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BIBLE STUDY MATTHEW 19:1-30 REVIEW: Chapter 18 was the fourth of the five major “teaching discourses” of Jesus in Matthew’s gospel. The overall theme of this discourse was about how Jesus’ followers should deal with each other in the community of the church in their relationships and in various situations. The major areas covered in this discourse were: 1. True greatness in the church (the kingdom of heaven). Jesus says that we must become like children – that is, to not be concerned with our social status with each other. 2. We have a responsibility for each other – especially for the “little ones” in the church. We must take care not to become “stumbling blocks” to their faith. We must take every necessary step to ensure the health of the church body – even if at times it is as painful as “cutting off a hand or foot or plucking out an eye.” Finally, we must always be ready to seek out and bring back those who have wandered away, because every brother and sister of the church community is precious. 3. Discipline in the church community – Jesus outlines three steps (personal admonition, with two or three witnesses, and then to the entire church) of how to deal with those who sin against the church community (not necessarily against a specific person). Sometimes it may be necessary to excommunicate one whose sin is harming the community, but that person should then be one whom they want to bring back into the fold if that person will change his/her attitude and ways. 4. The necessity of forgiveness in the church community – unlike the Rabbinic understanding of that time, Jesus says that forgiveness must be unlimited. He tells the parable of the Unforgiving Slave to illustrate that in order to receive forgiveness from God, we must also be willing to forgive each other! CHAPTER 19:1-9 “The Question of Divorce” “When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. Large crowds followed him, and he cured them there. Some Pharisees came to him, and to test him they asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause?” He answered, “Have you not read that the one who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” They said to him, “Why then did Moses command us to give a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her?” He said to them, “It was because you were so hard-hearted that Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for unchastity, and marries another commits adultery.” This section begins with another “connecting passage” between one of Jesus’ teaching discourses and the next section in Matthew’s gospel. Jesus is now beginning his journey toward Jerusalem – but not by the direct route of going through Samaria but rather by the “round-about” way of going around it on the east side of the Jordan River. While journeying, he continues his ministry of healing people who need it. The Pharisees then came to “test” Jesus about his view of divorce. Unlike in Mark’s gospel, they add the phrase “for any cause” to their question of whether it was lawful for a man to divorce his wife. (In the patriarchal Jewish law of the day, the question of a woman divorcing her husband was not an issue – the prerogative of divorce lay solely with the husband.) In Deuteronomy 24:1 the divorce procedure was outlined: “Suppose a man enters into marriage with a woman, but she does not please him because he finds something objectionable about her, and so he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house…” Obviously, “legalists” would wonder exactly what the phrase “finds something objectionable about her” meant – and that was the issue that the Pharisees were testing Jesus on. In Jesus’ day there were two schools of thought among Rabbis on this issue. The conservative “Shammai” school held that “objectionable” meant unchastity, and nothing else. The more liberal “Hillel” school, on the other hand, believed that “objectionable” could mean almost anything – such as being a bad cook, how she dressed, behaved, or even being less beautiful than he would like, etc. Jesus had already stated his view earlier in Matthew’s gospel in his “Sermon on the Mount” (Mt. 5:31-32) – that “anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” It is obvious that his sympathies were with the “Shammai” school. Be that as it may, Jesus then raises the question to a “higher level” by looking at God’s intention for marriage. It is God’s intention that through marriage a husband and wife become “one flesh”, and that what God has joined together no one should separate. Divorce may be “allowed” (not “commanded” as the Pharisees said), but only as a concession because of our “hardness of heart”. Jesus then repeats what he had said earlier in his “Sermon on the Mount” (Mt. 5:31-32). Jesus in this exchange focuses upon the IDEAL OF MARRIAGE – that it is to be a unity of a man and a woman who both complement and complete each other. Divorce may be “allowed” because of our “hardness of heart”, but it is always a sin (adultery) that tears apart the unity that God has created. The last phrase about someone who then “marries another commits adultery” probably needs to be understood in context. A married man who met another woman would divorce his wife and then marry the other woman. Legally, he has observed all the religious requirements – but Jesus makes it clear that he still considers that to be the same as adultery. His saying probably does NOT mean absolutely that any divorced person who ever marries again commits adultery – but rather refers to those who divorce their wives in order to marry another woman. CHAPTER 19:10-12 “The Question of Celibacy” “His disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” But he said to them, “Not everyone can accept this teaching, but only those to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.” The main stream of Judaism looked on celibacy as an abnormal state, and marriage was not merely permitted but even commanded by God (Gen. 1:28). Eunuchs were forbidden to be priests (Lev. 21:20). Religious celibacy was known only among special groups such as the Essenes. There are three kinds of “eunuchs”: 1) those who have been born that way – either physically or those not disposed toward having sex; 2) those who have been castrated by others – this was often a (barbaric!) practice done to those responsible for dealing with a king’s harem; and 3) those who voluntarily give up sex and marriage because of a desire to devote themselves completely to the affairs of God. It is the THIRD KIND that Jesus is concerned with in this passage. Here Jesus makes two points: 1. Celibacy is not for everyone – it is only for those who “can accept this teaching”, who have a special “gift” from God for this way of life. 2. For some people, celibacy may be a means that enables them to focus more completely on the kingdom of heaven. This is St. Paul’s view in 1 Corinthians 7 (esp. verses 25-35). CHAPTER 19:13-15 “Jesus Blesses the Children” “Then little children were being brought to him in order that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples spoke sternly to those who brought them; but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.” And he laid his hands on them and went on his way.” It was customary for parents to ask rabbis to bless their children. Why the disciples “spoke sternly” to those who brought them is not clear, but most probably it was because they were trying to protect Jesus from being disturbed. This passage tells us a lot about Jesus. Even though he was