Matthew 19
19
Marriage and Divorce
1Now it came to pass, #Matt. 19:1–9; Mark 10:1–12; John 10:40when Jesus had finished these sayings, that He departed from Galilee and came to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. 2#Matt. 12:15And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them there.
3The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?”
4And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning #Gen. 1:27; 5:2; (Mal. 2:15)‘made them male and female,’ 5and said, #Gen. 2:24; Mark 10:5–9; Eph. 5:31‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and #(1 Cor. 6:16; 7:2)the two shall become one flesh’? 6So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”
7They said to Him, #Deut. 24:1–4; Matt. 5:31“Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?”
8He said to them, “Moses, because of the #Heb. 3:15hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your #Mal. 2:16wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9#(Matt. 5:32); Mark 10:11; Luke 16:18; 1 Cor. 7:10And 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.”
10His disciples said to Him, #(Prov. 21:19)“If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry.”
Jesus Teaches on Celibacy
11But He said to them, #(1 Cor. 7:2, 7, 9, 17)“All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given: 12For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother’s womb, and #(1 Cor. 7:32)there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He who is able to accept it, let him accept it.”
Jesus Blesses Little Children
13#Matt. 20:31; Mark 10:13; Luke 18:15Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them. 14But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for #Matt. 18:3, 4; Mark 10:15; Luke 18:17; (1 Cor. 14:20; 1 Pet. 2:2)of such is the kingdom of heaven.” 15And He laid His hands on them and departed from there.
Jesus Counsels the Rich Young Ruler
16#Matt. 19:16–29; Mark 10:17–30; Luke 18:18–30Now behold, one came and said to Him, #Luke 10:25“Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?”
17So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is #Ps. 25:8; 34:8; Nah. 1:7; (Rom. 2:4)good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, #Lev. 18:5; Deut. 4:40; 6:17; 7:11; 11:22; 28:9; Neh. 9:29; Ezek. 20:21; (Gal. 3:10)keep the commandments.”
18He said to Him, “Which ones?”
Jesus said, #Ex. 20:13–16; Deut. 5:17–20“‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ 19#Ex. 20:12–16; Deut. 5:16–20; Matt. 15:4‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, #Lev. 19:18; Matt. 22:39; (Rom. 13:9; Gal. 5:14; James 2:8)‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”
20The young man said to Him, “All these things I have #(Phil. 3:6, 7)kept from my youth. What do I still lack?”
21Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, #Matt. 6:20; Luke 12:33; Acts 2:45; 4:34, 35; 1 Tim. 6:18, 19go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
22But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
With God All Things Are Possible
23Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that #(Matt. 13:22); Mark 10:24; 1 Cor. 1:26; (1 Tim. 6:9)it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
25When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?”
26But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but #Gen. 18:14; Num. 11:23; Job 42:2; Is. 59:1; Jer. 32:17; Zech. 8:6; Luke 1:37with God all things are possible.”
27Then Peter answered and said to Him, “See, #Deut. 33:9; Matt. 4:20; Luke 5:11we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?”
28So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, #Matt. 20:21; Luke 22:28–30; (1 Cor. 6:2; Rev. 2:26)you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29#(Matt. 6:33); Mark 10:29, 30; Luke 18:29, 30And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. 30#(Matt. 20:16; 21:31, 32); Mark 10:31; Luke 13:30But many who are first will be last, and the last first.
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Matthew 19: NKJV
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
Matthew 19
19
Divorce
1-2When Jesus had completed these teachings, he left Galilee and crossed the region of Judea on the other side of the Jordan. Great crowds followed him there, and he healed them.
3One day the Pharisees were badgering him: “Is it legal for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?”
4-6He answered, “Haven’t you read in your Bible that the Creator originally made man and woman for each other, male and female? And because of this, a man leaves father and mother and is firmly bonded to his wife, becoming one flesh—no longer two bodies but one. Because God created this organic union of the two sexes, no one should desecrate his art by cutting them apart.”
7They shot back in rebuttal, “If that’s so, why did Moses give instructions for divorce papers and divorce procedures?”
8-9Jesus said, “Moses provided for divorce as a concession to your hard heartedness, but it is not part of God’s original plan. I’m holding you to the original plan, and holding you liable for adultery if you divorce your faithful wife and then marry someone else. I make an exception in cases where the spouse has committed adultery.”
10Jesus’ disciples objected, “If those are the terms of marriage, we haven’t got a chance. Why get married?”
11-12But Jesus said, “Not everyone is mature enough to live a married life. It requires a certain aptitude and grace. Marriage isn’t for everyone. Some, from birth seemingly, never give marriage a thought. Others never get asked—or accepted. And some decide not to get married for kingdom reasons. But if you’re capable of growing into the largeness of marriage, do it.”
To Enter God’s Kingdom
13-15One day children were brought to Jesus in the hope that he would lay hands on them and pray over them. The disciples shooed them off. But Jesus intervened: “Let the children alone, don’t prevent them from coming to me. God’s kingdom is made up of people like these.” After laying hands on them, he left.
16Another day, a man stopped Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”
17Jesus said, “Why do you question me about what’s good? God is the One who is good. If you want to enter the life of God, just do what he tells you.”
18-19The man asked, “What in particular?”
Jesus said, “Don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t lie, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as you do yourself.”
20The young man said, “I’ve done all that. What’s left?”
21“If you want to give it all you’ve got,” Jesus replied, “go sell your possessions; give everything to the poor. All your wealth will then be in heaven. Then come follow me.”
22That was the last thing the young man expected to hear. And so, crestfallen, he walked away. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and he couldn’t bear to let go.
23-24As he watched him go, Jesus told his disciples, “Do you have any idea how difficult it is for the rich to enter God’s kingdom? Let me tell you, it’s easier to gallop a camel through a needle’s eye than for the rich to enter God’s kingdom.”
25The disciples were staggered. “Then who has any chance at all?”
26Jesus looked hard at them and said, “No chance at all if you think you can pull it off yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust God to do it.”
27Then Peter chimed in, “We left everything and followed you. What do we get out of it?”
28-30Jesus replied, “Yes, you have followed me. In the re-creation of the world, when the Son of Man will rule gloriously, you who have followed me will also rule, starting with the twelve tribes of Israel. And not only you, but anyone who sacrifices home, family, fields—whatever—because of me will get it all back a hundred times over, not to mention the considerable bonus of eternal life. This is the Great Reversal: many of the first ending up last, and the last first.”
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THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.