Jesus' Teaching about Divorce
(Matthew 19:1-12)
1And he arose from thence, and cometh into the coasts of Judaea by the farther side of Jordan: and the people resort unto him again; and, as he was wont, he taught them again.
2And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him. 3And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you? 4And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away. 5And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. 6But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. 7For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; 8And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. 9What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
10And in the house his disciples asked him again of the same matter. 11And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her. 12And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.
Jesus Blesses the Children
(Matthew 19:13-15; Luke 18:15-17)
13And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. 14But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. 15Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. 16And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.
The Rich Young Man
(Matthew 19:16-30; Luke 18:18-30)
17And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? 18And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. 19Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. 20And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. 21Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. 22And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.
23And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! 24And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! 25It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 26And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? 27And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.
28Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. 29And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, 30But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life. 31But many that are first shall be last; and the last first.
Third Prediction of Death, Resurrection
(Matthew 20:17-19)
32And they were in the way going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus went before them: and they were amazed; and as they followed, they were afraid. And he took again the twelve, and began to tell them what things should happen unto him, 33Saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles: 34And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again.
The Request of James and John
(Matthew 20:20-28)
35And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him, saying, Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire. 36And he said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you? 37They said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory. 38But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? 39And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized: 40But to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared.
41And when the ten heard it, they began to be much displeased with James and John. 42But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. 43But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: 44And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. 45For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
Jesus Heals Bartimaeus
(Matthew 20:29-34; Luke 18:35-43)
46And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. 47And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. 48And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. 49And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee. 50And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus. 51And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. 52And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.
King James Bible
Text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.
Teachings about Divorce
(Matthew 19:1–12)
1 Then Jesus left that place and went into the region of Judea, beyond the Jordan. Again the crowds came to Him and He taught them, as was His custom.
2 Some Pharisees came to test Him. “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” they inquired.
3 “What did Moses command you?” He replied.
4 They answered, “Moses permitted a man to write his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away.” a
5 But Jesus told them, “Moses wrote this commandment for you because of your hardness of heart. 6 However, from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ b 7 ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, c 8 and the two will become one flesh.’ d So they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”
10 When they were back inside the house, the disciples asked Jesus about this matter. 11 So He told them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. 12 And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.”
Jesus Blesses the Children
(Matthew 19:13–15; Luke 18:15–17)
13 Now people were bringing the little children to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them, and the disciples rebuked those who brought them.
14 But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and told them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 Truly I tell you, anyone who does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” 16 And He took the children in His arms, placed His hands on them, and blessed them.
The Rich Young Man
(Matthew 19:16–30; Luke 18:18–30)
17 As Jesus started on His way, a man ran up and knelt before Him. “Good Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
18 “Why do you call Me good?” Jesus replied. “No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not cheat others, honor your father and mother.’ e”
20 “Teacher,” he replied, “all these I have kept from my youth.”
21 Jesus looked at him, loved him, and said to him, “There is one thing you lack: Go, sell everything you own and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me. f”
22 But the man was saddened by these words and went away in sorrow, because he had great wealth.
23 Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”
24 And the disciples were amazed at His words.
But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter g the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
26 They were even more astonished and said to one another, “Who then can be saved?”
27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”
28 Peter began to say to Him, “Look, we have left everything and followed You.”
29 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for My sake and for the gospel 30 will fail to receive a hundredfold in the present age—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and fields, along with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”
The Third Prediction of the Passion
(Matthew 20:17–19; Luke 18:31–34)
32 As they were going up the road to Jerusalem, Jesus was walking ahead of them. The disciples were amazed, but those who followed were afraid. Again Jesus took the Twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to Him: 33 “Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes. They will condemn Him to death and will deliver Him over to the Gentiles, 34 who will mock Him and spit on Him and flog Him and kill Him. And after three days He will rise again.”
The Request of James and John
(Matthew 20:20–28)
35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and declared, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask.”
36 “What do you want Me to do for you?” He inquired.
37 They answered, “Grant that one of us may sit at Your right hand and the other at Your left in Your glory.”
38 “You do not know what you are asking,” Jesus replied. “Can you drink the cup I will drink, or be baptized with the baptism I will undergo?”
39 “We can,” the brothers answered.
“You will drink the cup that I drink,” Jesus said, “and you will be baptized with the baptism that I undergo. 40 But to sit at My right or left is not Mine to grant. These seats belong to those for whom h they have been prepared.”
41 When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. 42 So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their superiors exercise authority over them. 43 But it shall not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be the slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
Jesus Heals Bartimaeus
(Matthew 20:29–34; Luke 18:35–43)
46 Next, they came to Jericho. And as Jesus and His disciples were leaving Jericho with a large crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting beside the road. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
48 Many people admonished him to be silent, but he cried out all the louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”
So they called the blind man. “Take courage!” they said. “Get up! He is calling for you.”
