Jesus ministers in Perea—29/30 AD
19
1 Now it happened, when Jesus had finished these words, that He departed from Galilee and went to the borders of Judea beyond the Jordan. 2 And large crowds followed Him and there He healed them.
Jesus denies divorce
3 The Pharisees also came to Him to test Him, saying to Him, “Is it permissible for a man to divorce his wife for just any cause?” 4 So in answer He said to them: “Have you never read that the Creator at the beginning made them a male and a female? 5 And He said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall be turned into one flesh.’* “Two”—not three, four, five, etc. “The two” refers to one man and one woman—not two men, a man and an animal, a woman and a demon, or whatever. The ‘one flesh’ is not just poetic language, it refers to a chemical reality. 6 So then, they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God joined together let not man separate!” 7 They say to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce and to dismiss her?”† They distorted the Text: Moses did not command divorce. The Lord corrects their distortion. 8 He says to them: “Because of your hard-heartedness Moses permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it has not been so. 9 And I say to you that whoever divorces his wife, except for fornication, and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries a divorcee commits adultery.”‡ “Fornication” is distinct from “adultery” and does not include it. Here, it is presumably a reference to premarital sex, where a groom discovers that his bride is no longer a virgin (like the situation that Joseph faced in Matthew 1:18-19). Perhaps 0.5% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit the last clause of verse 9 (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.). 10 His disciples say to Him, “If that's the situation of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry!”§ Why the strong reaction from the disciples? Obviously Jesus did not give the expected answer, namely that infidelity justifies divorce. 11 So He said to them: “Not all can assimilate this word, but those to whom it has been given.* The demonstrative pronoun ‘this’ is probably cataphoric, referring forward to the content of verse 12. 12 For there are eunuchs who were born that way, from their mother's womb; and there are eunuchs who were castrated by men; and there are eunuchs who castrated themselves for the sake of the kingdom of the heavens. He who is able to assimilate it, let him assimilate.”† What in the world do ‘eunuchs’ have to do with divorce and remarriage? Well, do eunuchs have sexual relations? A eunuch castrated by others was a victim of the actions of others. We also may be victimized by others, and be obliged to take the consequences.
Jesus blesses children
13 Then little children were brought to Him, that He might lay hands on them and pray; but the disciples rebuked them. 14 So Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not forbid them, for of such is the kingdom of the heavens.” 15 And after laying hands on them He moved on from there.
It is difficult for a rich person to enter the Kingdom
16 And then, a certain one came and said to Him, “Good teacher, what good thing must I do so that I may have eternal life?” 17 But He said to him: “Why do you call me good? No one is good except One, God.‡ Jesus is not denying that He is good. He is challenging the man's opinion about Himself. The man was not recognizing Jesus to be God—if he had, Jesus would not have objected. Perhaps 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit “Good” before “teacher” in verse 16 and have Jesus saying, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is One who is good” here in verse 17 (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.). The minority reading makes Matthew contradict Mark 10:18 and Luke 18:9; it probably originated in Egypt, that was dominated by Gnosticism. But if you want to enter into the life, keep the commandments.” 18 He says to Him, “Which ones?”§ Did he think that some were not necessary? So Jesus said: “ ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not give false witness,’ 19 ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” 20 The young man says to Him: “I have kept all these things since my youth.* “Since my youth” is omitted by 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.). What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come follow me.” 22 So upon hearing that word the young man went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.† Jesus emphasized the commandment about loving one's neighbor because that was precisely the one that the young man was not keeping. He went away sorrowful because Jesus made him see that he was not keeping it, and worse yet, was not prepared to keep it.
23 Then Jesus said to His disciples: “Assuredly I say to you that only with difficulty will a rich person enter into the kingdom of the heavens. 24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter into the kingdom of God.”‡ This seemingly difficult statement has given rise to several attempts to avoid the literal meaning. However, since in verse 26 Jesus says it is “impossible” we may stay with the literal meaning. Jesus had already said that one cannot serve God and money, so someone who “trusts in riches” (Mark 10:24, as in 99.5% of the Greek manuscripts) simply cannot be saved (unless he abandons that trust). 25 Upon hearing it His disciples were really flabbergasted saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 So looking at them Jesus said, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
It pays to serve Jesus
27 Then Peter answered and said to Him: “See, we have left all and followed you. So what will we have?” 28 So Jesus said to them: “Assuredly I say to you that in the Regeneration,§ I take it that Jesus is referring to His millennial reign, the Messianic Kingdom, when the earth will be ‘regenerated’, being restored to conditions reminiscent of Eden. For instance, if He does not regenerate the magnetic field that surrounds it pretty soon, life on this planet will become less and less viable. when the Son of the Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.* I wonder who will occupy the Iscariot's throne? I see no reason to doubt that the Lord is being literal here. 29 And, everyone who left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife† Perhaps 1.5% of the Greek manuscripts, of inferior quality, omit “or wife” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.)—the idea of having 100 wives was no doubt objectionable. Actually, the ‘hundredfold’ should presumably not be taken in a strictly literal sense. I take it that the Lord is saying that we will be abundantly recompensed, if not down here, certainly in heaven. In my own experience, in the absence of my real mother, whenever I needed one God provided one. If you only have one brother, that is all you can leave, obviously, so the plural nouns are also contingent on the facts in the case. ‘Eternal’ life is a quality of life, and it begins down here. or children or fields for my name's sake will receive a hundredfold, and will inherit life eternal. 30 But many ‘first’ will be last, and ‘last’ first.

