Grace Bible Church Expository Sermon Notes
The Blessing of Singleness & Childhood!
cf. Matt. 19:10-15
The Lord's Day 2/23/97 PM
Jesus' hard line view of no divorce challenged the popular view of the day, which caused the disciples themselves to question Jesus, saying..."If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry."1 In other words, if the marriage contract cannot be broken except by the serious sin of fornication, and God's purpose from the beginning was that there is no other cause for a permissible divorce, then just to be safe, it's not good to marry.2 So Jesus took the opportunity to teach on being single.
Matthew 19:11-12 But He said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, except they to whom it is given. For there are some eunuchs, who were so born from their mother's womb; and there are some eunuchs, who were made eunuchs by men; and there are eunuchs, who have made themselves eunuchs, for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.
The Lord points out the fact that remaining unmarried is a gift from God, which He doesn't give to everyone. Those "that are able to receive it, [i.e., those who can remain unmarried and pure] let them receive it," but this gift is not for most.3 Some are eunuchs from birth or born with congenial defects; some are made eunuchs by men or castrated perhaps for religious or political purposes (cf. 2 Kings 20:18; Esther 2:14; Acts 8:26-39); and some have made themselves eunuchs or resolve to especially commit themselves to advance the kingdom of God, without the hindrance of family.4 Paul, recalling these words from Jesus, taught…
For I would that all men were even as I myself [i.e., unmarried]. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that...But if they cannot have self control, let them marry; for it is better to marry than to burn. (cf. 1 Cor. 7:7-9)
The Lord's point is, that not everyone has the gift of remaining single. It is special blessing or gift from the Lord to be single and remain pure, which not everyone has. Immediately following Jesus' teaching on the condemnation of divorce and the blessing of being single, we read…
Matthew 19:13 Then were there brought unto Him little children, that He should put His hands on them, and pray; and the disciples rebuked them.
There are many questions concerning childhood salvation not specifically addressed in Scripture. However, this incident in the ministry of the Lord Jesus at least implies an answer to a difficult question.5 The Greek word for "little children" is paidia, which usually in the NT refers to a young child but can be used for an older teenager (cf. John 21:5). Luke's Gospel however, narrows the age by saying, "and they brought unto Him also infants," i.e., children before the toddler age of 2 or 3 years old. The parents or perhaps mothers were bringing their babies to the Lord for Him to bless them, which was a common practice during NT times.6 Jesus as a religious leader is seen blessing other children and parents, perhaps by praying for the babies brought to Him or giving a prophecy about their life or perhaps by encouraging the parents.7
No doubt the disciples were trying to shield the Lord from this non-essential ministry which would keep Him from the really important matters. "Jesus' ministry pace is too great now, i.e., healing, preaching, teaching, and now all this stuff about going to Jerusalem to suffer and die. He doesn't have time to mess with a bunch of babies!" The disciples felt they needed to protect Jesus from those who would monopolize His time. Obviously their perspective was skewed! Jesus came to minister, not to be shielded from the needs of the people.8 So we read...
Matthew 19:14-15 But Jesus said, Permit little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me; for of such is the kingdom of heaven. And He laid His hands on them, and departed from there.
That is, "Stop forbidding the parents from bringing their babies to me." And the reason the Lord gives is "for of such is the kingdom of heaven." What did He mean? Two wonderful principles are implied. First, anyone who comes into the kingdom of heaven, comes as a little child, in a humble faith that denies self for Christ. This is the lesson the disciples themselves needed to learn in chapter 18, for their argument among themselves on "who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven" is totally inconsistent with the attitude of conversion. But secondly, I'm under the impression that Jesus was stating a great comforting promise: "for of such is the kingdom of heaven." It seems, God in His grace has determined that little children fall under His saving grace. They are somehow registered as already in the kingdom of heaven not by an act of personal saving faith, but by God's pure grace. Yes, they are "born in iniquity" and totally depraved, like all other babies born, but they are part of the kingdom of heaven.9 I'm under the conviction that young children go to heaven when they die, at least by the strong implication of Jesus' statement here.10
Main Idea: Both singleness and little children are gifts from God. Not everyone is able to remain pure as a single person but some are given this capacity by the Lord and are able to throw all their resolve into expanding the kingdom. But all little children are especially blessed, in that the grace of God makes them part of the kingdom of heaven at least until they reach the age of accountability.
