👑 Matthew Chapters 19 – 20 🦁

🙏🏻 Heavenly Father – You are so good to Your children. As we sit at Your feet today, teach us more about Your plan to redeem and restore us back to life as You intend.  We have been so blind and so dull for so long. But You!  You chased us down. You brought us near. You clothed us with righteousness with Your power to restore… reveal… heal… transform and make all things new.  You are THE AWESOME CREATOR that lets us call you Father! Let your Word speak new life to us today. We ask this in the name of Your Son and our Savior, Jesus. Amen.

Where have we been so far?  (Click here to jump to the recap of chapters 1 through 18.)

Divorce

19 When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan. ² Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.

³ Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”

⁴ “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ [Genesis 1:27] ⁵ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’ [Genesis 2:24]? ⁶ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

⁷ “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”

⁸ Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. ⁹ I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”

¹⁰ The disciples said to him, “If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.”

¹¹ Jesus replied, “Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. ¹² For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others—and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”

Points to Ponder: Matthew makes the point that after Jesus was just giving instruction on how to live with others, the Pharisees test him by bringing up divorce… i.e., how to live at home! 🤦‍♀️ Jesus does not compromise on Scripture. His response begins with a test for them… ‘Haven’t you read…?’ This is priceless! And in today’s culture, it’s tough teaching indeed.

After Jesus had just pointed out that the ‘greatest in the kingdom’ is like a child… and woe to anyone who causes them to stumble… and we should help each other by gently pointing out sin… and we should let forgiveness characterize our lives… It is clear that Marriage as ordained in Genesis is a distant ideal from what we see today.  It was already distant from that ideal in Jesus’ time since the men could lift up the Mosaic law anytime they wanted a divorce.  This was brutal for women.

Even the disciples are shocked when Jesus tells them that if they divorce their wife, except for sexual immorality, they are committing a sin.  They see immediately what He is telling them… God does not look lightly on divorce as an easy-out once a marriage commitment has been made. 

There are many references to God being a faithful husband while Israel kept resembling an unfaithful wife.  (See the entire book of Hosea!)  Jesus is called the bridegroom while The Church is His Bride.  The idea that marriage can be defined as anything other than one man and one woman, forever, is not scriptural.  Period.  This has nothing to do with feelings… this has to do with your character.  Are you a man or a woman of your word?  Then act like one! Be faithful to your commitments.

Notice the comments on eunuchs.  Eunuchs are celibate – some were born that way, some were made that way, some choose that way for the sake of the kingdom.  There is no such thing as ‘personal sexual fulfillment’ in scripture. There is no allowance for homosexuality.  There is only one definition for a Christian in this – sex exclusively within a marriage commitment between a man or a woman – or no sex… at all.

This is a wildly different claim from what is accepted in today’s culture.  But understand this.  Jesus is telling His followers how to live as believers. The Israelites had strayed from the ideal to accept what the surrounding nations allowed. Jesus is telling them that God has a different standard than what they are used to.

Sex is a gift from God to be celebrated within the safety of a marriage commitment. Scripture doesn’t look at sex as ‘dirty’; on the contrary, scripture exalts sex as a gift to be enjoyed between a husband and a wife, a man and a woman, who make a commitment to each other… and to their offspring.

Divorce leaves a scar – on the spouse and the children. (And woe to the one who causes the child to stumble.)

Jesus reminds them that the Mosaic law did not command, but permitted divorce because of the rebellious hearts of men.  There is no such scriptural concept of ‘starter marriages’  where spouses can be swapped as they no longer find themselves ‘compatible’.

On THAT LAST DAY… God will ask the husband what he did with the resources that he was given, including God’s own daughter that He gave to him as a wife.  The wife will be asked as well… how did you treat that son of mine that I gave you as a husband? Remember Matthew 12:36 – men will give an account for every empty word they have spoken.  If you say, ‘I Do’, then do… as Paul says in Romans 12:18… everything, as much as it is us to you, to be at peace with all people, including your spouse!

On a personal note – I have never lived alone.  From my parents’ house to sharing rent with roommates… to sharing rent with one boyfriend then another… to marrying ‘the one’… to separating with the kids… to moving back with him and the kids… I never had other Christians in my life to share truth with me; I never knew I was a beloved daughter of ‘the king’.  I entered marriage as a woman of the world – completely ignorant of God’s kingdom.  Just one of the many sins that Jesus took to the cross for me and one of the many scars that He is healing and restoring.

