Matthew 19

Teachings about Divorceⓘ

Teaching on marriage and divorce¹When Jesus had finished saying these things, He left Galilee and went into the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. ²Large crowds followed Him, and He healed them there.

³Then some Pharisees came and tested Him by asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?”

⁴✦Jesus answered, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’^{a 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’^b? ⁶✦So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”

⁷“Why then,” they asked, “did Moses order a man to give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?^c”

⁸Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because of your hardness of heart. But it was not this way from the beginning. ⁹Now I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman, commits adultery.^d”

¹⁰His disciples said to Him, “If this is the case between a man and his wife, it is better not to marry.”

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

Jesus Blesses the Childrenⓘ

Jesus blesses the little children¹³Then the little children were brought to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them and pray for them. And the disciples rebuked those who brought them. ¹⁴But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” ¹⁵And after He had placed His hands on them, He went on from there.

The Rich Young Manⓘ

The rich young man¹⁶Just then a man came up to Jesus and inquired, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to obtain eternal life?”

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

¹⁸“Which ones?” the man asked.

Jesus answered, “‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, ¹⁹honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself.’^f”

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

²¹Jesus told him, “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.”

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

Riches and the kingdom²³Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

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

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

Reward for leaving everything²⁷“Look,” Peter replied, “we have left everything to follow You. What then will there be for us?”

²⁸Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, in the renewal of all things,^g 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. ²⁹And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife^h or children or fields for the sake of My name will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. ³⁰But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.