What Should We Do About This Passage?
 | Singleness is a special gift from God, which is not given to everyone. If you are single, are you sure you have this gift? If not then get married soon. |
| Married couples tend to all too often ignore singles. Build a relationship with a single man or woman, adopting them into your family. |
| The special grace of God extends to little children. If you know of someone whose child has died, comfort them with this passage this week. |
Footnotes
1. Matthew 19:10. According to Mark 10:10 this question was asked away from the crowds and in the house. Often the disciples waited to ask the Lord in private, concerning issues of His teaching they didn't understand. e.g., Mk. 4:10; 9:28; Matt. 13:10, 36ff.; 17:19, etc.
2. The Apostles question shows their selfish concept of marriage, i.e., "What can I get out of marriage for myself?" The term translated it is not good (KJV) or it is better not to (NASV) is literally, "it is not profitable." They considered marriage as a benefit to themselves, instead of a blessing for one's mate! Also, the Jewish Rabbis taught an ethical mandate for getting out of a bad marriage. e.g., "A bad wife is like leprosy to her husband. What is the remedy? Let him divorce her and be cured of his leprosy," or "If a man has a bad wife, it is a religious duty to divorce her." cf. William Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew (Westminster Press, 1972), vol. 2, p. 206.
3. Some suggest Jesus' statement, all men cannot receive it, considers His whole teaching on marriage and divorce, i.e., that not everyone is able to remain faithful to the to the high standards of the marriage vows. It is better to understand the Lord shifting to the issue of singleness, which was implied by the disciples comment.
4. When Origin was young he took this statement literally and castrated himself, so that he would be pure for the kingdom. He rejected Clement of Alexandria, who taught: "The true eunuch is not he who cannot, but he who will not indulge in fleshly pleasure."
5. Can a child of 3 or 4, 5 or 6, or even 10 really understand the issue that sin is lawlessness before God, that condemns them? can a young child really understand the issue of the substitution of Christ on the Cross, to bear the penalty of God's outraged holiness; can a young child really understand what it means to repent of sin, surrender their life to the Lord and call upon the name of the Lord? Let's make this even more personal and let me ask, "At what point in your life did you really understand the issue of denying yourself, taking up your cross of suffering and following the Lord by faith in God's substitute for your sin?" Not an easy question is it!" When is the age of accountability? And what happens to little children when they die?
6. Mothers would bring their children to Rabbis or other influential men, who would pronounce a blessing on them. In Luke 2, Jesus was brought to the temple and Simeon a "righteous and devout [man], waiting for the consolation of Israel" took the infant Jesus in his arms and "blessed them," i.e., the baby, Mary and Joseph, and said: "Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against." He blessed the child and parents, by a prophecy given about the life and ministry of Jesus.
7. One of the real joys of a pastor is dedicating a young child to the Lord during a worship service, which practice came form this instance in the life of our Lord along with the baby Jesus' dedication in the Temple. cf. Luke 2:21-38.
8. In the ministry we can't pick and choose who and in what context we will invest our energies! Barclay helps by summarizing the issue: "No one was ever a nuisance to Jesus. he was never too tired, never too busy to give all of himself to anyone who needed it…The way to his presence was open to the humblest person and to the youngest child." p. 212.
9. When they came of age, they would still need to exercise personal faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. If they don't repent of sin and trust in Christ, they are "children of wrath" and dying as older children or adults, would spend an eternity separated from God in hell.
10. When David's baby died he affirmed, "Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me." (2 Sam. 12:20-23) According to Psalm 16, David understood that when he died he would go to heaven where his baby was now!