50 Throwing off his cloak, Bartimaeus jumped up and came to Jesus.
51 “What do you want Me to do for you?” Jesus asked.
“Rabboni,” said the blind man, “let me see again.”
52 “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.
Footnotes:
4 a See Deuteronomy 24:1.
6 b Genesis 1:27; Genesis 5:2
7 c NE and WH do not include and be united to his wife.
8 d Genesis 2:24 (see also LXX)
19 e Exodus 20:12–16; Deuteronomy 5:16–20
21 f BYZ and TR Then come, take up the cross, and follow Me.
24 g BYZ and TR how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter
40 h Literally Mine to grant, but for whom
Jesus' Teaching about Divorce
(Matthew 19:1-12)
1And having risen thence, he doth come to the coasts of Judea, through the other side of the Jordan, and again do multitudes come together unto him, and, as he had been accustomed, again he was teaching them.
2And the Pharisees, having come near, questioned him, if it is lawful for a husband to put away a wife, tempting him, 3and he answering said to them, 'What did Moses command you?' 4and they said, 'Moses suffered to write a bill of divorce, and to put away.' 5And Jesus answering said to them, 'For the stiffness of your heart he wrote you this command, 6but from the beginning of the creation, a male and a female God did make them; 7on this account shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave unto his wife, 8and they shall be -- the two -- for one flesh; so that they are no more two, but one flesh; 9what therefore God did join together, let not man put asunder.'
10And in the house again his disciples of the same thing questioned him, 11and he saith to them, 'Whoever may put away his wife, and may marry another, doth commit adultery against her; 12and if a woman may put away her husband, and is married to another, she committeth adultery.'
Jesus Blesses the Children
(Matthew 19:13-15; Luke 18:15-17)
13And they were bringing to him children, that he might touch them, and the disciples were rebuking those bringing them, 14and Jesus having seen, was much displeased, and he said to them, 'Suffer the children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the reign of God; 15verily I say to you, whoever may not receive the reign of God, as a child -- he may not enter into it;' 16and having taken them in his arms, having put his hands upon them, he was blessing them.
The Rich Young Man
(Matthew 19:16-30; Luke 18:18-30)
17And as he is going forth into the way, one having run and having kneeled to him, was questioning him, 'Good teacher, what may I do, that life age-during I may inherit?' 18And Jesus said to him, 'Why me dost thou call good? no one is good except One -- God; 19the commands thou hast known: Thou mayest not commit adultery, Thou mayest do no murder, Thou mayest not steal, Thou mayest not bear false witness, Thou mayest not defraud, Honour thy father and mother.' 20And he answering said to him, 'Teacher, all these did I keep from my youth.' 21And Jesus having looked upon him, did love him, and said to him, 'One thing thou dost lack; go away, whatever thou hast -- sell, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come, be following me, having taken up the cross.' 22And he -- gloomy at the word -- went away sorrowing, for he was having many possessions.
23And Jesus having looked round, saith to his disciples, 'How hardly shall they who have riches enter into the reign of God!' 24And the disciples were astonished at his words, and Jesus again answering saith to them, 'Children, how hard is it to those trusting on the riches to enter into the reign of God! 25It is easier for a camel through the eye of the needle to enter, than for a rich man to enter into the reign of God.' 26And they were astonished beyond measure, saying unto themselves, 'And who is able to be saved?' 27And Jesus, having looked upon them, saith, 'With men it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.'
28And Peter began to say to him, 'Lo, we left all, and we followed thee.' 29And Jesus answering said, 'Verily I say to you, there is no one who left house, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or fields, for my sake, and for the good news', 30who may not receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brothers, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and fields, with persecutions, and in the age that is coming, life age-during; 31and many first shall be last, and the last first.'
Third Prediction of Death, Resurrection
(Matthew 20:17-19)
32And they were in the way going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them, and they were amazed, and following they were afraid. And having again taken the twelve, he began to tell them the things about to happen to him, 33 -- 'Lo, we go up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man shall be delivered to the chief priests, and to the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the nations, 34and they shall mock him, and scourge him, and spit on him, and kill him, and the third day he shall rise again.'
The Request of James and John
(Matthew 20:20-28)
35And there come near to him James and John, the sons of Zebedee, saying, 'Teacher, we wish that whatever we may ask for ourselves, thou mayest do for us;' 36and he said to them, 'What do ye wish me to do for you?' 37and they said to him, 'Grant to us that, one on thy right hand and one on thy left, we may sit in thy glory;' 38and Jesus said to them, 'Ye have not known what ye ask; are ye able to drink of the cup that I drink of, and with the baptism that I am baptized with -- to be baptized?' 39And they said to him, 'We are able;' and Jesus said to them, 'Of the cup indeed that I drink of, ye shall drink, and with the baptism that I am baptized with, ye shall be baptized; 40but to sit on my right and on my left, is not mine to give, but -- to those for whom it hath been prepared.'
