Matthew XIX
i. And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these sayings, he departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judaea beyond Jordan; 2. And great multitudes followed him; and he healed them there.
When Jesus departed from Galilee and came into the coasts of Judaea, He was about to proceed to Jerusalem, the passover at which He was crucified being in view. The point of special interest is that great multitudes followed Christ to be healed of Him. Men were constantly needing, and Christ was constantly giving; not giving in small donations, not putting people off with trifles, as if He had limited resources and was anxious to husband them; but giving most lavishly, — healing and blessing “great multitudes.” This is a hint of His world-wide mission; He came to give Himself, to give all.
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?
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.
7. They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?
8. He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of ybur hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.
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.
10. His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry.
11. But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given.
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 ro receive it, let him receive it.
This is a portion which will very rarely, if ever, be required for homiletic purposes; hence it hardly falls within the scope of this analysis. It is not, however, devoid of practical interest. From Jesus Christ’s side of the argument we learn: — 1. That Christianity holds the marriage bond as most sacred; 2. Jesus Christ recognises the validity of the great primeval transactions as recorded in the Old Testament; 3. That the rupture of the nuptial bond is permissible only under the most extreme conditions of wickedness.
On the other, Dr. Clarke remarks: “It is dangerous to tolerate the least evil, though prudence itself may require it: because toleration, in this case, raises itself insensibly into permission, and permisson soon sets up for command.” Lange says that the question which elicited this answer was founded upon “a misapplication of the passage (Deut. xxiv. 1), which the Lord exposes and answers. The object of Moses in laying down the rules about giving a writing of divorcement was not to countenance or promote divorces; but to diminish their number by subjecting them to certain rules and limitations, with the view of again elevating the marriage relationship, and realising its idea.” On the eighth verse, Theophylact paraphrases Christ’s words thus:
““Moses wisely restrained, by civil regulations, your licentiousness, and permitted divorce only under certain conditions, because of your brutality; but you perpetrate something worse, namely, make away with them by sword or poison.” Grotius makes a similar comment: “Moses is named as the promulgator, not of a common, primeval, and perpetual law, but of one only Jewish, and given in reference to the times.” — (See Blomfield’s Greek Testament.)
It is important to remember that the words “because of the hardness of your hearts” inadequately represent the force of the word which Christ employed. That word (<riclr)pofcap8iav=duriticm cordis) means properly an unforgiving temper, amounting to brutality. The root of the word is a/c.r]p6<;; in this form it occurs six times in the New Testament, and is generally rendered “hard;” for example, “Thou art an hard man” (Matt. xxv. 24); and “It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks” (Acts ix. 5). In calling to their mind that the regulation in question was made under special circumstances, Jesus Christ draws a wide distinction between that which was “from the beginning,” and that which was exceptional; in other words, between the fundamental and accidental, or between laws and bye-laws. This distinction should guide all historical and critical inquiry which relates to the Scriptures. We are not at liberty to call exceptional or temporary regulations into antagonism with principles which are moral, and consequently of perpetual and universal force. The author of “Ecce Homo” says, — “On the question of divorce, He (Christ) declared the Mosaic arrangement to have been well suited for the ’ hard-heartedness, of a semi-barbarous age, but to be no longer justifiable in the advanced condition of morals.” This is not an adequate exposition of the case. It is forgotten, or at least overlooked, that Jesus Christ expressly said that “from the beginning it was not so;” hence “the advanced condition of morals” was but a return, in this particular, to that which was “from the beginning.”
13. Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them.
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.
This scene presents three impressive aspects of Jesus Christ: — 1. As the centre of a necessitous world; 2. As surrounded by men who did not understand the universality of His mission — (a) men may have mistaken notions respecting the dignity of Jesus Christ; (b) some men have presumed to define the classes that shall approach Christ; (c) even well-meaning men may be, unintentionally, obstacles in the way of Christianity; 3. As asserting the sovereignty and fulness of His grace.
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.
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.
20. The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
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.
22. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
[For a full discourse on this passage, see the end of this volume.]
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 kingdom of God.
25. When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?
26. But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
There are three things which operate against the rich man in relation to a new spiritual life: — 1. He has property which is of present value; 2. The spirit of Christianity would fundamentally change his view of that property; 3. There is a natural disposition towards combining the advantages of the material and the spiritual. How are these disadvantages to be overcome? By Divine power, — “with God all things are possible.” At this point man must have recourse to the supernatural. Here is a problem which man cannot solve. The disciples gave it up; are we able to answer it? Jesus Christ gives not only the problem but the solution — God!
27. Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?
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.
How far Peter is now below the point at which he received the keys! He wishes to know something about compensation; as he then stood, the prospect was not very bright; he knew what he had given up, and wished to see the other side of the account. The answer is singularly characteristic of the invariable generosity of Jesus Christ. We never see any contractedness about Him; the times of His forgiveness are not seven, but seventy times seven; His reward is not double; it is an hundred-fold, and everlasting upon that! How could such a man have given any other answer? We might have known, had the statement been
Q anonymous, that Jesus Christ conceived this magnificent idea; it is like Him; it is part of Him; it is in perfect keeping with all His other far-reaching thoughts of love towards those who trust Him. “The promise of the Lord implies the full establishment of His spiritual kingdom, which consists not merely in the restoration of the original state of things in Paradise, but also in the full development of the first into the second life. In other words, the complete redemption of the world will at the same time be its transformation, when regenerated humanity shall dwell in a completely regenerated world. The centre of this completion of all things shall be the manifestation of Christ in His glory, when He shall appear in all His heavenly brightness. Then all relationships shall partake of and reflect the splendour of His manifestation. This will also apply to the administration of His apostles, as the representatives of His rule over the twelve tribes — a symbolical term, intended to indicate the whole variety of spiritual stages and experiences in the kingdom of heaven.” — (Lange.)
The 30th verse strikingly reproves the carnal miscalculations of men as to rank or precedence in the time of reward. The little child will be first; the modest man will take the highest seat! There had been a discussion as to gradation in the heavenly kingdom; here is a rule which shows that we know not what order or arrangement may be made by the sovereign Disposer. There will be nothing disorderly in the settlement of rank; the great law of affinities will make all easy: he who has most of Christ will be nearest Christ. Meantime let men be on their guard against judging by appearances, by technical classifications, or even by personal claims. They are not called to judgment except in cases of necessity; and where the subtlest modifications may change the value of human character, it is not only presumptuous but futile for any man to say who will be either first or last.
The only thing of which we are certain is, that character is the basis of the Divine adjudication; great character means great exaltation; littleness, and poverty of character, means abasement and inferiority of influence. The man who is least in his own eyes, who forgives most, who forsakes most for Jesus Christ, shall be highly exalted in the kingdom of heaven.