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Matthew 19:1

And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these sayings, he departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judaea beyond Jordan;

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And great multitudes followed him; and he healed them there.

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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?

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And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,

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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?

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Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

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They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?

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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.

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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.

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His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry.

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But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given.

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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.

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Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them.

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But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.

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And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence.

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And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?

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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.

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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,

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Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

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The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?

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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.

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But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had ° great possessions.

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Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.

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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.

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When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?

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But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

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Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?

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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.

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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.

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But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.

Matthew 19:4

19:4 Have ye not read. In response to a vital question about the most important of all human institutions (marriage and family), as His authority the Lord quotes the account of creation in Genesis. It is obvious that He—contrary to the opinion of modern intellectuals and liberal theologians—regarded the creation record as historically true and divinely inspired.

Matthew 19:5

19:5 cleave to his wife. Modern critics often allege that the first two chapters of Genesis are two different and contradictory accounts of creation. Jesus, however, quoted from Genesis 1:27 and Genesis 2:24 as perfectly complementary and of absolute authority. Furthermore, He was there at the beginning!

Matthew 19:6

19:6 let not man put asunder. The creation account is thus the foundation for the institution of marriage, which was validated by the Creator Himself and established to be a lifelong union between one man and woman, who were commanded to “be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:28).

Matthew 19:7

19:7 writing of divorcement. Deuteronomy 24:1-4. Christ here confirms the Mosaic authorship of Deuteronomy.

Matthew 19:9

19:9 except it be for fornication. The relatively easy divorce allowed in the Mosaic law was not intended in God’s original economy (Matthew 19:8). The only allowable grounds for divorce according to Christ is adultery. The Greek word for “fornication” (porneia) could include any sexual sin committed after the betrothal contract. On the other hand, Jesus did not even allow this exception in Luke 16:18. The conclusion would be that, even though adultery or fornication are permissible grounds for divorce and remarriage, it is still better to salvage the marriage if possible. See also Romans 7:2-3; I Corinthians 7:10-15.

Matthew 19:14

19:14 little children. “Little children” is one word in the Greek, referring to very small children, even infants. If the kingdom of heaven is “of such,” then evidently there are many children in the kingdom who are safe in Christ. Such children are too young to be conscious sinners, perhaps reaching heaven through death before the “age of accountability.”

Matthew 19:22

19:22 great possessions. No matter how outwardly righteous a person may be, he can only be saved if he comes to Christ with nothing of his own. The Lord may not ask a follower to give up his possessions or anything else, but maybe He will. That person must at least be willing to do so. We cannot bargain with God. Until He saves us, we are dead in sins, and only Christ can give us life.

Matthew 19:26

19:26 impossible. Jesus had said that a camel could more easily go through the eye of a needle than a rich man enter the kingdom of God (Matthew 19:24). Both are impossible! “Blessed be ye poor,” Jesus said: “for yours is the kingdom of God” (Luke 6:20). One must at least be willing to give up his possessions before he can enter the kingdom.

Matthew 19:28

19:28 the regeneration. The “regeneration” is the “re-creation,” or “restoration,” of the primeval perfections of the earth before the Genesis Flood. This will happen after the return of Christ.

Matthew 19:28

19:28 judging. This verse gives the particular assignment of the twelve disciples during the millennial period. During this period, “the saints shall judge the world” (I Corinthians 6:2).

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