Scripture
Discussion about Divorce and Marriage
1When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went down to the region of Judea east of the Jordan River. 2Large crowds followed him there, and he healed their sick.
3Some Pharisees came and tried to trap him with this question: “Should a man be allowed to divorce his wife for just any reason?”
4“Haven’t you read the Scriptures?” Jesus replied. “They record that from the beginning ‘God made them male and female.’[1]” 5And he said, “‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’[2] 6Since they are no longer two but one, let no one split apart what God has joined together.”
7“Then why did Moses say in the law that a man could give his wife a written notice of divorce and send her away?”[3] they asked.
8Jesus replied, “Moses permitted divorce only as a concession to your hard hearts, but it was not what God had originally intended. 9And I tell you this, whoever divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery—unless his wife has been unfaithful.[4]”
10Jesus’ disciples then said to him, “If this is the case, it is better not to marry!”
11“Not everyone can accept this statement,” Jesus said. “Only those whom God helps. 12Some are born as eunuchs, some have been made eunuchs by others, and some choose not to marry[5] for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.”
Jesus Blesses the Children
13One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could lay his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him.
14But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.” 15And he placed his hands on their heads and blessed them before he left.
The Rich Man
16Someone came to Jesus with this question: “Teacher,[6] what good deed must I do to have eternal life?”
17“Why ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. But to answer your question—if you want to receive eternal life, keep[7] the commandments.”
18“Which ones?” the man asked.
And Jesus replied: “‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. 19Honor your father and mother. Love your neighbor as yourself.’[8]”
20“I’ve obeyed all these commandments,” the young man replied. “What else must I do?”
21Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
23Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. 24I’ll say it again—it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”
25The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked.
26Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”
27Then Peter said to him, “We’ve given up everything to follow you. What will we get?”
28Jesus replied, “I assure you that when the world is made new[9] and the Son of Man[10] sits upon his glorious throne, you who have been my followers will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life. 30But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.[11]
Translation notes (11)
- 19:4 Gen 1:27; 5:2.
- 19:5 Gen 2:24.
- 19:7 See Deut 24:1.
- 19:9 Some manuscripts add And anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. Compare Matt 5:32.
- 19:12 Greek and some make themselves eunuchs.
- 19:16 Some manuscripts read Good Teacher.
- 19:17 Some manuscripts read continue to keep.
- 19:18-19 Exod 20:12-16; Deut 5:16-20; Lev 19:18.
- 19:28a Or in the regeneration.
- 19:28b “Son of Man” is a title Jesus used for himself.
- 19:30 Greek But many who are first will be last; and the last, first.
5And he said, “‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’ 6Since they are no longer two but one, let no one split apart what God has joined together.”
Having a strong foundation that is rooted and grounded in Christ begins with us. First, we individually have to commit to Christ and have a strong relationship with Him. It does not stop there, though. You see, we have created a live-in community. We were meant to grow in Christ corporately as well as individually. This is particularly true in marriage relationships. Husbands and wives are strongest when they seek the Lord together, rooted in the deep, ever-growing relationships that they both have with Him.
Scripture makes it clear that unity is important in marriage relationships. Jesus taught in Matthew 19 that husbands and wives are considered one (verse 5). This unity extends to the way that they are pursuing Christ as well. What does this look like? It looks like reading Scripture together, talking about what God is doing in your lives, and praying for each other together. All of these things unify and strengthen your marriage relationship.
While husbands and wives need to be unified, this applies to everyone who is a follower of Christ. Just like Scripture teaches the importance of husbands and wives being unified, all followers of Christ are to live in unity as well. When Jesus was praying in John 17, He prayed that the church would “all be one” (verse 17). He prayed to God for unity among all followers of Christ. This means that followers of Christ are also meant to grow in their relationships with God individually and together through Bible study, worshiping together, praying together, and more.
We were meant to live in a community with others, growing in our faith individually and collectively. If you are married, commit to growing in your faith with your spouse. Commit to praying, reading Scripture, and worshiping together. Additionally, whether you are married or single, commit to growing with other followers of Christ. Join a small group if you have not joined yet. Let’s follow Jesus’ command to be unified, growing and learning together and becoming more and more like Him.
Moving Toward Action
Take a few minutes to evaluate how you are doing living in a community with other Christ-followers. If you are married, have this conversation with your spouse. What are you most proud of? What areas would you like to grow? As you think about how you can take steps growing in the community, make a plan to take steps toward growing in community. Maybe this looks like joining a small group. Perhaps this means having conversations with the people around you when you attend the service this weekend. Maybe you and your spouse want to begin studying the Bible together. Whatever you decide, begin to take those steps today.
Going Deeper
Matthew 19:1-30 (NLT)
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