Bible Commentaries
Matthew 19

Verse 4

Matthew 19:4

at the beginning -- from the beginning there was a focus on the family. Genesis 2:18

Verse 8

Matthew 19:8

DIVORCE -- Matthew 19:8-9 & Matthew 5:31-32; 1 Corinthians 7:10-11, Luke 16:18, Romans 7:1-3, Mark 6:16-18, Ezra 10:1-3.

Verse 9

Matthew 19:9

Whosoever shall put away ... Matthew is confirmed why Joseph could have put away Mary, Matthew 1:19 but chose not to do so.

fornication ... here seems to be meaning that the one to be taken as a wife had been unfaithful before the marriage, as it would appeared to Joseph. Matthew 1:18-20;

DIVORCE -- Matthew 19:8-9 & Matthew 5:31-32; 1 Corinthians 7:10-11, Luke 16:18, Romans 7:1-3, Mark 6:16-18, Ezra 10:1-3.

Verse 10

Matthew 19:10

(One teenage boy said in class, "I’ve got this figured out. When you get married, you’ve had it!" That is what the disciples were saying, you’ve had it!)

Verse 12

Matthew 19:12

kingdom of heaven’s sake ... (May some may get themself into a situation where they will have to live alone to be a Christian?)

Verse 16

Matthew 19:16

See Topic Note, "Sermons_Gann" for sermon

Life’s Greatest Choice

Matthew 19:16; Mark 10:17-24; Luke 18:18

Verse 19

Matthew 19:19

Honour thy father -- That is,

1. Obey them, keep their commands, Colossians 3:20; Ephesians 6:1-3.

2. Respect them, show them reverence.

3. Treat their opinions with respect - do not despise them or ridicule them.

4. Treat their habits with respect. Those habits may be different from ours; they may be antiquated, and to us strange, odd, or whimsical; but they are the habits of a parent, and they are not to be ridiculed.

5. Provide for them when sick, weary, old, and infirm. Bear with their weakness, comply with their wishes, speak to them kindly, and deny yourselves of rest, and sleep, and ease, to promote their welfare.

you shall love your neighbor -- To this he added another - the duty of loving our neighbor, Leviticus 19:18. This, Christ declared to be the second great commandment of the law, Matthew 22:39. A neighbor means:

1. Any person who lives near to us.

2. Any person with whom we have dealings.

3. A friend or relative, Matthew 5:43.

4. Any person - friend, relative, countryman, or foe, Mark 12:31.

5. Any person who does us good or confers a favor on us, Luke 10:27-37,

This commandment means, evidently:

1. That we should not injure our neighbor in his person, property, or character.

2. That we should not be selfish, but should seek to do him good.

3. That in a case of debt, difference, or debate, we should do what is right, regarding his interest as much as our own.

4. That we should treat his character, property, etc., as we do our own, according to what is right.

5. That, in order to benefit him, we should practice self-denial, or do as we would wish him to do to us, Matthew 7:12.

It does not mean:

1. That the love of ourselves, according to what we are, or according to truth, is improper. The happiness of myself is of as much importance as that of any other man, and it is as proper that it should be sought.

2. It does not mean that I am to neglect my own business to take care of my neighbor’s. My happiness, salvation, health, and family are committed especially to myself; and, provided I do not interfere with my neighbor’s rights or violate my obligations to him, it is my duty to seek the welfare of my own as my first duty, 1 Timothy 5:8, 1 Timothy 5:13; Titus 2:5.

Mark adds to these commandments, “Defraud not;” by which he meant, doubtless, to express the substance of this to love our neighbor as ourselves. It means, literally, to take away the property of another by violence or by deceiving him, thus showing that he is not loved as we love ourselves.