people who "dedicated themselves to study" and so in their "portrayed zeal" for the word, they divorced their wives and left their children behind. Then six months later, they say "Ok, all done studying, so I think I'll go back to getting married...but to someone else and I still won't be responsible for my children from the previous marriage." Yeah. This is VERY likely what was going on. It would be no surprise to me to learn that the ones who sought him out to ask the question were in fact these "self-imposed celibates", who had divorced their wives, come out to demonstrate that their level of dedication to the word exempted them from this law. Hadn't Jesus talked about divorce BEFORE this incident in Matthew? These had heard about it, and come out to defend themselves! Finally...something that explains Jesus "strange" response, and make perfect sense in this setting.
Suffer the little children...the kingdom of heaven is made of such. I think this is about unquestioning trust and love. Those in heaven are there because they love and trust God without any question. 2020 - This is just 3 verses long. It was also a short passage where I read it yesterday in Luke.
This next section is also following along with Luke as far as the order in which the material is presented...or Luke was following Matthew, we really don't know which.
The story of the rich young man, who asks Jesus how to be saved. Jesus tells him by keeping the commandments. The intent is that one lives a life in keeping with the commandments of God, trying always to be better than we really are. The man presses on, asking which specific commandments he has to obey? Jesus names some. The first two are sins Jesus says at other points are sins even if we only think them - murder and adultery. Who has not committed at least one of those??? Only liars I think. No stealing or lying. Hard for anyone to claim innocence from these two also. Then honoring parents, and then last, Jesus says love your neighbor as yourself. This is a hugely broad command that I don't think anyone anywhere has lived without breaking. Jesus is saying that if you want to get to heaven by obedience to rules - which is what the man was wanting to do - then you have to live an impossibly perfect life. That was the point. It cannot be done! This man's problem is that he won't admit his sin - won't confess - and so has no repentance in him. These two things are required for salvation - repentance, confession, and then making Jesus Lord of our lives. You have to admit wrong before you can be saved.
But the man, now being dishonest with Jesus as he is dishonest with himself, says he's done all that - been sinless to this point - but he still isn't saved. So this man realizes that there is still a problem. Even as he says he's done all that is required, he knows that something still is missing. And Jesus goes straight to the real object of this man's love and trust. It is his money that he has faith in. His money gives him such self-confidence, and people around him treat him as if that confidence is warranted, so that he never sees sin as a problem in his life. He is not humble, because he looks up to no one and to nothing. He holds his head high because of his wealth - and those who see his wealth treat him with earthly respect. There is a Proverb about it. Those who have money see it as their defense, their separation from the want all around them. And because they trust their wealth, they are separated from God. That was the case with this man, and Jesus points it out. The disciples take Jesus very literally again, believing that only those in poverty will be saved. Not so. It says that with God, all things are possible, even the salvation of rich people. I think it is important to note that this young man was independently wealthy at a young age. He'd never wanted for anything probably. Inherited wealth maybe. He had never had to depend on God at all. Not like someone who worked hard over a lifetime and built up his estate. Proverbs most certainly encourages living that way. Planning ahead, putting aside, being vigilant. All that is in Proverbs. Jesus isn't turning all that over with these words about rich people.
2023 - And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 19:23 ESV I think it is important to see that Jesus is taking about unsaved, rich, adults. This is not about the children of rich kids. Once a list person has "made himself rich", it is difficult to give up control.
2023 - This verse: 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.
Matthew 19:29 ESV
Ever notice that wives are not mentioned here? There is no allowance to leave wives even in this. The MSB has a note that says "One early ms adds "or wife".