YOUR HEART

AUGUST 15, 2009 SATURDAY SCRIPTURE MATTHEW 19

TEXT http://net.bible.org/bible.php?book=Mat&chapter=19#n23

MESSAGE

“Divorce”

After addressing Peter’s questions about forgiveness, Jesus went across the Jordan River to Judea where he healed many in the large crowds who followed Him there before some Pharisees came to test him by asking Him whether it was lawful for man to divorce his wife for any reason – something they said Moses permitted. Jesus responded by quoting from the Creation Story about a man being united to his wife with the two becoming one flesh – adding that what God has joined together, no one should separate. He told them that Moses allowed them to divorce only because they were heartless, and he told them if they divorce their wife for any reason other than for sexual sin, they will be committing adultery if they remarry. Jesus’ response to the Pharisees resulted in his disciples stating that if what he was saying about divorce is true it would be better not to get married. Jesus told them that there are certain men whose lives aren’t given to marriage including those who are eunuchs from birth, those who are made eunuchs through castration, and those who are in effect eunuchs because they remain celibate or sexually fast as a spiritual sacrifice to the LORD.

“Children”

When little children were brought by their parents to Jesus to lay his hands on and pray for them, the disciples began scolding the parents even though Jesus had already told them who the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven were the importance of treating them properly, e.g. not looking down on them and the Heavenly ramifications for doing so. Jesus told the disciples to stop what they were doing and the children came to Him. After placing His hands on them He moved on.

“The Rich”

After this a man approached Jesus and asked Him what good thing he needed to do to earn eternal life. Jesus told him there is only one who is good-God, that no one can do enough good to earn eternal life. However, Jesus told him if he wanted to have eternal life he needed to keep the commandments to which he responded, which ones? Listing several commandments, the man said he had obeyed them all but wondered what he still needed to do. At this point Jesus addressed the man's issue of coveting by telling him if he wanted to perfect at obeying all the commandments he needed to sell all his possessions and give his money to the poor at which point his treasure would be in Heaven. After doing this, Jesus said to come and follow Him. Not expecting to hear this, the man left very sad because he was very rich and wasn’t able to do what Jesus told to do because he loved his money more than God.

After the man left Jesus told his disciples how difficult it is for someone who is rich to receive eternal life emphasizing what he said by stating the impossible - that there is a greater possibility of a camel going through the eye of a needle than a rich person receiving eternal life. Since the disciples associated riches with God’s blessing, they were totally confused and asked Jesus if the rich couldn’t be saved then who could be? Jesus responded by telling them that eternal life is impossible for humans to attain whether they are rich or poor but that nothing is impossible for God. This led to Peter asking Jesus what was in store for the disciples in light of the sacrifices they have made in following Him. Jesus told Peter that when all things are renewed and when He was His Heavenly throne, the disciples would sit on twelve thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel. In addition, He told Peter whoever has left there house, family, and/or work to follow Him will receive a hundred times more and eternal life. Jesus went on to add that many who have been first in this life will be last in eternal life and many who have been last in this life will be first in eternal life.

TEACHING

Traveling towards Jerusalem, once inside Judea Jesus heals many people in the large crowds following Him giving further evidence that he is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. However, once in Judea, he is soon tested by the Pharisees with a question about whether a man is permitted to divorce his wife for any reason. The permitted reasons for divorce in Jewish society was a conflict even amongst the Jews and therefore they likely raised this question Jesus with the intent of trying to trap Him on this issue in the Herod’s district where John the Baptist lost his life over confronting Herod about remarrying his brother’s wife. The question was also a reflection of the Pharisees’ hard hearts – something Jesus pointed out as the reason Moses had permitted liberal divorce in the first place. Jesus answered their question by referring back to Genesis which based marriage in the creation thereby defining divorce as unnatural and rebellion against God. He discussed divorce as permittible only under the condition of sexual sin since this broke the “one flesh” basis of marriage in the story of creation. Ignoring what he said about the creation, his disciples questioned whether it was therefore better not to marry and he told them that some are called to live unmarried, although he didn't say say this option was preferable.

In fact, immediately after this encounter with the Pharisees, little children were brought by their parents to have Jesus place his hands on and pray for them indicating one of the glorious results of marriage – children, who although had recently been highlighted as the greatest in the kingdom of heaven due to their humility and faith, were kept from coming to Him by the disciples who reprimanded the parents for bothering Jesus with them. Jesus intervened with his disciples, the children came to Him, he placed his hands on them and when He was finished they moved on.