probably tired, he did not see the children as an imposition upon him. We must remember that in the society of his day, children were viewed as having no social status (see my commentary about Mt. 18:1-4) and were not worthy of attention. But that is precisely the point – it is only those who that they have no “claim” on the kingdom of heaven and God’s love who are ready to receive it as a gift – a GIFT that Jesus was certainly willing to give! To Jesus, the “least important” are the ones whom he loves the most! Some commentators say that this also tells us about Matthew’s community – that children, no matter how young, were welcome to be a part of their worship and other rites. CHAPTER 19:16-22 “The Rich Young Man” “Then someone came to him and said, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and mother; also, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The young man said to him, “I have kept all these; what do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this word, he went away grieving, for he had many possessions.” The man who came to Jesus was seeking “eternal life” – not meaning length of life, but rather a condition of happiness, satisfaction, and peace with God. He wanted to know what good deed he had to do in order to have this – not understanding that this eternal life was a gift to be received rather than something to be earned. Jesus replies by subtly reminding him that none of our “good” deeds can even begin to compare with the goodness of God. God alone is unconditionally good – that is, good and loving without any selfish interests on his part. Everything good that we do ultimately is done with our own benefit in mind. To illustrate this point, Jesus gives a list of commandments that the man should keep. To his credit, the man has done his best to keep them (but obviously with the purpose of trying to “earn” the “benefit” of eternal life for himself). Then Jesus gives the “punch line” – telling him that he wants to be PERFECT (that is, as good as God), he must sell his possessions, give the money to the poor, and then come and follow him. To be as good as God, the man had to be willing to give up what was most dear to him (in this case, his wealth), which in the end he could not bring himself to do. Like that man, none of us can completely self-less in our devotion to God and others. Whether it is money, or other worldly things such as desires for power, fame, popularity, happiness, etc. – we all have an “Achilles heel” that keeps us from being “perfect” enough to earn eternal life. When we give up thinking that we can be “perfect”, then (and then only!) we can receive this life as a gift! POINT: Jesus did NOT tell the man that he had to sell all his possessions in order to follow him. He only said that he needed to do that if he wished to be “PERFECT” – that is, if he wanted to persist in justifying himself as deserving God’s favor. Mark’s gospel specifically points out that Jesus loved him (Mk 10:21) – that is, the man could have had the happiness, satisfaction, and peace with God he wanted as a GIFT from Jesus rather than trying to “earn” it by giving away all his wealth. Tragically, the man was unable to understand what Jesus was offering him and instead went away grieving at what he found himself unable to “do”! CHAPTER 19:23-26 “The Danger of Wealth”“Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astounded and said, “Then who can be saved?” But Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but for God all things are possible.” Jesus does not say that it is impossible for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven, but that it is hard (much more so than for a poor person who does not have many possessions. He uses the hyperbole of a camel (the largest animal most people of his day knew) going through the eye of a needle. Why is it so hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven? William Barclay in his Daily Study Bible commentary states that riches have three main effects on a person’s outlook: 1. Riches encourage a false independence. If a person is well-supplied with this world’s goods, he or she may be apt to think that he/she can well deal with any situation that may arise. They may come to think that they can buy their way into happiness and buy their way out of sorrow. Apparently this was the case with the rich young man in the preceding passage. 2. Riches shackle us to this earth. “Where your treasure is,” Jesus said, “there will your heart be also (Mt. 6:21). The wealthier we are in possessions, the harder it is for us to give them up for the kingdom of heaven. This also was the case with the rich young man. 3. Riches tend to make us selfish. However much we may have, we tend to want still more. As has once been said: “Trust in riches is like drinking seawater – we never get enough.” The more possessions we have, the more we tend to worry about holding on to them and wanting more instead of being willing to share and give them away. Ultimately, only God can change our hearts so that we become more interested in the welfare of others rather than seeking our own benefit. Only God can change our outlook so that wealth does not become an obstacle to our receiving eternal life. CHAPTER 19:27-30 “The Rewards of Discipleship” “Then Peter said in reply, “Look, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man is seated on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold, and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.” Peter’s question is actually one that Matthew’s Jewish Christian community was facing. The Pharisaic Jewish leaders of their day had excommunicated them from the synagogue, declaring them to be heretics for following the teachings of Jesus. Many of their own family members had turned against them. In the face of this opposition and even persecution, why should they continue to be disciples of Jesus? In this passage, Jesus reminds them that in the eschatological new age to come everything will be reversed. He lists four specific ways in which this will be so: 1. They will share in his glory. Indeed, Matthew’s community of Jewish Christians will participate in the judgment of their fellow Jews! This passage would be of special encouragement to those who were undergoing persecution. The ones who were presently being judged will in the end judge their persecutors. 2. They will receive far more than whatever they have lost. As St. Paul was later to write in Romans 8:18 – “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us.” The message for Matthew’s readers was that if they had lost old friends and family members because of following Jesus, they would gain many more friends and close “family” members within the community of the church. So it is with us! 3. They will inherit eternal life. They will receive satisfaction, happiness, and peace with God in a way that will never end! Also, note that this is “inherited” as a gift rather than something that is “earned”. 4. Many who are first will be last, and the last will be first. This world’s values and priorities will be turned upside down. The new values in God’s kingdom will glorify humility and service. Those who are “great” in this life will be at the “bottom” in the new world, while those who are “least” in this life will be glorified! This message gave hope and encouragement to Matthew’s original readers. So may it be for us today as well! -------------------- George R. Karres, Pella Lutheran Church 418 W. Main Street Sidney, MT 59270
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