RSV ~ Matthew 19 Notes

Mt 19:1 | ISB Notes

Judea beyond the Jordan: Jesus has concluded his Galilean ministry and is now headed for Jerusalem. His presence east of the Jordan has a dual significance. (1) This location is linked with John the Baptist (3:5), who was executed for condemning the divorce and remarriage of Herod Antipas and his mistress, Herodias (14:3-10). This tragedy looms in the background of the ensuing question about divorce (19:3). One suspects that the Pharisees hoped to lure Jesus into the same trap that cost John his life. (2) The region beyond the Jordan is also the place where Moses gave Israel the laws of Deuteronomy (Deut 1:5). It seems more than coincidental that Jesus is about to repeal the Deuteronomic concession for divorce and remarriage (Deut 24:1-4) in the very place where it was ratified.

Mt 19:3-9 | ISB Notes

Jesus forbids divorce and remarriage (Mk 10:11-12; Lk 16:18) and revokes the lower standard of the Old Law permitting divorce for non-Levitical laymen in Israel (Deut 24:14). Jesus thus restores marriage to its original integrity (Gen 2:24) and elevates it to a New Covenant sacrament (Eph 5:2233; CCC 2382).

Mt 19:3 | ISB Notes

tested: The Greek verb can also mean “tempted” and often implies a hostile intent (as in 4:1 and 22:18). The Pharisees, resolved to destroy Jesus (12:14), hope to ensnare him with an incriminating question (cf. 22:15; Jn 8:6).

for any cause: Many read this as a question about the legitimate grounds for divorce. It is said that Jesus is pressed to take sides in a debate between the Pharisaic schools of Hillel (liberal) and Shammai (conservative). This is doubtful; giving an opinion on an intramural dispute among the Pharisees would hardly constitute a trap. More likely, the question concerns the legality of divorce itself (as in Mk 10:2). Presumably it was becoming known that Jesus forbids divorce and remarriage (5:32; Lk 16:18), even though Moses had long ago permitted it (Deut 24:1-4). The Pharisees thus see an opportunity to discredit Jesus by pitting him against Moses. Jesus evades the trap by quoting the words of Moses from Genesis (19:4-5) and then turns the tables by showing that the Pharisees are the ones out of touch with God’s true intention for married life as revealed in the Torah.

Mt 19:4 | ISB Notes

Have you not read?: A counterquestion frequently posed by Jesus to his learned adversaries (i.e., Pharisees and Sadducees). See note on Mt 12:3.

Mt 19:6 | ISB Notes

God has joined together: Citing Gen 2:24 (Mt 19:5), Jesus reaffirms that marriage is God’s creation, not man’s invention. Since God forges the indissoluble bond that unites a married couple, it follows that no civil or religious authority has the power to break it (CCC 1603, 1640). See note on 1 Cor 7:15.

Mt 19:9 | ISB Notes

And I say to you: Jesus invokes his own authority to forbid divorce and remarriage. Matthew’s account reflects Jewish cultural conditions, where men alone had the right to divorce (cf. 5:32). Mark more fully records Jesus’ statement that both men and women are forbidden to divorce and remarry (Mk 10:11-12; CCC 1614, 2382).

See essay: Jesus on Marriage and Divorce at Mt 19.

Mt 19:10 | ISB Notes

not expedient to marry: The disciples marvel that Jesus prohibits divorce and remarriage in the New Covenant (19:9), reversing the long-standing permission of the Old (Deut 24:1-4). Their incredulous response makes it certain that Jesus permitted no exceptions for husbands and wives bound together by the sacrament. This new and higher standard leads them to see the comparative superiority of lifelong virginity to married life (CCC 1615).

Mt 19:12 | ISB Notes

eunuchs: i.e., royal servants in charge of a king’s wives. To safeguard against sexual temptations, eunuchs in the ancient Near East were either impotent or physically castrated.

Jesus speaks metaphorically: those who have made themselves eunuchs are those who voluntarily embrace celibacy in imitation of Jesus and for service in his kingdom. These men are leaders entrusted with the care of Christ’s bride, the Church on earth; embracing consecrated virginity, they live by anticipation the life of heaven (22:30). .

• The Council of Trent (Sess. 24, can. 10) teaches in accord with Scripture that the objective state of celibacy is higher than the married state, although both vocations are important for the Church’s life (1 Cor 7:1-8, 32-35; Rev 14:4; CCC 1618-20).

Mt 19:14 | ISB Notes

the children: Jesus’ concern for marriage (19:9) reflects a practical concern for children. God’s plan for marriage includes the mutual love of spouses and the responsible upbringing of “Godly offspring” (Mal 2:15; cf. CCC 1646, 1652). In this episode, Jesus blesses children as legitimate members of the kingdom, laying a foundation for infant Baptism (cf. Jn 3:5). See note on Lk 18:16.

Mt 19:24 | ISB Notes

easier for a camel: A parable of impossibility. Jesus thus warns that extreme difficulties face the rich and threaten their entrance into the kingdom. Only with God’s help (19:26) can the wealthy detach themselves from the love of money and material possessions (5:3; 1 Tim 6:9-10; Jas 5:1-6). The young man’s refusal (19:22) to embrace poverty proves Jesus’ point (CCC 2053).

Mt 19:28 | ISB Notes

the new world: The Greek could be rendered “re-I generation” as in Tit 3:5. The historian Josephus uses this expression with reference to Israel’s “restoration” after the Exile. This latter connotatio

n is closest to Jesus’ meaning here, where the establishment of the universal Church includes the reestablishment of Israel under the leadership of the Twelve. on twelve thrones: Jesus portrays the Church as the restored kingdom of Israel (cf. Rev 7:4-8). As the royal son of David (1:1), he reconstitutes the Davidic empire that governed the 12 tribes (2 Sam 5:1-5) along with other nations (2 Sam 8:1-15; 1 Kings 4:2021). He thus appoints the apostles to his royal cabinet and invests them with authority to minister and judge in the new kingdom (Lk 22:28-30).

• Jesus’ language recalls Ps 122:3-5. In context, Jerusalem is the city where the thrones of the Davidic kingdom stood and where Israel’s tribes went to find justice. In the New Covenant, Christ imparts justice through his apostles in the liturgy of the heavenly Jerusalem (cf. Heb 12:22-24; Rev 21:1-14; CCC 551, 765). See notes on Mt 5:14 and 10:2.