It is good to read Scripture and see your sins so you can bring them to the cross and know that Jesus already knew and still, He died for you.  There is tremendous healing in forgiveness.

Find a good Bible teacher and listen/read their insights on marriage according to Scripture. (The late Tim Keller did a series that has been repeated on the gospelinlife.com podcast also archived online. Alistair Begg has a book, Lasting Love, that is exceptional.)

The Little Children and Jesus

¹³ Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them.

¹⁴ Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” ¹⁵ When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.

Points to Ponder: I see what Matthew did here!  Before we ever think too highly of ourselves, we remember we are children of God… and so are our spouses! 🥰 Nice segue.

The Rich and the Kingdom of God

¹⁶ Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”

¹⁷ “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”

¹⁸ “Which ones?” he inquired.

Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, ¹⁹ honor your father and mother,’ [Exodus 20:12-16; Deuteronomy 5:16-20] and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’ [Leviticus 19:18]”

²⁰ “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”

²¹ Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

²² When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

²³ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴ Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

²⁵ When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”

²⁶ Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

²⁷ Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”

²⁸ Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ²⁹ And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. ³⁰ But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.

Points to Ponder: First notice that it is the man that seeks out Jesus and initiates this conversation.  Apparently, this man senses that even with all he has, he is not secure about eternal life.  The man believes he must do something… something good to earn salvation.

Jesus brings up the commandments.  Not all of them… The commandments fall into two categories:  Love God and Love Others. The great mystery to this is that anyone can do ‘good’ things for other people… but it is actually impossible to ‘love’ other people, until you ‘love’ God and prioritize Him in your life.

This man tells Jesus that he has kept all the laws of being ‘good’ to others… but still the man knows he’s missing something, because he asks… ‘What do I still lack?’  Going through the efforts of doing good according to your standards will never bring you peace.  (Remember Genesis 3 – the knowledge of good and evil was not a burden for us to carry.  We could have eaten from the Tree of Life, but no… we wanted to be like God. Thanks Eve! 😁)

Jesus tells THIS MAN… not everyone who reads the story… but THIS MAN… that he should sell his possessions… give to the poor… and follow Jesus. (The treasure will be replaced in heaven.)

The man went away sad.  This speaks volumes.  This man asked a question… got the answer… didn’t like the answer… so he walked away.  (Many would read the previous chapter on divorce and walk away!)  Trying to set aside ‘our’ definitions of ‘good’ is quite the exercise in mental and spiritual discipline – forget Sudoku or crossword puzzles… reading Scripture and asking God to reveal His mind to you will stretch you beyond any other pursuit in this life.

When Jesus confronted the man by omitting the first of the commandments, the ones that call us to put God first, He was reminding the man to think…  (Exodus 20:1-8) And to put God first. 

It is so important to read Scripture expecting for God to reveal to us what we’re holding onto that prevents us from following Him into His Kingdom.  None of us are holy… yet. We are to be prepared to be shown areas where we are still walking in ‘our ways’ not His. (Isaiah 55:8-9)

This world will entice us with the big three: power, pleasure, prosperity.  People will be drawn away from Jesus because of their pride in their position, influence, fame, popularity…  their desire for sexual pleasure… and the worshipping of their own wealth. 

The disciples understood what Jesus was saying… Jesus tells them that it takes an act of God to walk away from the things that the world holds dear.  But Jesus doesn’t tell them they have to walk away.  He tells them that IF they walk away for His sake, the sacrifice won’t be forgotten. The Bible never says money is evil… it is the love of money that is a problem.  (1 Timothy 6:10) And that applies to both the rich and those who do not consider themselves rich.

This section is a good time to reflect and review.  Those first 4 commandments that honor God first… is there anything that impedes your following Jesus? In this same section on money… right after sex… Jesus also mentions other relationships… brothers, sisters, father, mother, children. He also mentions work… fields.   🤔 Let’s see, have I put any of those things ahead of my time with Jesus? Sex, money, family, work… Guilty! 😔

The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard

20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. ² He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.

³ “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. ⁴ He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ ⁵ So they went.

