The Gospel According to Matthew Chapter 19
Originally posted January 24, 2008
General Comment: Jesus and his disciples have left
Galilee for the last time and are now on the road to Judea, taking the
road on the East side of the Jordan River to avoid traveling through
Samaritan territory. Many people gather wherever Jesus goes, and because
he is going to Jerusalem for Passover - required of all Jews as one of the
three obligatory feast days, traveling pilgrims would swell the
crowds.
Matthew
Chapter 19:1-12 Teaching About Divorce
In MT 5:31-32 we
read the briefer teaching on divorce as part of Jesus' Sermon on the
Mount, in his discussion of Torah and the need to take marriage
commitment more seriously than what Torah allowed. The debate
between the early Pharisaic Schools of Hillel and Shimmai, before and
during Jesus' time, demonstrate the wide disparity between conservative
and liberal opinions on the grounds for which a man could secure a
divorce. Among the reasons in one opinion was that divorce was
justified if the wife was not a good cook. It has been noted that there
was more leniency in Galilee than Judea on this matter. However, here Matthew
is more concerned about the situation within his own community. There would be
special difficulties arising from the conflict within Jewish families as
well as with Gentile - Greek and Roman, cultural approaches to divorce. It was
necessary to have clarity on the subject of Christian
divorce. Obviously Jesus would have spoken of this subject on more
than one occasion. Matthew has used such teachings and adapted them for
local situations.
The setting context is a debate between Jesus and some
Pharisees who have come to "test" him on the subject of divorce. It
is not necessary to automatically be suspicious of the Pharisees in
these situations. Testing was something they would do among themselves as they
continuously debated the finer points of Torah. For Matthew the Pharisees, who
for him are now the Rabbis of the synagogues, are always the antagonists. From
an historical perspective, had it not been for the Pharisees taking upon
themselves the mantle of teaching Torah and tradition, Judaism might have died
out, or at least it would look a lot differently today than it is.
The Pharisees ask Jesus if a man can get a divorce for any
reason, without any restriction as to presumed cause (a true no fault divorce).
In his answer Jesus quotes Gen.
1:27 on the creation of male and female, and bases the origin
of marriage on Gen. 2:23-24 where
the two become one flesh, which they were before the creation of Eve from Adam.
If that is the case, the unity reestablished by marriage, Jesus says, no one
should separate. By saying this Jesus has moved the debate beyond a
mere contractual family issue and placed marriage within the original creative
will of God. The Pharisees counter with Moses' allowance for a man to
present a certificate of divorce to his wife (see Deut. 24:1-4 for the whole context of the Pharisaic argument).
Jesus counters that it was allowed by Moses only because of human hardness of
heart, and that it does not make God's will null and void. Further, as in MT 5:31-32, divorce results
in adultery, if the man remarries. We do not want to miss the subtle
introduction here of a radical idea for Jesus' time. In saying divorce can lead
to adultery, Jesus is implying that any other marriage the man may enter into
while still married to his first wife (polygamy was permitted) also would be
considered as adulterous. In affect the woman has been offered protection
against the capricious actions of the man, and the man is given to understand
the true nature of marriage as God's will, not to be taken lightly. There
is an exception added by Matthew in the case of infidelity by
the wife (but not by the man) which adds an element of situational ethics,
a step down from Jesus' sense of God's ideal. We can only guess what Jesus
would have said in such a circumstance, although his teachings on forgiveness
and reconciliation may give us a clue.
The disciples see Jesus' words about divorce as reason
enough to question the wisdom of marrying at all. If that is meant as a
reflection on Jesus' strong position about divorce, then their
words seem rather self serving. There would be those who did not marry
because of their calling as prophets or missionaries. John the Baptist, Paul and
Jesus would be fit that category, receiving celibacy - the ability to be
and remain celibate "for the sake of the Kingdom," as a gift
from God. Matthew affirms that possibility within the church as does Paul. even
for women. Castration was not unknown in Jesus' time, particularly in Pagan
religions. It was forbidden in Torah (Deut.
23:1) and in the early church.
