Matthew 19:2-12 Lesson 37

Matthew 19:2-12
Lesson 37

Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

In this lesson:

The final ministries begin.

Marriage and divorce (19:2-12).

Study Tip:

Read the Margin Notes in blue for a better understanding and click on the links.

The Gospel According to St. Matthew

The King James Bible

Matthew 19:2-12
Questions

2 And great multitudes followed him; and he healed them there.

3 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.

7 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.

Margin notes:

"Great multitudes followed him." (19:2) - Large crowds followed Jesus. Remember, in lesson 36, Jesus left Galilee for Jerusalem and crucifixion (Luke 9:51).

The Pharisees also came unto him." (19:3) - The Pharisees came to observe Jesus and look for a chance to discredit Him.

"Tempting him." (19:3) - "Testing Him."

"Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?" (19:3) - "Is it permitted for a man to divorce his wife for any reason." With this question, the Pharisee hoped to trip Jesus up.

"Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female." (19:4) - "Haven't you read, from the beginning God made them male and female" (Genesis 1:27; 5:2.).

"For this cause shall a man leave father and mother..." (19:5) - Jesus is paraphrasing Genesis 2:24.

"They twain shall be one flesh?" (19:5) - "The two shall be as one."

"Let not man put asunder." (19:6) - "Let no one separate."

"Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement." (19:7) - The Pharisees are referring to the rules of divorce and remarriage specified by Moses in Deuteronomy 24:1-4. In this passage, however, Jesus explains that God permitted divorce in the Old Testament only because of the "hardness" of people's hearts (19:8). With a few exceptions, God intended marriage to be a lifetime commitment.

"Suffered." (19:8) - "Allowed."

"Whosoever shall put away his wife... committeth adultery." (19:9) - Jesus is repeating His teaching from Matthew 5:32, Mark 10:11, and Luke 16:18.

"If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry." (19:10) - "If that is the case, it isn't good to marry."

"All men cannot receive this saying." (19:11) - "Not everyone can understand this teaching." Jesus had "many things to say" to them, but people couldn't grasp it yet (John 16:12).

"Save." (19:11) - "Except."

"Eunuchs." (19:12) - Emasculated males. Men or boys who have been castrated or whose testicles do not function.

"There be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake." (19:12) - These men chose not to marry and abstain from sex.

Jesus has more to say about divorce in Matthew 5:31-32 and Mark 10:2-12. Paul discusses marriage in Romans 7:1-3 and I Corinthians 7:1-40.

New Living Translation

Matthew 19:2-12
Discussion about Divorce and Marriage

2 Large crowds followed him there, and he healed their sick.

3 Some 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.'

5 And 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.'

6 Since 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?" they asked.

8 Jesus replied, "Moses permitted divorce only as a concession to your hard hearts, but it was not what God had originally intended.

9 And I tell you this, whoever divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery-unless his wife has been unfaithful."

10 Jesus' 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.

12 Some are born as eunuchs, some have been made eunuchs by others, and some choose not to marry for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven. Let anyone accept this who can."

The "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word-for-word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."

Today's Questions:

1. What is God's ideal marriage?

2. Is divorce wrong? (19:3-9)

Let us know if you have questions.

Answers: (Do you agree?)

1. Jesus tells us that God's ideal marriage is for one man and one woman to be committed to each other for life, providing love and support. The bond between a husband and wife should be even stronger than the relationship between parents and their children (19:5).

2. Because marriage is a divine institution (19:4) in which a man and woman become one (19:5; Ephesians 5:31) God intended it to last a lifetime (19:6). But the Bible does say divorce is allowed in the case of adultery (Matthew 5:32; 19:9) or when a Christian (man or woman) is abandoned by their spouse because they don't believe (1 Corinthians 7:10-15).

Application thought for the day:

Instead of finding reasons to leave a spouse, couples should focus on devoting themselves to each other (19:3-9).

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Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen, published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series," published by NavPress books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur, published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham, published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Atlas of the Bible" edited by Joseph L. Gardner, published by Readers Digest, Pleasantville, New York; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible," published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The New Testament" Recovery Version, published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, California; "The Living New Testament," published by Tyndale house, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Living Translation," published by Tyndale House, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; the "Life Application Study Bible," published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible," published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The New Scofield Reference Bible," published by Oxford University Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course, the "King James Bible." All were critical in putting these lessons together.
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