Hard Sayings of Jesus

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See full series: the-teachings-of-jesus-2020-21

Hard Sayings of Jesus

Sermon by  Thomas Thornhill Jr

Passage: Matthew 19


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TEACHINGS OF Jesus (60)

As we continue our study of the teachings of Jesus, today we want to notice a couple of passages from Matthew 19.  These are hard sayings of Jesus.

  1. Hard Sayings
    1. A hard saying could be something that is hard to understand – it requires extensive study and even then it is not guaranteed. There are many passages of scripture, such as Matthew 24 (which we will address next Sunday night in our premillennialism series), and John 6:66 as Jesus had concluded a message in which He noted they must eat His body and drink His blood you have no life in you.   We have discussed this text previously noting that Jesus is challenging one to let Him sustain their spiritual lives by “absorbing” Him into everything they do.
    2. But a hard saying can also be something easy to understand but hard to apply. In other words this is something that is challenging in our lives, or may involve unpleasant decisions and actions.  Some examples would include:
      1. Being willing to walk away from family to serve Him – Matthew 10:34-38
      2. Withdrawing from a sinning brother – Matthew 18:17
      3. And even our need to forgive others – Matthew 18:21-35 which we addressed in the parables of Jesus.
    3. Matthew 19:1-3 – we find Jesus is now likely approaching Jerusalem to complete His work. His teachings have become stronger and more direct as He has continued to confront His enemies, the Jewish leaders.  We are now in a period where they are seeking charges against Jesus which is why we find intense probing.
    4. OF note is that Jesus does NOT shy away from the tough questions but answers them truthfully and often in a way different than expected. In that there is a lesson for us – we must NOT avoid the truth even if it is a tough and unpleasant subject.  2 Timothy 4:2-4 reminds us as preachers of our responsibility. 
  2. Concerning divorce and remarriage
    1. The text – Matthew 19:1-12
      1. The Pharisees are testing Jesus (not seeking to be taught by Him) – Is it lawful to divorce for any reason? This was a loaded question to entrap.  If He said “Yes”, His superior moral standard could be challenged; If He said, “No”, this would be an unpopular answer which could be used to turn others against Him.
      2. Jesus appeals to scripture, which is a standard that would hard to reject. He appealed to the teachings of Moses (which they professed to follow), and in particular He goes back all the way to the beginning.  He quotes form Genesis 1:27 and then 2:24 after Eve was brought to Adam.
      3. Making application Jesus, notes this was God’s intent “from the beginning”. Marriage is an institution from God. 
      4. He also notes that in marriage the two become one flesh and concludes, “Therefore what God has joined together do not let man separate.” Notice how this PREDATES the Law of Moses which is why it is a UNIVERSAL law for all mankind – whether they are believers or not! 
      5. He also noted that God made them “male and female” (not male and male or female and female) and it is expected that the man leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife. In scripture the man is given primary responsibility to lead and support the family (Ephesians 5:22-31 (which also concludes with Genesis 2:24), 1 Timothy 5:8).
      6. The Pharisees then inquire, “Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce?” They too appeal to scripture – Deuteronomy 24:1-4. 
        1. But when you go to that text it is not for “any cause”.
        2. The text involved “uncleanness” on her part for which she is put away.
        3. Furthermore, it is a specific scenario – she marries another who also puts her away, then the first man is NOT to take her back. She is defiled. 
        4. Jesus answers, because of their hardened hearts Moses permitted divorce, “but from the beginning it was not so!” EVEN the above scenario was NOT what God wanted!
        5. He then gives a single cause for which God will recognize a divorce and permit remarriage – it is fornication (sexual immorality) – and its wording indicates it is the innocent party that has the right to remarry.
        6. His point: God intends marriage to be FOR LIFE! One man and one woman creating their own home unit!
    2. Why is this a hard saying?
      1. The text teaches that not all marriages are sanctioned by God.
        1. This text teaches that the only divorce God recognizes is for the cause of fornication.
        2. And God ONLY recognizes a second marriage (while their first mate lives – cf. Romans 7:2-3) by the innocent spouse who put their adulterous mate away.
        3. Any marriage that falls OUTSIDE of this restriction is unscriptural, and thus an adulterous relationship which calls for repentance (cf. Matthew 5:32 also)
      2. We live in a society that permits divorce for any cause (“no fault” divorce). This is a scourge on society.
        1. We have noted in times past that the home is the foundational unit of society. As the home goes, so goes society.   I contend that divorce is one of the fundamental factors (not the only one) in our increasingly amoral society.
