Coming of the King: Week 40

Matthew 19:1-15: Marriage in the Kingdom

• 19:1 "beyond the Jordan" - this road went to Jerusalem without going through Samaria. Jesus continues south toward Jerusalem and the cross.
• 19:3 "can a man divorce his wife for any reason?" - a marriage is a sacred vow. As G. K. Chesterton wrote in "The Superstition of Divorce", a piece of paper does not cancel a sacred vow. Herodias had John the Baptist executed for calling her relations with Herod adultery.
• 19:4 "from the beginning" - Abram and Pharoah Genesis 12:18, Abraham and Abimelech Genesis 20:3
• 19:7 "why did Moses command" - actually, Moses said he may write her a certificate of divorce. Deuteronomy 24
• 19:9 "except for immorality" - sexual immorality pollutes the land, Jeremiah 3:1. But just as oath breaking pollutes human relationships, so breaking promises to God brings death. God used the unfaithful wife of Hosea to show how God felt about unfaithful Israel.
• 19:12 "born that way" - one bright spot in the modern confusion over sexuality is the rise of self-avowed "asexuality". The asexual has no interest in sex, and does not marry. They are usually highly productive.
• 19:14 "the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these" - a gentle reminder of what He said in Matthew 18:3-4