Matthew 19

 

Marriage, Divorce, Children, and the Family

Verse 1-15

 

In the opening verses of chapter 19, our Lord teaches us about the bedrock of a good society and a godly nation. The subject of marriage, divorce, and children are dealt with here. The family is vital to Christian teaching and view. The well-being of nations and the contentment of society rests largely on the correct view of the family. A nation that upholds family values and protects the God-ordained estate of marriage and the family will be blessed by the Lord. Our society in the United Kingdom has attacked family values and the biblical view of marriage.

The view that the family is made up of one man and one woman who are married and have children is considered by some sections of society to be old-fashioned. There is a view that the family can be made up of two men and two women who adopt children. That view is held by some and has been promoted by politicians. This is against the standard of the Holy Bible and against thousands of years of human history and tradition. God will judge a nation that attacks the biblical view of the family. God ordained the family unit back in creation. His design was one man and one woman who are married with the view to having children. The man, the husband is the head of the family, and under him is the woman, the wife, and then the children if there be any.

 

The union between husband and wife ought never to be broken except for the cause of actual and physical unfaithfulness. When Christ was on earth divorces were performed for minor causes. These are when the one or both people in the marriage no longer want to be married. No fault has taken place and a divorce is granted on the grounds that they have no desire to remain married.

 

The union between Adam and Eve is described in Scripture as the highest relationship between two people. There is no human union greater than the one of a husband and wife. If a man betrays his wife he will betray anything, even his own country, as the relationship between a man and his wife, is the closest and highest of all human relationships. What God hath joined together, let no man put asunder. Marriage is a blessing of God and is for life. Jesus said that whosoever divorces his wife, except in the case of fornication, and marries another commits the act of adultery.

 

In the New Testament, the union between Christ and His Church is described as a marriage. The Church is the bride of Christ. The Lord loves his bride and protects her. Therefore nothing, but death ought to terminate a marriage contract, and why such a union should not be entered into lightly, unadvisedly, or in a rush. Remember marriage is for life so ought to be considered seriously, deeply, prayerfully, and soberly.

 

Secondly, we hear our Lord speaking about children. Little children were brought to him, and Christ prayed for them. Great importance is placed on children in the Scripture. Their well-being and spiritual education are of great importance. Children are the future of the Church and the society in which they live. The children that were brought to Christ in the passage were too young to receive spiritual instruction but were not too young to benefit from prayer. Infants and children are helpless and dependent on their parents. All children need prayer. We must pray for our children.

 

God works through families. This is why it is important to introduce children into the assembly at an early age. Let us encourage children in the faith. Let us teach the children the ways of the Lord as soon as they reach the age of understanding. Teach them the truths of Christ, teach them to love Christ, and teach them to pray and to grow in Christ. We may rest assured that our labour will not be in vain as that seed sown early will bear much fruit in God’s timing and will. The church that prays for young and old alike will be used greatly by God for the benefit of his Kingdom.

 

Jesus and the rich young ruler

Verses 16-22

 

In these verses, we read a conversation between our Lord and a rich young man. The young man came to Jesus and asked him about eternal life. Salvation is a personal matter and here we read about a conversation that is directly between Christ and a man who wants to know more about eternal matters. Everyone that desires to be saved must come to Christ about his soul. We learn here from the young man that a person can have questions and concerns about his soul and spiritual matters, but not receive salvation. There is no evidence from the biblical text this man was saved, but he did express concern by asking Christ good spiritual questions.

 

The man asked our Lord, “What good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life.” A good question but asked with a preconceived idea that eternal life is earnt by doing some good thing. This is the mindset of 99 percent of lost people today. They have the idea or view that salvation is granted to those who do good things or lead a good life. The grace of God in salvation is not something they think of. They do not understand that salvation is the unmerited gift of God to sinners. To the unconverted soul, it makes sense: do something good and receive something good in return or do something good and receive a reward.

 

Feelings alone are not proof of the working of God’s grace. Good and profitable they may be, but they are not evidence of God working in the heart of a sinner. We may feel pricked in heart and conscience or have a desire for true religion, but these alone are not proofs of God’s work in the life of a sinner. The one and only proof of the genuine work of saving faith and grace of the Holy Spirit is conversion, a change of mind, heart, and direction. Let us never be content until we see a once lost soul changed by the Holy Spirit and bearing the fruit of conversion.

 

In conclusion, it is good to have a desire for spiritual things, but far better to be converted. We see that this unconverted man lacked an understanding of eternal life. Jesus preached the second table of the law to him in order to convict him and bring him to a right understanding that eternal life is not earned by good deeds done in the flesh. It is a sad fact that there are many today who rest in the knowledge that their good deeds will earn their passage into the kingdom. Many of these souls occupy the pews on the Lord’s Day. It is a sad truth that “the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned” 1 Corinthians 2:14.

 

With God All Things Are Possible

Verses 23-30

 

We have just read an account of a rich young man coming to Christ with spiritual questions. He did not come to a state of faith and repentance. Here we read another account of the state of a soul who trusts in their riches. We learn of the great harm and spiritual drawbacks riches can be. It is hard for a rich man to see his need for Christ. All his needs are fulfilled in this life in some sense. He appears to have it all and lacks nothing. He lives in a nice house, eats the finest foods, travels to the most desirable locations of the world, and has everything that this life and world can offer him. However, he lacks the one thing that every soul needs. He lacks the forgiveness of his sins and the saving of his soul from judgement in hell. “What shall it profit a man, if he gains the whole world, and lose his own soul” Mark 8:38.

 

Great wealth and riches often inflict great injury on the soul. They lead men into dark temptations and blind them to their greatest need. Beware of the love and lust for money. This sin has brought men low to the point of despair. Money can be used for good, and many rich people have used their wealth for good, but alas many have destroyed themselves lusting after riches. We cannot enter the kingdom with our pockets full of money or our bank accounts with a vast sum in them and be spiritual bankrupt. We cannot buy a place in glory, nor can we spend our money in glory. A place where it is free to enter, built on the blood of Christ cannot be bought with something as cheap as money. He who has the most is not the best in the sight of God. He who is first will be last and he who is last will be first. Let us pray for rich men’s souls who trust in their riches, that they will see the folly of trusting in riches.

 

We also learn in this passage the power of God’s grace to change minds, hearts, and souls. What is impossible with man is possible with God. The spirit of God can change even the richest of men to seek treasure in the kingdom rather than earthly riches. God does a work of grace to open men’s eyes to see that earthly riches will fade and profit them nothing in the last days. Even the richest of men will one day die. On that day his wealth, influence, or connections will not help him. The Holy Scriptures are full of testimonies of men who were rich and had their spiritual eyes opened. Look at the life of King David, a rich man who committed grave sins but repented and sought the Lord. Job is another example; all his wealth was taken from him and yet he remained faithful and steadfast in his faith. Nothing is too hard or beyond our great God and Father. May we never despair of anyone’s salvation.

 

Take heart that a soul that truly seeks after the Lord will never be lost. We may suffer some losses, but we will gain great blessing in the family of God. We may lose friends, relationships, and other things but what we gain in Christ will be great in comparison.