Year 9, Day 193: Matthew 19

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Matthew 19 brings three stories: 2 massive bookends and a tiny little story about children smashed in the middle.  Considering the study of the past three or four days, I’m not surprised by this arrangement in the least.

In the first story, the religious leaders challenge Jesus about divorce.  Jesus argues about divorce and says that it was only given to people because of the hardness of their hearts.  I think a fair paraphrase for this is that people would rather live in the world they understand than live by faith.  Jesus tells the religious leaders that the reason they have a law about divorce is because they are unwilling to live by faith.

This has an interesting consequence upon the disciples.  They begin to think that it is better not to marry.  After all, what married couple can claim to have never once contemplated divorce or separation?  Jesus turns to them and offers a different kind of challenge.  He doesn’t agree with them because he doesn’t want to demean God’s gift of marriage to us.  What He does is put the challenge upon the disciples.  He agrees that if a person is unwilling to live by faith, then maybe it is best to not get married.  But if a person is willing to live by faith – and thus live in a world where answers ae not easy to come by – then marriage is completely accessible to us!

In the last story, a rich man comes before Jesus and asks what must be done.  After challenging the man on the Law, a challenge the man shrugs aside, Jesus tells him that he needs to sacrifice some of his stuff.  The man walks away sad because he has a lot of stuff.  The man prefers to live in a world he can shape and control rather than live in a world of faith.

This, too, has an effect upon the disciples.  They hear this teaching and immediately wonder who can manage to enter the kingdom of God.  After all, who doesn’t like their stuff?  Who doesn’t like to live in a world of their own control?  Who doesn’t like to live in a world with answers and confidence?  As Jesus says, “With man, it’s impossible.”  One cannot scientifically and logically enter the kingdom of God.

With God, it is possible.  When we are willing to live by faith, we can see how heaven is given to us.  When we place our faith in God, He can bring us to the kingdom of heaven.  It involves faith, not science.

This brings us back to the small little story in the middle.  Jesus tells the disciples to let the children come.  Look again at the sheer size of the stories in this chapter.  Adults unnecessarily complicate things.  The discussion about divorce and the kingdom of heaven are long and complicated.  The story with children and the fact that heaven belongs to them is short, simple, and sweet.

This leads me to wonder why it is so easy – and often imagined necessary – for adults to want to live in the world of the first two stories when we could simply live in the world of the middle story.  Life in faith is easy.  Life in science and logic is complicated.  It’s a choice we all make; some of us better than others.

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