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19. Christ will be the chief cornerstone 118:22 Matthew 21:42 ; Acts 4:11 20. Christ will come in the name of the 118:26 Matthew 21:9
Lord
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Matthew 19
January 29
M ATTHEW 19:1–30
MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE
1Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these sayings, that He departed from Galilee and came to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. 2And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them there. 3The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?"
4And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who madea
them at the beginning 'made them male and female,'b 5and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'?a 6So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."
7They said to Him, "Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?"
19:7 Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce…? The Pharisees misrepresented Deuteronomy 24:1–4. It was not a "command" for divorce, but a limitation on remarriage in the event of a divorce. While recognizing the legitimacy of divorce when a man "has found some uncleanness" (Deut. 24:1) in his wife (sexual sin, by Jesus' interpretation in v. 9), Moses did not "command" divorce.
8He said to them, "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality,a
and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery."
10His disciples said to Him, "If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry."
JESUS TEACHES ON CELIBACY
11But He said to them, "All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom
it has been given: 12For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother's womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He who is able to accept it, let him accept it."
JESUS BLESSES LITTLE CHILDREN
13Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on
them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them. 14But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven." 15And He laid His hands on them and departed from there.
JESUS COUNSELS THE RICH YOUNG RULER
16Now behold, one came and said to Him, "Gooda Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?"
17So He said to him, "Why do you call Me good?a No one is good but One,
that is, God.b But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments."
18He said to Him, "Which ones?" Jesus said, "'You shall not murder,' 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not bear false witness,' 19'Honor your father and
your mother,'a and, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' "b
20The young man said to Him, "All these things I have kept from my youth.a
What do I still lack?"
21Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."
19:21 go, sell what you have and give to the poor. Again, Jesus was not setting forth terms for salvation, but rather exposing the young man's true heart. His refusal to obey here revealed two things: 1) he was not blameless as far as the law was concerned, because he was guilty of loving himself and his possessions more than his neighbors (see v. 19); and 2) he lacked true faith, which involves a willingness to surrender all at Christ's bidding (16:24). Jesus was not teaching salvation by philanthropy; but He was demanding that this young man give Him first place. The young man failed the test (v. 22). come,
follow Me. This was the answer to the young man's question in v. 16. It was a call to faith. It is likely that the young man never even heard or contemplated it, though, because his own love of his possessions was such a stumbling block that he had already rejected Jesus' claim to lordship over his life. Thus he walked
22But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
WITH GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE
23Then Jesus said to His disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard
for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
25When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?"
26But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
27Then Peter answered and said to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?"
28So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, 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 wifea or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. 30But many who are first will be last, and the last first.
DAY 29: Describe the ten plagues on Egypt.