“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. ⁶ About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’

⁷ “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.

“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’

⁸ “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’

⁹ “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. ¹⁰ So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. ¹¹ When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. ¹² ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’

¹³ “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? ¹⁴ Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. ¹⁵ Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’

¹⁶ “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

Points to Ponder: The early group agreed to work for a specific wage…. The later group agreed to work for whatever the master thought was right.  At the end, they all received the same.  And there was some grumbling.  Even if you can see their point of view, the point is to see if you would be among the group of grumblers.  If you are, then you have not grown in maturity to love others and to be filled with joy when the latecomers are blessed.

Our master is generous – Thank You, Lord, for Your generosity and Your faithfulness.  If you have been a Christian for a long time, there’s still room to grow.  Do not show any bitterness towards the latecomers.  If you are a latecomer, show your gratitude – for you have wallowed among the pigs blinded by the darkness that held you captive for far too long not to be humbled by His generosity.

All of us have work to do for our master… go and make disciples. [Matthew 28:19-20]  When He returns, and He will, we will each get our ‘denarius’ – eternal life.

Jesus Predicts His Death a Third Time

¹⁷ Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them, ¹⁸ “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death ¹⁹ and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!”

Points to Ponder: While Jesus taught in parables, He was pretty direct with His disciples in telling them what to expect.  As followers of Jesus now, we read the Scriptures and He speaks directly to us through the Holy Spirit – there is no ‘blind faith’. 

A Mother’s Request

²⁰ Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.

²¹ “What is it you want?” he asked.

She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”

²² “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”

“We can,” they answered.

²³ Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.”

²⁴ When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. ²⁵ Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. ²⁶ Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ²⁷ and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— ²⁸ just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Points to Ponder: Power and authority on earth presents itself with arrogance.  Worldly rulers expect others to fawn over them – they take the liberty to ‘boss’ others around.  Jesus calls His disciples out for this expectation.  Jesus came to serve us. His life was spent selflessly to free us from the penalty of sin – death!  He JUST told His disciples, for the 3^rd time, that He was going to die… and they’re hoping to get places of prominence assigned.

Jesus has mentioned twice now… with the rich man and with the parable of vineyard workers… the last will be first, the first will be last. What is considered ‘great’ in our world does not translate well in God’s kingdom. Let us humble ourselves and pray that we are made aware of how we can serve God.

Two Blind Men Receive Sight

²⁹ As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. ³⁰ Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

³¹ The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

³² Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.

³³ “Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.”

³⁴ Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.

Points to Ponder: That’s all it takes folks. A cry out to Jesus… calling Him, Lord! Humbling yourself and asking for His mercy.  These ‘blind’ men were more spiritually aware than some of Jesus’ disciples.  And when Jesus touched them… they began to follow Him.  It cannot be helped.

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Summary: In these chapters we get the tough teachings about marriage and money.  We see how difficult it is for ‘accomplished’ adults to humble themselves and follow Jesus.  Sometimes it is the ‘good’ things in life that prevent us from receiving the ‘best’.  When you choose to put God first, you learn what love is according to God.  When you understand how fully He loves you, you love Him… and then oddly enough, you are now capable of loving others…. Even the tough ones! 😉  You can start letting go of the ‘good’ things in this world, to help others find the ‘best’ that’s sure to come.

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🙏🏻 Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit – Thank You for keeping us connected to the source of all love. When we get distracted in this world by all the shiny objects, let us admire them, then thank You for the moment of beauty.  But let us always return to You as You work to transform us into objects of beauty, ourselves. Guard our hearts, Lord Jesus. Help us to remember that only You are good and we have much to learn still. We love You and praise You.  Amen.