        2. Divorce renders violence to a home – Malachi 2:13-16 – this notes that God HATES divorce and that it covers the land with violence.
        3. The damage divorce can do is beyond measure, especially when children are involved.
          1. It is at the root of many of our societal ills. Broken and dysfunctional homes tear up societies.
          2. It leads to greater risk of depression, alcohol & drug use, and even suicide.
          3. It can lead to rebellion of children including illicit behavior and immoral behavior.
          4. It can affect the mental state of all in the family – both spouses, children, parents, and grandparents, etc.
          5. It can sever friendships even beyond the marriage.
          6. These are just a few of the issues.
      3. This is a hard saying, because it means that for some to obey the gospel, they may have to leave their relationship. If it is an adulterous relationship, it must end or one is living in adultery AND causing his/her current spouse to live in adultery. 
      4. NOTE that the disciples recognized this in our text – Vs. 10-12. They see the challenge of this – you cannot divorce for whatever reason you want to!  Jesus notes in vs. 12, that for the kingdom’s sake, some will become eunuchs.
      5. OBSERVATION: Consider this as the Lord’s people – we lose our moral standing as we condemn homosexuality, premarital relations, and other forms of sexual immorality and fornication, while ignoring God’s law concerning divorce and remarriage.
  3. The rich young ruler – Matthew 19:16-26
    1. The context
      1. One comes to Jesus asking Him what he needed to do to inherit eternal life.
      2. Jesus first challenges him about calling Him good – in the original language, Jesus is not necessarily saying He is not good, but rather dealing with equating Him to the good thing he was asking he needed to do to inherit eternal life. The NASB (based on earlier mss) words it, “Why are you asking Me what is good?”
      3. First, Jesus observes the importance of keeping the commandments – several are mentioned.
      4. Having heard these and acknowledged he had done these things from his youth, he wanted to know if there was anything else he needed to do. This tells me that he likely knew something was missing.  Often, we DO realize something is not right – the question is are we willing to ask the questions and do the work to find out what that is.
      5. Vs. 21, Jesus said, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
      6. For this young ruler (Luke 18:18) this was a hard saying. He went away sorrowful because he had great possessions. 
      7. Vs. 23-24 – But Jesus continues and notes, “How hard it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven…”
      8. Vs. 25 – The disciples respond, “Who then can be saved?”
      9. Vs. 26, Jesus notes with God it is possible. In this He is saying we need God.
    2. Why is this a hard saying?
      1. For this young ruler, this was a very hard saying because it exposed the one area of his life that was not right. This was the one area that needed to be changed.   Mark 10:21 is a powerful version of this account it notes: 1) Jesus looking at him, loved him, and 2) He said, “One thing you lack…”
      2. This saying is consistent with scripture in that it calls for TOTAL commitment to follow Him.
        1. Matthew 16:24 says it this way, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”
        2. Simply doing good things, or most of what we are called upon to do is not enough.  How many omissions does it take to keep one out of heaven?  
        3. How many of us are more caught up in this than we care to admit? Maybe there is that ONE thing that we know needs to change. Maybe it’s the relationship we previously addressed.  Maybe it’s some behavior that we enjoy doing but we know it is wrong or questionable.  Maybe it’s our comfortable lifestyle that we do not want to upset.  Maybe it’s our money!  
        4. We live in a very affluent society. Most of us here, if not all of us, are living VERY comfortably, especially in comparison to much of the world.  While wealth is not wrong (it is actually an asset when properly managed), does it stand in our way.  Do NOT forget what Jesus said about riches in this passage.  And if truthfully considered, it may be hard to digest.
      3. Lessons from this passage:
        1. The rich have souls too. Be careful how you judge the rich (either letting them get away with things or honoring them for their status (cf. James 2:1-3) OR looking down upon them because they are wealthy).
        2. How valuable is the kingdom of heaven to you? Is it really your priority?
        3. With God all things are possible. He can save a rich man just like He can poke a camel through the eye of a sowing needle.  This is about genuine faith.
        4. Point: Whatever our condition, we need God. We must never forget this.  

Jesus, when He came to this earth taught what needed to be taught.  And it was not always pleasant.  At times His sayings were hard – some hard to understand (but understandable), but most often hard to apply – but still necessary.   As we study the word of God, when we come across these types of sayings how will we react?  Are you willing to do everything He calls for you to do?  How can we help?  Think about it!