After this, Jesus is approached by a child who has grown up to become a very wealthy man who has everything and who asks Jesus what good thing he must do in order to have, to earn like he has obtained everything else he owns, eternal life. Jesus immediately corrects him that there is only one who is good-God-and that he can not earn the goodness of God by anything he does in life. However, despite telling him this he goes on to show him the impossibility of earning eternal life by telling him that if he wants to attain it he needs to keep the commandments to which the man ask him which commandments he needs to keep. Jesus responds by listing the 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th & 5th commandments of Exodus 20 as well as that he must love his neighbor as himself to with the man stated that he has obeyed all of them. Still lacking assurance, he asks Jesus what else he needs to do at which point Jesus tells him that to perfectly follow the commandments he needs to follow Him as the Christ, the Son of the Living God, above anything else and that in order to do this he needs to first need sell all of his possessions and give away all of his money to the poor. At this, the man went home sad because he was rich and was aware that his riches were competing for first place in his heart for God.

Afterwards, Jesus discussed with his disciples the impossibility of the rich entering eternal life because of how their money and possessions compete for first place in their heart with God like with the man who had just left them. He used the analogy of the impossibility of a camel going through the eye of a needle to illustrate just how impossible it is for the rich to receive eternal life. The disciples were confused by this because the understanding during their day was that those who were wealthy had been blessed by God and if they had been blessed by God they were on the road to eternal life. Their understanding of who receives eternal life was turned upside down until Jesus told them that eternal life is impossible for anyone, rich or poor to earn, but what is impossible for people to do, is possible for God to do. This led to Peter raising a concern of the disciples that with all they had sacrificed in following Jesus what their reward would be. Jesus told him that they would receive eternal life and be greatly reward in the Kingdom of Heaven including being given the position of sitting in judgment of the twelve tribes of Israel who failed to believe in Him as the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Jesus also reminded the disciples that many who have been privileged in this life with positions of power and wealth will be last in the Kingdom of Heaven and many in this life who have been in need and have lived powerless and in poverty will be first in the Kingdom of Heaven.

HEALING

Our Father in Heaven, we give You praise for all the people Your Son healed when he entered Judea on his journey towards Jerusalem and we give You praise for all the people who have been Healed – Saved by Your Son’s sacrifice since his death and resurrection because they have confessed Him as the Christ, the Son of the Living God. We also give You praise for all who are healed physically, emotionally, and spiritually today because of the power of Your Holy Spirit whether Your Spirit works supernaturally or naturally through Your gifts of medicine and therapy.

Our Father in Heaven, we thank You for Your creation basis of marriage and ask that Your Spirit protect the basis of all marriages from harm so that divorce can occur less and less in this world because it goes against Your plan and in this way is unnatural. We acknowledge the great pain and suffering associated with the broken relationships of divorce within a family and the children who are the most vulnerability to this pain and suffering when divorce occurs. We ask for Your Son’s healing touch and prayer for these children whether they are young or whether have grown up in the way he touched and prayed for the children whose parents brought them to Him In Judea. We also thank You for the vital relationships in life for those in the Kingdom who are not given to marriage. We pray that You sustain them through these relationships modeled on the amongst You as Father, Your Son and Your Holy Spirit.

Our Father in Heaven, help us to escape the behavioral way in which we are raised in which we learn at an early age we get something by doing something. Lord, this is so deeply ingrained in us at such an early age that it is difficult to break free of this way of thinking. It makes us feel unworthy unless we do something to earn our value. Lord it makes it hard to receive something of value unconditionally – especially the love of another and especially the Gift of eternal life which is impossible for us to attain on our own, for us to earn because of good works, although it is not impossible for You to give us as You have-through the death and resurrection of Your Son who died on the Cross with the weight of all Sin for all time placed upon Him. Lord help us to received and be assured of our eternal life by creating in us the humble faith of a child in what You Son has done for us so that our heart is not divided between the things of this world and You, so that there is no doubt in our minds that You take first place, and so that we do not walk away like the rich man suffering and sad because of our awareness of our inability to place You ahead of our money and possession and part with whatever You ask us to in this world in order to follow Your Son.

Our Father in Heaven, humble us so that we are among the last in this world.

In Jesus Name, Amen.

SONG 'Rich Young Ruler' by Derek Webb @imeem http://x.imeem.com/E3zIydKGhL