Divorce
1When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan. 2Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there. 3Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?"4"Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' 5and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'? 6So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."
7"Why then," they asked, "did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?"
8Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. 9I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery."
10The disciples said to him, "If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry."
11Jesus replied, "Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. 12For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it."
The Little Children and Jesus
13Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them. 14Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." 15When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.The Rich Young Man
16Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?" 17"Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments."18"Which ones?" the man inquired.
Jesus replied, " 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, 19honor your father and mother,' and 'love your neighbor as yourself.'"
20"All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?"
21Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
22When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
23Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24Again I tell 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 the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, "Who then can be saved?"
26Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
27Peter answered him, "We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?"
28Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. 30But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.
At the beginning of this chapter we read again that large crowds followed Jesus where ever he went. They mention but do not call attention to the fact that Jesus was healing them also. I personally believe that it was mentioned in this way in chapter 19 because it was happening so often that it became common place. Yet this is still an amazing thing. Being able to heal someone based on just a touch.
ReplyDeleteDivorce is a hard concept for many of us to wrestle with. All three of my sisters have been divorced and both of my wife's older siblings have been divorced. Were all of these divorces done out of unfaithfulness in marriage? I think we all assume that the word "unfaithfulness" means having intercourse with someone outside of marriage. In studying the original Greek wording it does actually mean sexual fornication. But what if you have one partner that is not as committed to the relationship as the other? Does the partner that does not want to change their attitude and behavior cause the other partner to sin? Does God want people to live in a one sided relationship? My step mother spent many years in a marriage that was not healthy. But she stuck it out and did not marry until after he died. I firmly believe the marriage to my father was a reward to her for being subjected to such an awful man. But she kept her vow to God. I admire her for that.
ReplyDeleteDivorce should be something that is considered as a very last resort. I hope that if I am disrespectful to my wife in anyway that she will call me on it. If I do not respond then she has every right to bring someone else in to slap me around.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this chapter I am struck with a need to re-commit myself daily to my marriage. I love my wife very much and my world is wonderful with her in it. I am going to tell her how much I love her. You should do the same.
ReplyDeleteAgain we see Jesus giving an example of what our attitude should be regarding Heaven and God. The Kingdom of Heaven belongs to ones such as these.
ReplyDeleteIt is an interesting use of words in the last part of this chapter. "If you want to enter life obey the commandments" He then says but if you want to be perfect go sell all your stuff and follow me. He says this, I believe, because anyone that amasses wealth is obviously focused on that goal. Jesus is not saying it is impossible but He is saying that the accumulation of wealth comes from not being primarily focused on God. Make sure that when you are planning your life and making decisions that you are not making decisions based solely on your current or future financial standings. Also, wouldn't the accumulation of wealth be in a direct conflict with not trusting God to provide for you?
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