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Recap for Matthew

• Chapter 1 – The genealogy of Jesus showing this has always been God’s plan to restore humanity. GOD IS FAITHFUL.
• Chapter 2 – The wise men, the outsiders search for the king. His own people reject and try to kill Jesus. NOT ALL HAVE EYES TO SEE.
• Chapter 3 – John the Baptist prepares the way by calling people to repentance and baptizing Jesus. IF WE ‘SEE’, HOW SHOULD WE RESPOND?
• Chapter 4 – Jesus is tested by Satan in the wilderness. He remains faithful and standing strong using the Word of God. Jesus begins His mission – gathering disciples, healing, and preaching about God’s Kingdom. JESUS SHOWS US THE WAY.
• Chapter 5 – Sermon on the Mount – Part 1.  Rethink everything! What it means to be blessed… what is our purpose… this was always the message of the Old Testament. You think you know right from wrong? Not just murder, but anger and dismissing others is wrong. Not just adultery, but leering is wrong. Divorce may be legal but it was never part of God’s design – keep your promises – all of them… integrity matters to the people around you.  Eye-for-eye? No!   Learn to love your enemies.
• Chapter 6 – Sermon on the Mount – Part 2. Draw near to God, your father, in relationship. No showy religion when serving God or others. Pray to God, earnestly. Fast for a purpose.  Do all this in secret where your Father sees you and rewards you in heaven.  Don’t worry about the things of this world… He sees your giving… he sees your working… he hears your praying… he sees and knows what you need?  Trust Him – Seek Him first; everything else falls into place.
• Chapter 7 – Sermon on the Mount – Part 3. Living it out as a disciple of Christ.  DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME… ALONE. 😉 Christian life is designed to be lived out in a community – connected to God through Jesus in order to connect to other believers.  As this new life progresses, this life is designed to be generational.  You start as a baby… you need to learn from your Christian siblings and your Christian parents.  Don’t judge others, you’re still a child!  Pray always… continually… He’s waiting to spend time with you! And be bold… try something new. Do something for someone else, that you would like.  This is the  way He told us to live – not everyone will be faithful, but you are in charge of your decisions. Building your life on the teachings of Jesus is akin to a house on a solid foundation.
• Chapter 8 – JESUS WALKS THE TALK. He teaches and He puts it into action – healing a leper, healing the servant of a Roman officer – nothing is outside of His domain. He heals those with fevers and those possessed by demons. People want a piece of the action, but He reminds them that He has no home here.  If you want a piece of His Kingdom, you have to give up this one.  (And if you still doubt the value of such a choice – Jesus spoke to calm a storm.)
• Chapter 9 – WHAT DOES HIS KINGDOM LOOK LIKE? First and foremost – our sins are forgiven, completely.  Religious formality has no authority over sin, Jesus does. We watch Jesus call the outcasts that religion often overlooks and bids them, ‘Follow Me.’   Jesus teaches us to rethink the motivation behind religious practices. Instead of becoming unclean by associating with the unclean, Jesus is Lord over all the corruption in life – He brings new life and restores the broken and unclean around Him.  Everyone is hungry for the life that Jesus offers, except for the religious leaders.
• Chapter 10 – THE DISCIPLES ARE SENT TO WORK THE HARVEST.  For a time, they are empowered to heal diseases, raise the dead, and cast out evil spirits.  All must hear the Gospel message of the Kingdom and choose for themselves.  We are to go boldly and unashamed.
• Chapter 11 – THERE’S TWO OPTIONS… BEING A CHILD OF GOD OR BEING CHILDISH IN YOUR REFUSAL. He is Lord; we are not.  Insisting on your own way is not only childish, but incredibly dangerous. Being a child of God opens up your heart and mind to learn from God.
• Chapter 12 – GOD’S CHOSEN SERVANT – behavior that is not always modeled by religious leaders. 💔 We are all tempted by the real enemy – The Tempter. We are either under the influence of Satan, doubting God or we are God’s children, turning our backs on Satan’s influence in this world and aligning ourselves with the will of God as revealed in Scripture.
• Chapter 13 – Parables for this pre-harvest age and parables for the Kingdom of Heaven.
• Chapter 14 – The horrific death of John the Baptist and Jesus’ response – feeding 5000+ and walking on water.
• Chapter 15 – A Gentile woman reveals more faith than the Pharisees and the disciples.
• Chapter 16 – The Pharisees demand a sign – Jesus calls them wicked but promises the sign of Jonah. God reveals to Peter that Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus shares the details of His suffering, death, and resurrection with His disciples then has to rebuke Peter as Satan when Peter objects to the plan!
• Chapter 17 – Jesus is transfigured; a few disciples get a glimpse. But it is beyond comprehension.
• Chapter 18 – Who’s the greatest in the kingdom? The humble child. We are given a few guidelines and warnings as to how we are to live this Christian life connected to other Christians.

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