Matthew 19
19
1 And it happened that, when Jesus had completed these words, he moved away from Galilee, and he arrived within the borders of Judea, across the Jordan.
2 And great crowds followed him, and he healed them there.
3 And the Pharisees approached him, testing him, and saying, "Is it lawful for a man to separate from his wife, no matter what the cause?"
4 And he said to them in response, "Have you not read that he who made man from the beginning, made them male and female?" And he said:
5 "For this reason, a man shall separate from father and mother, and he shall cling to his wife, and these two shall become one flesh.
6 And so, now they are not two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no man separate."
7 They said to him, "Then why did Moses command him to give a bill of divorce, and to separate?"
8 He said to them: "Although Moses permitted you to separate from your wives, due to the hardness of your heart, it was not that way from the beginning.
9 And I say to you, that whoever will have separated from his wife, except because of fornication, and who will have married another, commits adultery, and whoever will have married her who has been separated, commits adultery."
10 His disciples said to him, "If such is the case for a man with a wife, then it is not expedient to marry."
11 And he said to them: "Not everyone is able to grasp this word, but only those to whom it has been given.
12 For there are chaste persons who were born so from their mother's womb, and there are chaste persons who have been made so by men, and there are chaste persons who have made themselves chaste for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Whoever is able to grasp this, let him grasp it."
13 Then they brought to him little children, so that he would place his hands upon them and pray. But the disciples rebuked them.
14 Yet truly, Jesus said to them: "Allow the little children to come to me, and do not choose to prohibit them. For the kingdom of heaven is among such as these."
15 And when he had imposed his hands upon them, he went away from there.
16 And behold, someone approached and said to him, "Good Teacher, what good should I do, so that I may have eternal life?"
17 And he said to him: "Why do you question me about what is good? One is good: God. But if you wish to enter into life, observe the commandments."
18 He said to him, "Which?" And Jesus said: "You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not give false testimony.
19 Honor your father and your mother. And, you shall love your neighbor as yourself."
20 The young man said to him: "All these I have kept from my childhood. What is still lacking for me?"
21 Jesus said to him: "If you are willing to be perfect, go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and then you will have treasure in heaven. And come, follow me."
22 And when the young man had heard this word, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
23 Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Amen, I say to you, that the wealthy shall enter with difficulty into the kingdom of heaven.
24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for the wealthy to enter into the kingdom of heaven."
25 And upon hearing this, the disciples wondered greatly, saying: "Then who will be able to be saved?"
26 But Jesus, gazing at them, said to them: "With men, this is impossible. But with God, all things are possible."
27 Then Peter responded by saying to him: "Behold, we have left behind all things, and we have followed you. So then, what will be for us?"
28 And Jesus said to them: "Amen I say to you, that at the resurrection, when the Son of man shall sit on the seat of his majesty, those of you who have followed me shall also sit on twelve seats, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
29 And anyone who has left behind home, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or land, for the sake of my name, shall receive one hundred times more, and shall possess eternal life.
30 But many of those who are first shall be last, and the last shall be first."
Currently Selected:
Matthew 19: CPDV
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
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.”
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
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.