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Matthew 19

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Jesus Enters Perea 1–2

1
And it came to pass when Jesus had finished these words, he departed from Galilee, and came into the borders of Judæa beyond the Jordan; ​
2
and great multitudes followed him; and he healed them there.

The Question of Divorce 3–12

3
And there came unto him Pharisees, trying him, and saying, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? ​
4
And he answered and said, Have ye not read, that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female, ​
5
and said, For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh?
6
So that they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. ​
7
They say unto him, Why then did Moses command to give a bill of divorcement, and to put her away?
8
He saith unto them, Moses for your hardness of heart suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it hath not been so. ​
9
And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and he that marrieth her when she is put away committeth adultery. ​
10
The disciples say unto him, If the case of the man is so with his wife, it is not expedient to marry.
11
But he said unto them, Not all men can receive this saying, but they to whom it is given.
12
For there are eunuchs, that were so born from their mother’s womb: and there are eunuchs, that were made eunuchs by men: and there are eunuchs, that made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it. ​

Let the Little Children Come 13–15

13
Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should lay his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them. ​
14
But Jesus said, Suffer the little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for to such belongeth the kingdom of heaven. ​
15
And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence.

The Rich Young Ruler 16–22

16
And behold, one came to him and said, Teacher, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? ​
17
And he said unto him, Why askest thou me concerning that which is good? One there is who is good: but if thou wouldest enter into life, keep the commandments. ​
18
He saith unto him, Which? And Jesus said, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, ​
19
Honor thy father and thy mother; and, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
20
The young man saith unto him, All these things have I observed: what lack I yet?
21
Jesus said unto him, If thou wouldest be perfect, go, sell that which thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. ​
22
But when the young man heard the saying, he went away sorrowful; for he was one that had great possessions.

Riches and the Kingdom 23–26

23
And Jesus said unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, It is hard for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven. ​
24
And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. ​
25
And when the disciples heard it, they were astonished exceedingly, saying, Who then can be saved? ​
26
And Jesus looking upon them said to them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. ​

Rewards for Following Jesus 27–30

27
Then answered Peter and said unto him, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee; what then shall we have? ​
28
And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, that ye who have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit on the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ​
29
And every one that hath left houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and shall inherit eternal life. ​
30
But many shall be last that are first; and first that are last. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Matthew 19

Verse 1

departed from Galilee — 'When Jesus had finished these sayings' closes a discourse, as at Matt 7:28 and 26:1. Horion, 'coasts', is border country. Mark 10:1 gives the route, 'the coasts of Judaea by the farther side of Jordan', and John 10:40 shows him earlier in that place 'beyond Jordan' where John at first baptized.

Verse 3

tempting him — Peirazo, to test, is the verb used of the Pharisees in 16:1 and of a lawyer in 22:35; Mark 10:2 records the same question. 'For every cause' (aitia) takes up Deut 24:1, where a man divorces a wife in whom 'he hath found some uncleanness'. The question is whether any ground will do.

Verse 4

made them male and female — Christ answers a question about the law from Genesis: 'male and female created he them' (Gen 1:27; 5:2). 'Have ye not read' is also his reply to the Pharisees in 12:3 and the Sadducees in 22:31. 'At the beginning' (arche) is picked up in v.8: 'from the beginning it was not so.'

Verse 6

What therefore God hath joined together — 'One flesh' is Gen 2:24, quoted in v.5. Syzeugnymi, 'joined together', occurs only here and in Mark 10:9. Chorizo, 'put asunder', is the verb of 1 Cor 7:10, 'Let not the wife depart from her husband'. The text names God as the one who joins.

Verse 8

hardness of your hearts — Sklerokardia is found only here, in Mark 10:5 and in Mark 16:14. 'Suffered' (epitrepo) is permitted: Moses allowed what Deut 24:1 describes, a bill of divorcement given 'in her hand'. 'From the beginning' (arche, as in v.4) goes back to the order of creation in Gen 2:24.

Verse 9

except it be for fornication — Porneia is the word of the parallel saying in Matt 5:32, 'saving for the cause of fornication'. Mark 10:11 and Luke 16:18 give the saying without an exception. In this verse moichao, 'commit adultery', is said of the man who remarries and of 'whoso marrieth her which is put away'.