41And the ten having heard, began to be much displeased at James and John, 42but Jesus having called them near, saith to them, 'Ye have known that they who are considered to rule the nations do exercise lordship over them, and their great ones do exercise authority upon them; 43but not so shall it be among you; but whoever may will to become great among you, he shall be your minister, 44and whoever of you may will to become first, he shall be servant of all; 45for even the Son of Man came not to be ministered to, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.'
Jesus Heals Bartimaeus
(Matthew 20:29-34; Luke 18:35-43)
46And they come to Jericho, and as he is going forth from Jericho, with his disciples and a great multitude, a son of Timaeus -- Bartimaeus the blind -- was sitting beside the way begging, 47and having heard that it is Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out, and to say, 'The Son of David -- Jesus! deal kindly with me;' 48and many were rebuking him, that he might keep silent, but the more abundantly he cried out, 'Son of David, deal kindly with me.' 49And Jesus having stood, he commanded him to be called, and they call the blind man, saying to him, 'Take courage, rise, he doth call thee;' 50and he, having cast away his garment, having risen, did come unto Jesus. 51And answering, Jesus saith to him, 'What wilt thou I may do to thee?' and the blind man said to him, 'Rabboni, that I may see again;' 52and Jesus said to him, 'Go, thy faith hath saved thee:' and immediately he saw again, and was following Jesus in the way.
The Favor of God Message paraphrase
Jesus Teaches About Divorce
¹ Jesus left that region and went to the area of Judea, beyond the Jordan River. Once again, crowds gathered around Him, and as was His custom, He taught them.
² Some Pharisees came to test Him by asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?”
³ Jesus responded, “What did Moses command you?”
⁴ They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.”
⁵ Jesus replied, “It was because of your hardness of heart that Moses wrote you this law.
⁶ But at the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’
⁷ ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife,
⁸ and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh.
⁹ Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
¹⁰ When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this.
¹¹ He answered, “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her.
¹² And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.”
Jesus Blesses the Children
¹³ People were bringing little children to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them.
¹⁴ When Jesus saw this, He was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
¹⁵ Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”
¹⁶ And He took the children in His arms, placed His hands on them, and blessed them.
The Rich and the Kingdom of God
¹⁷ As Jesus started on His way, a man ran up to Him and fell on his knees before Him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
¹⁸ “Why do you call Me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.
¹⁹ You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’”
²⁰ “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”
²¹ Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” He said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”
²² At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
²³ Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”
²⁴ The disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!
²⁵ It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
²⁶ The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”
²⁷ Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”
²⁸ Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow You!”
²⁹ “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for Me and the gospel
³⁰ will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life.
³¹ But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
Jesus Predicts His Death a Third Time
³² They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again He took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to Him.
³³ “We are going up to Jerusalem,” He said, “and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn Him to death and will hand Him over to the Gentiles,
³⁴ who will mock Him and spit on Him, flog Him and kill Him. Three days later He will rise.”
The Request of James and John
³⁵ Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want You to do for us whatever we ask.”
³⁶ “What do you want Me to do for you?” He asked.
³⁷ They replied, “Let one of us sit at Your right and the other at Your left in Your glory.”
³⁸ “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”
³⁹ “We can,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with,
⁴⁰ but to sit at My right or left is not for Me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”
⁴¹ When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John.
⁴² Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.
⁴³ Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,
⁴⁴ and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.
⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
Blind Bartimaeus Receives His Sight
⁴⁶ Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and His disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging.
⁴⁷ When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
⁴⁸ Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
⁴⁹ Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”
So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.”
⁵⁰ Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.
⁵¹ “What do you want Me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.
The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”
⁵² “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.
Footnotes:
10:5: Jesus emphasizes that divorce was allowed as a concession to human weakness, not as part of God’s original intention for marriage.
10:15: Jesus uses children as examples of the kind of trust and dependence needed to enter the kingdom of God. Childlike faith is humble and open to God’s will.
10:21: Jesus’ challenge to the rich man reflects the radical call of discipleship: to follow Jesus means to give up everything, trusting God to provide.
10:25: The image of a camel passing through the eye of a needle is a vivid metaphor for the difficulty of the rich entering God’s kingdom due to the hold possessions can have on the heart.
10:33: Jesus predicts His suffering and death with remarkable clarity, showing that His path to Messiahship involves sacrifice, not earthly glory.
10:45: Jesus reveals His purpose as a servant who gives His life for others, modeling true greatness through humility and sacrifice.
10:52: Bartimaeus’ healing highlights the power of faith and persistence. Despite opposition, he calls out to Jesus and is rewarded with sight and new life as he follows Jesus.
