Matthew Chapter 19
There is such a deep contrast in the people of Jesus’s day.
We read about the great crowds that followed Him wherever He went. The people could not get enough of Jesus.
Then there were the religious leaders of the Jewish people who did everything they could to destroy the work of Jesus.
It is interesting to think about the number of lives that were touched by Jesus while He was physically on this earth. There are so many instances where scripture just tells us that large crowds were healed by Jesus, with no exact numbers given. And there were great numbers of people who were forever changed spiritually by His teaching.
Let's Reflect
1. The Pharisees hoped to get Jesus to contradict scripture by asking Him about divorce.
(Divorce was a controversial topic in Jesus’ day, with two main schools of thought, centered around two of its most famous proponents. The first was the school of Rabbi Shammai (a more strict and unpopular view) and second was the school of Rabbi Hillel (a more lax and popular view). The school of Rabbi Shammai understood that uncleanness meant sexual immorality, and said this was the only valid reason for divorce. The school of Rabbi Hillel understood uncleanness to mean any sort of indiscretion; even to the point where for some rabbis, burning a husband’s breakfast was considered valid grounds for divorce. Among the Jews of that day, marriage was a sacred duty. If a man was unmarried after the age of 20 – except to concentrate on the study of the law – he was guilty of breaking God’s command to “be fruitful and multiply.” … In theory, the Jews of that day had a high ideal of marriage. Yet they had a low view of women. [Guzik])
Jesus did not address their controversy over divorce instead He went back to the definition of marriage. What is His definition of marriage?
2. Jesus reminded them that divorce was not a part of the original creation of man and woman. But the hardness of hearts (a sinful disrespect for God’s Word) is what made it necessary for Moses to give a certificate of divorce. What is a person guilty of who divorces their spouse for unlawful reasons and then marries another person?
3. The disciples’ understanding of the severity of the marriage covenant, that it should not be entered into lightly, they thought it might be better to remain celibate (as a eunuch was celibate). Did Jesus agree or disagree with their statement?
4. When the people brought their children to Jesus asking Him to bless them, what did He do?
5. The account of the rich man tells a deep truth about people. Remember when Jesus called the twelve disciples to follow Him and they just knew that meant leaving everything behind and just following Him wherever that might lead them? There are others who have things in their life that prevent them from following Jesus, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be riches. It could be lots of things. Jesus did say that it is difficult for rich people to enter the kingdom of heaven though, because that does tend to be the number one priority in many people’s lives. Other than the fact that this young man was rich, what does the Bible teach us about his character? What needed to be the number one priority in his life?
6. Who can change the heart of a person? Who can change their priority? See Jesus’ answer in verse 26.
7. Jesus did promise His disciples a place of honor in His kingdom. And He also promises you and I a reward in His kingdom. What does Jesus want to reward us for?
Devotionals