Verse 12

eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake — Eunouchizo, 'made eunuchs', occurs only in this verse, where it is used twice. Isaiah promised a place to 'the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths' (Isa 56:3–4). Paul writes of the unmarried who care 'for the things that belong to the Lord' (1 Cor 7:32) and of 'his proper gift of God' (1 Cor 7:7), the sense of 'He that is able to receive it'.

Verse 13

put his hands on them, and pray — Mark 10:16 records it done: 'he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them'. Luke 18:15 calls them 'infants'. They are the paidia of 18:2–5, of whom Christ said 'whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me' (18:5). The disciples' rebuke is epitimao.

Verse 14

Suffer little children — Aphiemi, to allow, is joined to kolyo, to hinder: they are to stop hindering. 'Of such is the kingdom of heaven' echoes 18:3, where entering required becoming 'as little children'. Mark 10:14 and Luke 18:16 give the saying with 'the kingdom of God'.

Verse 16

what good thing shall I do — The man asks what to 'do' (poieo) to 'have eternal life'. Mark 10:17 words it 'inherit eternal life' and says 'there came one running, and kneeled to him', and Luke 18:18 calls him 'a certain ruler'. Mark 10:30 sets 'eternal life' (aionios zoe) in 'the world to come'.

Verse 17

none good but one, that is, God — Mark 10:18 has the same sentence: 'Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.' The reply turns the question about goodness to God and then to 'the commandments' (entole), as in Lev 18:5, 'which if a man do, he shall live in them'.

Verse 18

Thou shalt do no murder — The four commands are those of Ex 20:13–16, where the KJV has 'Thou shalt not kill'. Phoneuo is to murder, and the KJV renders it so here. Verse 19 adds 'Honour thy father and thy mother', and 'Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself', a command from Lev 19:18.

Verse 21

If thou wilt be perfect — Teleios, complete, is the word of Matt 5:48, 'Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect'. The 'treasure in heaven' is that of Matt 6:20, 'where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt'. The selling and the gift to the poor lead to the call, 'come and follow me'.

Verse 23

a rich man shall hardly enter — Dyskolos, with difficulty, occurs only here and in the parallels Mark 10:23 and Luke 18:24. The sower had already named 'the deceitfulness of riches' as what chokes the word (Matt 13:22), and Paul writes that 'they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare' (1 Tim 6:9).

Verse 24

the kingdom of God — Verse 23 says 'kingdom of heaven' and this verse 'kingdom of God', for the same kingdom. Mark 10:25 and Luke 18:25 have the camel and the needle with the same ending. Trypema, 'eye', is a hole, and the comparison sets up the answer of v.26, 'With men this is impossible'.

Verse 25

exceedingly amazed — Ekplesso, to astonish, is the verb used of the crowds at his teaching in Matt 7:28 and 22:33. 'Who then can be saved?' (sozo) takes the rich man's difficulty as the common one. Jesus 'beheld' (emblepo), looked straight at, them before giving the answer in v.26.

Verse 26

With men this is impossible — Adynatos and dynatos, unable and able. The answer is the LORD's own: 'Is any thing too hard for the LORD?' (Gen 18:14), and 'is there any thing too hard for me?' (Jer 32:27). Mark 10:27 gives the saying with 'for with God all things are possible'.

Verse 27

we have forsaken all — Aphiemi, to leave, is the verb of Matt 4:20, 'they straightway left their nets, and followed him', and of 'forsaken' in v.29; in ch.18 it is 'forgive'. Luke 5:11 uses the same verb: 'they forsook all, and followed him'. Peter's question, 'what shall we have therefore?', is answered in vv.28–29.

Verse 28

in the regeneration — Palingenesia occurs only here and in Titus 3:5, 'the washing of regeneration'. Here it marks the time 'when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory', the throne of Matt 25:31. Luke 22:30 records the promise at the Supper: 'sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel'.

Verse 29

shall inherit everlasting life — Kleronomeo, to be heir, is the verb of the ruler's question in Mark 10:17, 'inherit eternal life', so the promise answers what he asked. Mark 10:30 adds that the hundredfold comes 'now in this time… with persecutions', and 'in the world to come eternal life'.

Verse 30

many that are first shall be last — The saying is repeated at the end of the vineyard parable, 'So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen' (Matt 20:16). Luke 13:30 has it as well. Protos and eschatos are first and last, in order and in rank.