Matthew 19:1-12
Now when Jesus finished these sayings, he left Galilee and went to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan River. Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.
Then some Pharisees came to him in order to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful to divorce a wife for any cause?” He answered, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator made them male and female, and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and will be united with his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” They said to him, “Why then did Moses command us to give a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her?” Jesus said to them, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because of your hard hearts, but from the beginning it was not this way. Now I say to you that whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another commits adultery.” The disciples said to him, “If this is the case of a husband with a wife, it is better not to marry!” He said to them, “Not everyone can accept this statement, except those to whom it has been given. For there are some eunuchs who were that way from birth, and some who were made eunuchs by others, and some who became eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who is able to accept this should accept it.”
The Scriptures quoted are from the NET Bible® http://netbible.com copyright ©1996, 2019 used with permission from Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.
COMMENT & QUESTIONS
Jesus left Galilee and went to Judea. Look at the map at the back of the booklet and see where he travelled to.
Why did the Pharisees come to him? What was the disciples’ reaction to the severe limitations that Jesus had on marriage?
They came in order to test Him. They were not genuinely seeking to follow Jesus, but they wanted to try to catch Jesus for saying something wrong.
The disciples were shocked by the words of Jesus. They thought that His rules and limitations around marriage were so severe that it would be better to stay single
PRAYERS
Pray for people close to you – that they can serve God whether in marriage or singleness Pray for those who are in difficult marriages