Chapter 19
Matthew 19:1-2
1 And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished
these sayings, he departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judaea
beyond
2 And great multitudes followed him; and he healed
them there.
As Jesus left Galilee to go
back into
The sick are looking for a
Healer. But, what the sick need is a
Savior!
Many speak against “faith”
healing, but if we truly follow Christ, both physical and spiritual healing
will be evident.
Matthew 19:3 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?
The Pharisees also came unto
Jesus tempting Him again. They were
there to debate, not to discuss and learn.
They asked, “Is it lawful for
a man to divorce his wife for every (Gr. pasan-pasan) cause?”
The question is interesting,
because they already knew it was “lawful” most of the time under Moses’ ritual
law. They also knew it was not always
right.
Matthew 19:4-6
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.
Jesus responded, “Haven’t you
read that He that made man and wife, at the beginning made them male and
female. And He said, ‘For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and
shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one (Heb. echad) flesh’”?
Homosexual relations are immoral
and have been so from the creation of mankind!
Jesus continued, “Because of
that they are no longer two separate people, but have become one, united. What
God has united, man may not divide.”
Matthew 19:7 They say unto him, Why did Moses then command
to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?
They became agitated at
Jesus’ response and asked, “So, why did Moses permit a writing of divorcement
to put a wife away?”
Matthew 19:8 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.
Jesus bluntly told them,
“Because of the hardness of your hearts Moses allowed you to divorce your
wives! However, it was not that way in
the beginning!”
Truth makes some people very
uncomfortable.
Matthew 19:9 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.
Furthermore, Jesus told them,
“I say (Gr. legoo-legw) unto you, whoever
divorces his wife, except for the act of fornication, and marries another,
commits adultery! And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery!”
Matthew 19:10 His disciples say unto him, If the case of
the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry.
As they heard that statement,
Jesus’ disciples say unto him, “If that is the case, isn’t it good to remain
unmarried?”
Matthew 19:11 But he said unto them, All men cannot receive
this saying, save they to whom it is given.
But, Jesus told them, “All
men cannot receive this saying. Only
those to whom it has been given.”
Some are meant to remain
unmarried while others are not.
Matthew 19:12 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.
He continued His teaching,
“Because, there are some who are born as eunuchs, and there are some that have
been castrated. There are others that are eunuchs by choice for the sake of the
kingdom.”
“He that is able to receive
it, let him receive it.”
Matthew 19:13 Then were there brought unto him little
children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples
rebuked them.
Then, little children were
brought to Him so that Jesus could put his hands on them, and prayed. We are not told the exact prayer.
In their ignorance, the
disciples rebuked them.
Matthew 19:14-16
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.
Jesus told His disciples,
“Allow little children, and do not forbid them to come unto me, because, the
Then, Jesus laid his hands on
them (blessing them), and left the area.
Matthew 19:16-17
16 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.
As he left, a young man came
to Him and said, “Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have
eternal (Gr. aioonion-aiwnion), or everlasting life?”
Jesus responded, “Why do you
call me good? There is none good but one, that is, God (the Father). However, if you want to enter into life, keep
the commandments!”
Matthew 19:18-19
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.
Then the person who came to
Jesus in verse 16 asked Him, Which (of the commandments)?
Jesus recited the last part
of the Ten.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit
adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false
witness.
Honor your father and thy
mother.
Love you neighbor as you love
yourself (Not included in the Ten, but covered in #10).
You will notice that Jesus
did not refer to the first four commandments.
Matthew 19:20 The young man saith unto him, All these
things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
The young man replied, “I
have kept all those since I was a child.
What else must I do?”
What else must I do? We DO nothing! Everlasting life is a gift
from God in Christ!
Could it be that Jesus knew
that the young man had not
kept the first four commandments and was setting the stage for what follows?
Matthew 19:21 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.
Jesus answered, “If you want
to be perfect (Gr. teleios-teleioV) or mature, go and sell what you have, and give to
the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven: then come and follow Me!”
Follow Me (Gr. akolouthei-akolouqei) is an imperative,
a command!
Following Christ is not an
option!
Matthew 19:22 But when the young man heard that
saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
Apparently that was not
acceptable, a valid option for that young man.
He left feeling very “sorrowful,” because he had “great possessions.”
Having “great possessions”
does not make one happy or successful!
Matthew 19:23-24
23 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
At this point, Jesus told His
disciples, “Truthfully, it is very difficult for a rich man to enter the
kingdom of heaven. In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a
needle, than for a rich man to enter into the
Much has been said about the
city gate being the “eye of a needle,” and how a camel must bend down to enter,
but the story here focuses on a person who places great value on his/her
personal possessions.
Unfortunately, that story,
although is has been taught for many years, is a complete fabrication. That false interpretation was first pushed
onto unsuspecting Christians in the 11th century by Theophylact, the
Archbishop of Achrida.
The facts are that
Theophylact never went to
Where is your focus?
Matthew 19:25 When his disciples heard it, they were
exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?
The disciples had not grasped
the truth. They said, “Who then can be saved?”
The teaching of grace had not been given.
They still held the “the rich
are blessed” theory. According to their
theology at that time, Wall Street would be the most blessed place on earth.
Matthew 19:26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto
them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
Jesus told them, “With men it
is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” Do you believe that?
Not long ago, I heard
somebody proclaim, “All things are possible!”
That proclamation is a
lie! It is only with God that all things become possible.
Pseudo-Christians do not
believe that “all things are possible” even with God. “With God all things are possible” is not an
almost teaching. It is either true or
false!
Matthew 19:27 Then answered Peter and said unto him,
Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?
Then Peter spoke up, “We have
forsaken all, and followed you. What shall we have?”
Are you looking for what YOU shall have?
He was asking, “What’s in
this for us?”
Matthew 19:28-30
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.
Jesus told them, “In the
Regeneration (Gr. palingenesia- palingenesia), when the Son of man shall sit on the throne of His
glory, you shall sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of
What is the
“Regeneration?” It is a Messianic
restoration when all creation shall be restored to its sinless state. At that time, death and sin will cease to
exist (Revelation 21:4-5, 22:3).