Matthew
Chapter 19:13-15 Jesus Blesses the Children
We have seen this lovely scene in paintings, particularly by
Francis Hook. It seems a natural setting for Jesus. It reflects something of
what our imagination sees in him, the kind teacher who, in his urgent mission
on behalf of the Kingdom, can always take the time to stop and bless the
children. We hardly have to comment on the meaning of the text were it not
for the brusqueness of the disciples' reaction. One would think they had
learned something about Jesus' attitude toward children from MT 18:1-5. They act like a team of
bodyguards keeping the autograph seekers away from a celebrity. Even though it
may be the same story as told before but from a different source, it is
important to be reminded of the child's trust as a fundamental part of what it means
to be a child of God. We would also do well to consider our own busyness
and how easily or difficult it is to accept the serendipity nature of
interruptions as possible gifts from God.
Matthew
19: 16-30 The Rich Young Man
The rich man wants to know what good deed will earn him
eternal life. Instead of answering the seeker with some examples of good deeds
(like a self help book giving seven steps for self improvement) he tells him to
keep the commandments. We already know that for Jesus keeping the commandments
is not sufficient. One's righteousness must exceed that of the Sadducees
and Pharisees, by doing more than is expected. That being the case, we
can understand Jesus' response as something of a test to see how serious
this man is about being part of God's Reign. He asks Jesus which commandments
he should keep (how little work can I get by with). Jesus lists those
dealing with human relationships, and adds one (very familiar to us) from the
Holiness Code, Lev. 19:18,
"...you shall love your neighbor as yourself, I am the Lord." The man
has done all of this, but we might be suspicious that they were as items on the
list to be done as a duty, not because his heart led him to live them. Jesus
apparently was, as his invitation to a greater level of life with God
might suggest. The question is whether he is looking for one more item for the
check list or is he truly serious about living differently, finding that
something he is lacking in his life. Jesus invites him to sacrifice all of his
ties to the material world and to follow him. He will not. The yoke of
wealth is too much of a lure, too defining of who he is and wants to remain
being. He walks away grieving, knowing he has forfeited the greatest possible
gift, yet powerless to break the addictive power of having, grasping,
coveting instead of giving.
Jesus is sad as well. He knows the difficulty such a
choice holds, even for one who has little. It is difficult, he tells his
disciples, to be separated from what we allow to be the defining center of who
we are. In comical exaggeration he likens it to a camel going through the eye
of a needle. He knew that the rich man's wealth was that needle. The
disciples are concerned, for in their culture wealth was understood as a reward
for righteousness, for obeying the Law. If a rich man can't be saved then who
can, they ask? No one, Jesus says. You can't save yourself, rich or poor.
That's what the rich man was trying to do, to save himself by following laws,
doing good deeds for the sake of being saved. But it isn't a matter of doing
things. It is a matter of the heart, he says. And only God can make that
change in the heart of one who turns and becomes like one of those little
children Jesus blessed. If the heart is right, the deeds will follow.
Peter presses the point. What about us? We have left
everything behind to follow you. What will we have? Jesus answers in the
apocalyptic language of a future time, the New Age when the world is
renewed, the Son of Man is on his throne, and the twelve disciples will sit in
judgment of the twelve tribes of Israel. In that time beyond time, whatever was
left behind will be replaced one hundred fold, and those who thought they were
first by right of birth, or by an accumulation of good deeds, or
obedience to the Law will be last, and those who were last but through turning
toward God, with a renewal of heart, lived each day as
a blessing received and a blessing shared, will be first. Like the
language of liturgy, or a lofty hymn it is not the words that matter, but the
soaring spirit born of the singing.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Notes
1) As
noted in the text of MT 19:13-15,
we occasionally run across sections that seem to be the same event but written
differently. These are generally the same stories taken from difference
sources. The oral traditions about Jesus were alive and shared well
into the first century. Most of the Gospels underwent signifigent editing,
and there were probably earlier editions circulated before what we have
received was completed. During the interim other traditions would be
received from Christians who moved from on place to another, and these
would be incorporated into the text. We see much the same process in such
books as Genesis where there are two creations stories, two Noah stories and
several Abraham and Isaac stories.
No comments:
Post a Comment