Matthew 19 reminds me of the frustration of installing a kit for my weed whacker. Most models tighten opposite from the normal “Righty-Tighty”. Because I did not buy something by the original manufacturer, the kit came with a dozen nuts and bolts of various sizes and thread patterns. They all looked basically the same, but only one fit properly. Forcing the wrong pieces together leaves them both stripped and useless. In today’s chapter the lawyers attempt to instruct the handyman. The Jewish students of the Law came to Jesus “to test Him”. They asked a politically hot question, knowing His answer would offend half the people. “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?” Women in that day had few rights, and an unmarried woman was at great risk. Before answering their question, Jesus went back to the establishment of Marriage, “at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’”. At creation, everything was perfect. And He then quoted from Genesis 2, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh”. Someone once described the process as; to leave, then cleave, followed by permanence, and then finally intimacy. This is the pattern established by the Author. Many today get frustrated by randomly trying to find a good fit by trying intimacy first. Jesus answered His critics with a firm, “Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate”. Sensing they had Him in a conundrum they asked, “Why then did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?” Jesus turned it around on them, “Moses permitted you to divorce… because your hearts were hard”. Divorce was a more merciful solution than murder or adultery, but not God’s best. The conversation continues with a stern criticism of the men who would leave a woman for the slightest reason. There are a few Biblical reasons for divorce, including abuse, unfaithfulness and abandonment. Has your heart become hard?
For some, “it is better not to marry” at all. He explained, “There are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others”. That is not for all! “The one who can accept this should accept it”. There is no requirement for a minister to remain unmarried. The apostle Paul wrote, “It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion” (1 Corinthians 7:8).
The chapter concludes with the challenge faced by many. A man approached Jesus and asked “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” Notice the man does not address Jesus as Lord, but a good teacher. Jesus opened the door in His response, “There is only One who is good”. This man was not ready to accept Christ as his Lord. Some of us had to learn the hard way by failing at keeping our own checklist; I haven’t killed anyone, or stolen too much, or lied very often, or committed adultery recently. The young man asked, “What do I still lack?” The one word answer to all of us is, Perfection. All of us fall short, but for this guy, Jesus saw the problem, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor… Then come, follow Me”. “He went away sad, because he had great wealth”. We are left to ask, “Who then can be saved?” Here is the point of the entire Bible, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible”. What is keeping you from God’s perfection? We cannot make ourselves worthy. We need a perfect sacrifice, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13). Are you tired of screwing around with home-made patches and fixes that don’t fit? Why not check the Owner’s Manual?