Life Recovery Bible - Flipbook - Page 41
M atthew 1 9 / Page 1227
to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers
and sisters* from your heart.”
C H A P T E R 19
Discussion about Divorce and Marriage
When Jesus had finished saying these things,
he left Galilee and went down to the region
of Ju
dea east of the Jordan River. 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 M
oses 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 every
one can accept this statement,” Jesus said. “Only those whom God
helps. 12 Some are born as eu
nuchs, some
have been made eu
nuchs by others, and
some choose not to marry* for the sake of
the Kingdom of Heaven. Let anyone accept
this who can.”
Jesus Blesses the Children
13
One 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.
14
But 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.” 15 And he placed his hands on their
heads and blessed them before he left.
The Rich Man
16
Someone came to J esus with this question:
“Teacher,* what good deed must I do to have
eternal life?”
17
“Why ask me about what is good?” J esus
replied. “There is only One who is good. But
to answer your question—if you want to receive eternal life, keep* 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. 19 Honor
your father and mother. Love your neighbor
as yourself.’*”
20
“I’ve obeyed all these commandments,”
the young man replied. “What else must I do?”
21
Jesus 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.”
22
But when the young man heard this,
he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
23
Then J esus said to his disciples, “I tell you
the truth, it is very hard for a rich person
to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. 24 I’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!”
18:35 Greek your brother.
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.
19:3-12 Jesus affirmed the importance of the marriage relationship. We may find it confining
to be without an “escape hatch” in marriage, but God has always intended that marriage be a
lifelong commitment. Realizing that marriage is permanent and that a husband and wife are one
through marriage should help us realize how much our sins and dependencies harm our spouse.
Even though divorce may end the conflict between a couple, it will not correct the attitudes or
behaviors that brought about the conflict. Unless we correct the root problems in ourselves, we
will have the same conflicts in future relationships.
19:16-24 The rich young man was trying to work (and buy) his way to heaven. Jesus played
along with this man’s shortsighted attempt to claim he was perfect. But it soon became clear
that the man was addicted to his material wealth and the security it bought him. His possessions
had a higher priority in his life than God did. Materialism is a dependency that makes it nearly
impossible to be humble and trust Jesus Christ alone for salvation and recovery. As long as we
believe we can buy our way out of our problems, we will never achieve lasting recovery.
