In Matthew 19 Jesus begins pressing toward Jerusalem with His disciples, entering Judea beyond the Jordan where John the Baptist’s work had focused. Nevertheless, the Pharisees continue to pursue Jesus and opposition to His work will continue to grow. But Jesus will not be distracted or diverted from His purpose and uses these moments as teaching opportunities, beginning with the issues of marriage, divorce, and celibacy (Matt 19:1–12). Although the disciples try hindering children being brought to Him, Jesus draws from this a lesson about the kingdom and blesses the children (vv. 13–15). In the second half of the chapter, Jesus answers a rich young man’s question about eternal life (vv. 16–22) and replies to the disciples’ concern over what reward they themselves will have (vv. 23–30).

Interpretation of Matthew 19

1. Verses 1–12

• Jesus’ departure from Galilee closes His ministry in the north of Israel (cf. Matt 4:12). The continuation of His ministry at this juncture is chronicled by Luke and John, but not by Matthew and Mark. However, all four Gospels meet up again with Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Matt 21:1 // Mark 11:1 // Luke 19:28 // John 12:12).

• In reply to the Pharisees’ question regarding divorce, Jesus points to the Edenic origin of marriage, “from the beginning” (Gk. ap archēs, Matt 19:4; cf. 19:8; 24:21).¹ The creation of human beings as male and female and joining them together in marriage as “one flesh” (Gen 1:27; 2:24) were acts of God as the Creator (Matt 19:5). Thus Jesus shows the divine design of marriage as based on the principles of monogamy, complementarity, and permanence.

• Leaving one’s parents means transferring loyalty to one’s spouse. Cleaving means to be joined in such a way so as to be impossible to separate without damage to the individuals involved. The word for “joined” (Gk. synezeuxen) literally means “yoked together,” which suggests living in harmony with each other and working as a team to accomplish greater tasks, having more impact than would be possible alone.

• The divorce certificate was a small sheet of papyrus, written out by the husband and given to the woman to protect her from accusations of adultery and enabling her to remarry. Such a certificate in Aramaic, dating to AD 72 and found at Masada, includes the names of the two parties and of three witnesses, the financial terms, as well as this key wording: “That you are free on your part to go and become the wife of any Jewish man that you wish. This is for you a writ of release and a bill of divorce.”² Within a Christian context that includes both Jews and Gentiles, Paul reiterates the teaching of Jesus that marriage is designed to be permanent (1 Cor 7:10–11). Rather than speaking of being free to marry a “Jewish man,” he refers to marrying “whom she wishes, only in the Lord” (1 Cor 7:39)—that is, the prospective spouse should be a believer in Jesus and His gospel of salvation (cf. 2 Cor 6:14–18). Paul also gives specific guidelines in the event that one spouse becomes a believer but the other refuses. He permits divorce only if the unbelieving spouse chooses to dissolve the marriage (1 Cor 7:12–16).

• The Pharisees speak of the Mosaic law dealing with divorce as a “command,” but Jesus corrects their view by saying it was only “permitted.” He suggests it is the “hardness” of one’s heart that makes forgiveness and reconciliation impossible. As Christians, however, because we have received the ultimate gift of forgiveness and reconciliation through the gospel, we are called to “be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another” (Eph 4:32) and “bearing with one another . . . even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do” (Col 3:13). Therefore, despite unpleasant circumstances, Christian couples have the opportunity to forgive and to bear with each other’s faults rather than divorce. Although Jesus allows for divorce in the case of sexual immorality (Matt 5:32), dissolving a marriage always leaves damage in its wake and, ideally, should be avoided by allowing God’s grace and forgiveness to soften hearts and provide reconciliation.

• The Pharisees’ initial question, concerning the grounds for divorce according to Deuteronomy 24:1, was an issue the followers of first-century Jewish sages Shammai and Hillel hotly debated. That passage refers to “some uncleanness” (Heb. ‘ervat davar) as the basis and was interpreted by the Shammaites to mean “unchastity,” while the Hillelites allowed divorce for “any reason” (Matt 19:3), even if the wife “spoiled his dish” (m. Gittin 9:10) or “burned his dinner” (Sifre Deuteronomy 269). As Jesus makes clear in response to their further question, divorce is not permitted at all “except for sexual immorality” (Matt 19:9).

• The Greek word translated “sexual immorality” is porneia. It is a broad term referring not only to adultery (Gk. moicheia), but also other forms of sexual activity outside of marriage, including promiscuity, homosexuality, and pedophilia (cf. Matt 15:19).

