Seeds for 11/20/2023 - Matthew 19:8-12
Scripture: Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”
The disciples said to Him, “If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.”
Jesus replied, “Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others—and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”
Observation: We’ve looked at this conversation between Jesus and the Pharisees for the past couple of days. Now we are looking at the disciples’ reaction to Jesus and how the conversation moves forward.
The disciples seem discouraged about the challenges surrounding marriage and suggest that perhaps its better not to marry. Now, for a species and a culture to have a future, of course marriage and children need to be the norm for society as a whole. But Jesus takes the opportunity to affirm the value of single persons and the validity of singleness in verses 11-12 with His comments on eunuchs. The talk of husbands and wives has left some people out of the conversation. The disciples’ comment opens the door for Jesus to touch on this point.
Jesus acknowledges that not all people may be married, eunuchs being the case that is most top-of-mind. Unable to procreate, they often famously found work in the royal court where their limitations sexually would have been an asset to a royal in need of male servants who posed no threat to women of the court. Jesus acknowledges two states that would have been known, eunuchs born with the condition or men made eunuchs by others. There’s a third category though—those who choose a eunuch’s life for the sake of serving God’s kingdom. In other words, choosing to pass up the opportunity for marriage and family in order to serve the Lord.
Here’s what this points to for me. The bonds of marriage and family are wonderful and prominent within Christian ethics and the Christian vision. However they are not ultimate. Service in God’s kingdom is of ultimate worth and is available to all, regardless of the circumstances of our lives. And sacrificing the opportunity for marriage and family for the sake of service in God’s kingdom (as in the case of a Catholic priest or nun, or a Protestant who senses a call to singleness or does not sense a leading of God into marriage), far from being relegated to second-class status in the church, is a life to be appreciated, honored, and celebrated.
Application:
What might the Holy Spirit be speaking with you about in the text today?
Prayer: Lord, help me to appreciate, honor, and draw inspiration from all servants of your kingdom. Amen.
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23)
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