Matthew 19:1-30
This chapter tells us about four encounters that people had with Jesus. There are two negative examples that are starkly contrasted by two positive examples. The attitudes and actions displayed here demonstrate that Christ and His teachings were received in many different ways, as we saw in the parable of the soils. As we examine these examples, we would be wise to realize that, we too have choices to make as we approach Christ and respond to His teachings.
Testing Pharisees VS Trusting Children.
Once again, the Pharisees are coming to Christ in an effort to test Him and see if they can find a way to trip Him up in His teachings, so they might have an excuse to destroy Him. It seems today that may people treat God's Word in a similar way. They do not want to learn from it, or use its teachings to transform their lives. They are simply looking for something wrong with it so they can justify their refusal to obey it. This is, as the Pharisees found out, an exercise in futility and a very dangerous game. The teachings of Christ and the Word of God are meant to change our lives not merely be subjects for debate.
The subject at hand was the issue of divorce. It seems like the culture of marriage in Christ's day was not much different than that of our own. Men could divorce their wives for most any reason. Burnt food, a messy house, leaving the lid off the toothpaste: all legitimate grounds for divorce. Christ declares that this practice of flippant divorce followed by remarriage was tantamount to adultery. God created marriage to be between one man and one woman for life. God, eventually, permitted divorce in the days of Moses, but only because of the extreme perversion of marriage and the hardness of hearts that was prevalent at that time.
The disciples viewed Christ's standard for marriage and declared that it was better to remain single than to risk adultery. That seems like a logical solution, especially if divorce has already occurred. There is much debate over the "exception clause" in which Christ may have permitted divorce and remarriage in the case of adultery within the marriage. I can't help but wonder if our emphasis on the "exception" is not an example of the same attitude that the Pharisees demonstrated in their "testings" of His teachings. The point is that God wants our marriages to be a life long commitment no matter how much toast gets burned, which direction your spouse puts the roll of toilet paper on the dispenser or how difficult the marriage may become because of our sin.
Contrast the attitude of the Pharisees with the attitude of the children. They loved Christ and just wanted to be near Him. They wanted Him to pray for them and bless them. The disciples thought that Christ, and they, were too important to be bothered by children. Jesus sets them straight. He plops the kids down on his lap and declares that their trust, love and humility were the required ingredients for "kingdom living." Father, may my attitude towards You mirror that of these little children. May I delight in the privilege of your presence, recognize my need of your help and long for your blessing. Protect my heart from the arrogance and cynicism that tempts me to test your Word as opposed to being transformed by it.
Riches on Earth VS Rewards in Heaven
The rich young ruler represents a, tragically large, number of people who strive to obey God while, at the same time, they worship wealth. This too is an exercise in futility. I believe that it is significant that when Jesus spouted off the commandments that were required to keep, He left off the very first commandment, which was to love and worship God alone. Keeping a list of rules and regulations, was this man's sacrifice on the altar of "self worship." He, in his opinion, could be good enough to save himself. Christ cuts through his self righteous religion and reveals his idolatrous heart by telling him to give his money to the poor and then come follow Him. The man fails the test and proves that his true gods are his prosperity, power and prestige. These gods tug at the hearts of every single one of us. We must reject these impostors, repent of our idolatrous ways and fall on our faces before the only One worthy of our worship.
Contrast the actions of the rich ruler with that of the disciples. They, at the call of Christ, left all behind to follow Him. Sure they had doubts, failures and their moments of down right stupidity. But, in their hearts, they loved and were committed to following Christ. They believed that anything left behind, in the process of being with Jesus, was of little or no value when compared with the privilege of following Him. As a result, they were promised rich rewards in eternity. The same choice remains for us today. We can either value the riches that this world has to offer or live in light of the eternal rewards that God has promised to those who trust Him. Father, may I imitate the actions of your disciples in my walk with You. May my affections be ever focused on You and not the cares of this fallen world. Protect my heart from the deceitfulness of riches and the tendencies of self worship that I might avoid being enamored by that which is temporary and become fascinated with the eternal.
Testing Pharisees VS Trusting Children.
Once again, the Pharisees are coming to Christ in an effort to test Him and see if they can find a way to trip Him up in His teachings, so they might have an excuse to destroy Him. It seems today that may people treat God's Word in a similar way. They do not want to learn from it, or use its teachings to transform their lives. They are simply looking for something wrong with it so they can justify their refusal to obey it. This is, as the Pharisees found out, an exercise in futility and a very dangerous game. The teachings of Christ and the Word of God are meant to change our lives not merely be subjects for debate.
The subject at hand was the issue of divorce. It seems like the culture of marriage in Christ's day was not much different than that of our own. Men could divorce their wives for most any reason. Burnt food, a messy house, leaving the lid off the toothpaste: all legitimate grounds for divorce. Christ declares that this practice of flippant divorce followed by remarriage was tantamount to adultery. God created marriage to be between one man and one woman for life. God, eventually, permitted divorce in the days of Moses, but only because of the extreme perversion of marriage and the hardness of hearts that was prevalent at that time.
The disciples viewed Christ's standard for marriage and declared that it was better to remain single than to risk adultery. That seems like a logical solution, especially if divorce has already occurred. There is much debate over the "exception clause" in which Christ may have permitted divorce and remarriage in the case of adultery within the marriage. I can't help but wonder if our emphasis on the "exception" is not an example of the same attitude that the Pharisees demonstrated in their "testings" of His teachings. The point is that God wants our marriages to be a life long commitment no matter how much toast gets burned, which direction your spouse puts the roll of toilet paper on the dispenser or how difficult the marriage may become because of our sin.
Contrast the attitude of the Pharisees with the attitude of the children. They loved Christ and just wanted to be near Him. They wanted Him to pray for them and bless them. The disciples thought that Christ, and they, were too important to be bothered by children. Jesus sets them straight. He plops the kids down on his lap and declares that their trust, love and humility were the required ingredients for "kingdom living." Father, may my attitude towards You mirror that of these little children. May I delight in the privilege of your presence, recognize my need of your help and long for your blessing. Protect my heart from the arrogance and cynicism that tempts me to test your Word as opposed to being transformed by it.
Riches on Earth VS Rewards in Heaven
The rich young ruler represents a, tragically large, number of people who strive to obey God while, at the same time, they worship wealth. This too is an exercise in futility. I believe that it is significant that when Jesus spouted off the commandments that were required to keep, He left off the very first commandment, which was to love and worship God alone. Keeping a list of rules and regulations, was this man's sacrifice on the altar of "self worship." He, in his opinion, could be good enough to save himself. Christ cuts through his self righteous religion and reveals his idolatrous heart by telling him to give his money to the poor and then come follow Him. The man fails the test and proves that his true gods are his prosperity, power and prestige. These gods tug at the hearts of every single one of us. We must reject these impostors, repent of our idolatrous ways and fall on our faces before the only One worthy of our worship.
Contrast the actions of the rich ruler with that of the disciples. They, at the call of Christ, left all behind to follow Him. Sure they had doubts, failures and their moments of down right stupidity. But, in their hearts, they loved and were committed to following Christ. They believed that anything left behind, in the process of being with Jesus, was of little or no value when compared with the privilege of following Him. As a result, they were promised rich rewards in eternity. The same choice remains for us today. We can either value the riches that this world has to offer or live in light of the eternal rewards that God has promised to those who trust Him. Father, may I imitate the actions of your disciples in my walk with You. May my affections be ever focused on You and not the cares of this fallen world. Protect my heart from the deceitfulness of riches and the tendencies of self worship that I might avoid being enamored by that which is temporary and become fascinated with the eternal.
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