*19:5 “Two”—not three, four, five, etc. “The two” refers to one man and one woman—not two men, a man and an animal, a woman and a demon, or whatever. The ‘one flesh’ is not just poetic language, it refers to a chemical reality.

†19:7 They distorted the Text: Moses did not command divorce. The Lord corrects their distortion.

‡19:9 “Fornication” is distinct from “adultery” and does not include it. Here, it is presumably a reference to premarital sex, where a groom discovers that his bride is no longer a virgin (like the situation that Joseph faced in Matthew 1:18-19). Perhaps 0.5% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit the last clause of verse 9 (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).

§19:10 Why the strong reaction from the disciples? Obviously Jesus did not give the expected answer, namely that infidelity justifies divorce.

*19:11 The demonstrative pronoun ‘this’ is probably cataphoric, referring forward to the content of verse 12.

†19:12 What in the world do ‘eunuchs’ have to do with divorce and remarriage? Well, do eunuchs have sexual relations? A eunuch castrated by others was a victim of the actions of others. We also may be victimized by others, and be obliged to take the consequences.

‡19:17 Jesus is not denying that He is good. He is challenging the man's opinion about Himself. The man was not recognizing Jesus to be God—if he had, Jesus would not have objected. Perhaps 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit “Good” before “teacher” in verse 16 and have Jesus saying, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is One who is good” here in verse 17 (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.). The minority reading makes Matthew contradict Mark 10:18 and Luke 18:9; it probably originated in Egypt, that was dominated by Gnosticism.

§19:18 Did he think that some were not necessary?

*19:20 “Since my youth” is omitted by 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).

†19:22 Jesus emphasized the commandment about loving one's neighbor because that was precisely the one that the young man was not keeping. He went away sorrowful because Jesus made him see that he was not keeping it, and worse yet, was not prepared to keep it.

‡19:24 This seemingly difficult statement has given rise to several attempts to avoid the literal meaning. However, since in verse 26 Jesus says it is “impossible” we may stay with the literal meaning. Jesus had already said that one cannot serve God and money, so someone who “trusts in riches” (Mark 10:24, as in 99.5% of the Greek manuscripts) simply cannot be saved (unless he abandons that trust).

§19:28 I take it that Jesus is referring to His millennial reign, the Messianic Kingdom, when the earth will be ‘regenerated’, being restored to conditions reminiscent of Eden. For instance, if He does not regenerate the magnetic field that surrounds it pretty soon, life on this planet will become less and less viable.

*19:28 I wonder who will occupy the Iscariot's throne? I see no reason to doubt that the Lord is being literal here.

†19:29 Perhaps 1.5% of the Greek manuscripts, of inferior quality, omit “or wife” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.)—the idea of having 100 wives was no doubt objectionable. Actually, the ‘hundredfold’ should presumably not be taken in a strictly literal sense. I take it that the Lord is saying that we will be abundantly recompensed, if not down here, certainly in heaven. In my own experience, in the absence of my real mother, whenever I needed one God provided one. If you only have one brother, that is all you can leave, obviously, so the plural nouns are also contingent on the facts in the case. ‘Eternal’ life is a quality of life, and it begins down here.

© 2016 Wilbur N. Pickering, ThM, PhD