• Jesus’ insistence on monogamy places a much greater responsibility on husbands to ensure marital success than existed previously, because divorce for any reason other than sexual immorality and remarriage, whether by the wife or the husband, would constitute adultery (Matt 19:9).

• Jesus’ revolutionary pronouncement leads the disciples to exclaim, “It is better not to marry” (Matt 19:10), apparently siding with the Pharisees that divorce needs to remain an option.

• The “saying” Jesus refers to in Matthew 19:11 seems to be that of the disciples—that it is better to remain single—because their assertion that it is better to remain single leads more naturally into Jesus’ saying on eunuchs and assists its interpretation. In saying singleness is only for “those to whom it has been given,” He affirms that “celibacy is a real option, but it is not for everyone.”³ Jesus seems to indicate the choice to remain celibate is a God-given understanding and not based merely on human wisdom or considerations, because it constitutes a rare exception to God’s otherwise expressed will in Genesis 2:24.

• It is in this context that Jesus identifies three groups of eunuchs:

1. Those “born thus from their mother’s womb,” meaning either they were born with some congenital defect or otherwise are unable to have sexual intercourse. It could also, perhaps, refer to people lacking an erotic desire toward those of the opposite sex, but this would be a modern application of the underlying principle.

2. Those “made eunuchs by men,” meaning they were castrated or mutilated in such a way that their sexual desire is diminished and they are made incapable of begetting children.

3. Those “who made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake,” meaning they have chosen to remain celibate in order to advance God’s purposes more effectively. Those with this God-given, divinely revealed “gift of celibacy” would seem to include John the Baptist, Jesus Himself, and Paul (1 Cor 7:7–9).

2. Verses 13–15

• That the children are “brought” to Jesus (presumably by their mothers) suggests they are not yet old enough to come to Him on their own.

• Although left unmentioned by Matthew, the purpose for bringing children to Jesus seems to be for Him to bless them (Mark 10:16; cf. Luke 2:28), which includes laying hands on them and praying for them.

• The disciples rebuke those who bring their children to Jesus. They apparently consider children unworthy of Jesus’ attention, because in both Jewish and Greco-Roman cultures children had very low social status. But rather than responding with a rebuke in turn, because they had obviously forgotten what He had taught them just a little while before (see Matt 18:1–5), Jesus takes the opportunity to instruct them further on this point.

• The people who will compose the kingdom of heaven are to be like little children who humbly realize their dependence and need for help.

3. Verses 16–22

• The story of the rich young man is found in all three Synoptic Gospels. Described by Luke as a “ruler” and “extremely rich” (Luke 18:18, 23), Matthew says “he had great possessions” (Matt 19:22). Like many today, he obviously finds his wealth unsatisfying.

• According to widespread and early textual evidence, the man does not call Jesus good, but simply addresses Him as “Teacher”4 and asks “what good thing” he can do to “have eternal life” (Matt 19:16). Then Jesus asks a question to correct his faulty understanding of the good, because only God is truly and inherently good, which is reflected in the Decalogue.

• Jesus points to the Ten Commandments, not as means of salvation, but because no one will be saved without obedience. A new experience is needed, described as being “born from above” (John 3:3, 5), because sinful human nature, as it is constituted from birth, is incapable of doing good.

• Some limit Jesus’ commandments to two— love to God and love to one’s neighbor (Matt 22:36–40)—or even to one, the Golden Rule (Matt 7:12). But in Matthew, when Jesus refers to specific commandments, they are normally from the Decalogue (e.g., Matt 5:21, 27; 15:4), as here, quoting the sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and fifth commandments and summing them up with the command of Leviticus 19:18.

• Interestingly, Jesus quotes the entire second table of the Decalogue except for the tenth commandment, perhaps because the man asked what he should do while the prohibition against coveting deals with thoughts, not actions. It is also the commandment the man finds particularly problematic and, as a result, goes away “sorrowful” (Matt 19:22).

• Being “perfect” (Gk. teleios) is not referring to a higher level of commitment for only a select few. Rather, the idea connects closely with Jesus’ amplification of the commandments in the Sermon on the Mount (of which the man is probably unaware; see Matt 5:21– 48; cf. 12:34; 15:19). It refers to kingdom righteousness, which is shown by expressing the love and mercy that characterizes the Father (Matt 5:43–48; Luke 6:36).

