Jesus tells about divorce, children, and a rich Young man
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¶ And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these sayings,
he departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judaea beyond Jordan;
2 And great multitudes followed him; and he healed them there. |
1 - These sayings Jesus had talked about a number of things in chapter 18. The last one was a parable of a forgiven servant who showed no mercy. |
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¶ The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto
him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?
.4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, .5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? 6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. |
3 - Put away his wife Jesus quoted Scripture explaining the principles. |
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They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement,
and to put her away?
8 He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. .9 And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery. 10 His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry. 11 But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. 12 For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it. |
These verses are ignored or bent
by some to excuse changing leaving an innocent husband or wife. By others
they may be viewed more as rigid rules than they were, perhaps, intended.
7 - Moses ... command They had misinterpreted the statute de2401. 7 - Put her away See on mt0531. 8 - Hardness of ... hearts suffered [or permitted] It was permitted in compromised circumstances de2404. 8 - From ... beginning "The law of ge0127 and ge0224 preceded the las of de2401-4 and is superior to it, for in the Eden period of Genesis, God's ideal for His human children is set forth. God has never repealed the law of marriage He enunciated [pronounced] in the beginning. It is not God's plan that divorce should ever be necessary. Therefore Christians today who desire and purpose in their hearts to follow God's plan will not, without scriptural grounds resort to divorce as a solution to marital difficulties (see on verse 9 above." (SDA Bible Commentary). Of course, a woman who divorces her husband is subject to the same rules. 10 - Not marry The disciples may have considered that having a marriage safe from problems was unreasonably difficult. See the earlier statements See mt0531,2, lu1618. For a difficult marriage hearts need to be changed. Also ro1202 and the Sermon on the Mount mt05. |
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| 13 ¶ Then were there
brought unto him little children, that .he
should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them.
.14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. 15 And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence. |
14 - Of such is the kingdom In addition to the importance of loving children is the lesson here that we must believe simply, as they do. This does not mean a rejection of academic scholarship. It means humility in believing the simple truth of God's book. |
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¶ And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good
thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. 18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, 19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? .21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. |
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- What should I do to have eternal life? In an effort to
be sure we do not earn salvation by our works, we conclude that obedience
to the ten commandments is unimportant. Jesus clarifies that they are.
The young man thought he kept them but he must have sensed that something
was still lacking.
17 - Why call me good? Jesus' response may seem to mean that He himself lacked in goodness. The young man saw Him as a good teacher, not as the Son of God. Praise of human goodness is wrong. 18 - Which? Jesus quoted several commandments and then added one which is not among the ten, although it is a summary of the last six and a summary of the man's problem. 21 - Perfect Or "complete." For treasure in heaven we must be ready to use all of our treasure here to do the work of Christ. |
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¶ Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That
a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 25 When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? .26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. |
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- Hard for rich people to enter Why? Because skillful accumulation
of wealth develops a love for it which grows to exceed love for God and
for others.
24 - Camel going through a needle's eye Some believe Jesus was joking. This is out of character for Him and would turn the message into a joke, too. Camels just can't go through needle eyes. Verse 26 clarifies. God can do the impossible. The metaphor made the principle easy to remember. Compare mt1720. |
| 27 Then answered Peter
and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what
shall we have therefore?
.28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. 30 But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first. |
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- You will sit on thrones judging re2004ju.
There are more beautiful thoughts here but they may be easily understood. |
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