4. Verses 23–30

• Most Jews viewed the rich as being blessed by God and having their place in the kingdom secure but, as Jesus indicates, wealth can hinder a person from entering. It is the rare person who is able to have wealth without that wealth having them (cf. Mark 10:24).

• Jesus uses hyperbole to make the point even more forcefully: it is easier for a camel (the largest land animal in Israel) to go through the tiny aperture of a needle than for the rich to enter through the straight and narrow gate that “leads to life” (Matt 7:13).

• The disciples, now understandably worried, ask, “Who then can be saved?” (Matt 19:25), to which Jesus replies, “With God all things are possible” (Matt 19:26). Not wealth or position, but a miracle of God is the means of salvation, which is why Jesus sets the standard of righteousness impossibly high.

• Peter’s question, like that of the rich young man, focuses on possessions: “See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore, what shall we have?” (Matt 19:27). But eternal life is not so much a possession as something we enter now and will experience more completely when Jesus comes.

• Jesus’ answer to Peter begins with this greater future fulfillment “in the regeneration,” using a word that literally means “re-creation” (Gk. palingenesia) and points to the passing away of “heaven and earth” (Matt 24:35) when Jesus, as the Son of Man, comes in glory (Matt 24:30; 25:31; cf. 2 Pet 3:10), “in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God” (2 Thess 1:8) and bestowing upon believers the finishing touch of immortality (1 Cor 15:52–53). The only other occurrence of palingenesia in the New Testament points to the new life believers may even now experience through the Spirit (Titus 3:5; cf. 2 Cor 5:17), which is a foretaste of the “eternal life” to come (Matt 19:29).

• Jesus promises His disciples two more things: a role in the future judgment (cf. 1 Cor 6:1–3; Rev 20:4–6) and “a hundredfold” now—not necessarily in terms of houses or lands, such as the rich man cherished, because the greatest riches from the perspective of eternity will be measured in terms of character and the final harvest of souls who have chosen to follow Jesus (Matt 13:23, 43; 16:24–27), become members of His spiritual “family” (Matt 12:48–50), and who will, “in the age to come,” inherit eternal life (cf. Mark 10:30).

Application of the Chapter

Some valuable lessons from Matthew 19 include:

1. Since God makes the husband and wife one through the process of marriage, no human being has the right to separate them through divorce (cf. 1 Cor 7:10–11), apart from the one biblically sanctioned exception—the case of sexual immorality (Matt 5:32; 19:9).

2. There is no biblical basis for sexual relations outside of marriage, nor for same-sex marriages, both of which would constitute sin against God’s creative design and intent.

3. The future tense of “the two shall become one flesh” describes a process of growing together spiritually, emotionally, and intellectually as well as physically, so that sex by itself cannot constitute marriage, but is the physical consummation of the oneness implicit in God’s blessing of the marital union.

4. In a divorce there are no winners; damage to all involved is inevitable and inescapable. This is especially true for children of divorced parents, which may be one reason God hates it (Mal 2:16)—because it could cause “one of these little ones who believe . . . to stumble” (Matt 18:6 NAS95).

5. With greater light comes greater responsibility, so it should be no surprise that the standards of morality for disciples of the heavenly kingdom are higher than those that pertained in earlier periods of biblical history. But the new covenant also includes a new creation and the power of the Holy Spirit that make complete obedience possible.

6. The gift of celibacy mentioned by Jesus, though possessed by only a few who might otherwise enter marriage as husband and wife, provides a way, through God’s blessing, of enjoying fulfilled and meaningful lives as single persons serving the Lord. It may also resonate with those who struggle with either same-sex attraction or gender dysphoria.

7. No one is unimportant to Jesus. He helped even those whom others despised (Matt 15:28) or ignored (Luke 7:14–15), and every child, as potentially a citizen of heaven, should be encouraged in the things of the kingdom of God by their parents through regular family worship and prayer.

8. Like the rich young man, Jesus calls upon all who believe in Him to choose between clinging to “treasure” built up on earth and enjoying the more lasting heavenly treasure (Matt 6:19–21), which can be experienced now by following Jesus and learning from Him. It is a call to faith in and reliance upon Jesus rather than trusting in one’s wealth for security. Unfortunately, the more a person has, the harder it is for them to do that.

9. The principle of salvation by faith through God’s grace and power alone is illustrated repeatedly in Scripture: Abraham having a son through his barren wife Sarah, Israel being delivered from slavery in Egypt, Mary having a son despite being a virgin, people being healed by Jesus with a touch or a word—all these examples and more point to the unlimited possibilities open to those who have faith.