Matthew 19 : Easy-to-Read Version
Jesus Teaches About Divorce (Mk. 10:1-12)
19 1After Jesus said all these things, he left Galilee. Jesus went into the area of Judea on the other side of the Jordan River. 2Many people followed Jesus. Jesus healed the sick people there. 3Some Pharisees* came to Jesus. They tried to make Jesus say something wrong. They asked Jesus, "Is it right for a man to divorce his wife for any reason he chooses?" 4Jesus answered, "Surely you have read this [in the Scriptures*]: When God made the world, 'he made people male and female.'* 5And God said, 'So a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife. And the two people will become one.'* 6So the two people are not two, but one. God joined those two people together. So no person should separate them." 7The Pharisees* asked, "So why did Moses give a command allowing a man to divorce his wife by writing a certificate of divorce*?" 8Jesus answered, "Moses allowed you to divorce your wives because you refused to accept God's teaching. But divorce was not allowed in the beginning. 9I tell you that any person that divorces his wife and marries another woman is guilty of the sin of adultery.* The only reason for a person to divorce and marry again is if his first wife had sexual relations with another man." 10The followers said to Jesus, "If that is the only reason a man can divorce his wife, then it is better not to marry." 11Jesus answered, "Not every person can accept this truth [about marriage]. But God has made some people able to accept it. 12There are different reasons why some men cannot marry.* Some men were born without the ability to make children. Other men were made that way later in life by other people. And other men have given up marriage because of the kingdom of heaven. But the person that can [marry] should accept this teaching [about marriage].*"
Jesus Welcomes Children (Mk. 10:13-16; Lk. 18:15-17)
13Then the people brought their little children to Jesus so that Jesus could put his hands on them* and pray for them. When the followers saw this, they told the people to stop bringing their children to Jesus. 14But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me. Don't stop them, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to people that are like these children." 15After Jesus put his hands on the children he left there.
A Rich Man Refuses to Follow Jesus (Mk. 10:17-31; Lk. 18:18-30)
16A man came to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to have life forever?" 17Jesus answered, "Why do you ask me about what is good? Only God is good. But if you want to have life forever, obey the commands." 18The man asked, "Which commands?" Jesus answered, "'You must not murder anyone, you must not do the sin of adultery,* you must not steal anything, you must not tell lies about other people, 19you must honor (respect) your father and mother,'* and 'you must love other people the same as you love yourself.'*" 20The young man said, "I have obeyed all these things. What else do I need?" 21Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, then go and sell all the things you own. Give the money to the poor people. If you do this, you will have a rich treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me!" 22But when the man heard this, he was very sad. The man was very rich [and wanted to keep his money]. So he left Jesus. 23Then Jesus said to his followers, "I tell you the truth. It will be very hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24Yes, I tell you that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God." 25When the followers heard this, they were very surprised. They asked, "Then who can be saved?" 26Jesus looked at his followers and said, "This is something that people cannot do themselves. But God can do all things." 27Peter said to Jesus, "We left everything we had and followed you. So what will we have?" 28Jesus said to the followers, "I tell you the truth. When the new world is made, the Son of Man* will sit on his great throne. And all of you that followed me will also sit on thrones. You will sit on twelve thrones and you will judge the twelve family groups of Israel.* 29And every person that has left houses, brothers, sisters, father, mother, children, or farms to follow me will get much more than he left. And that person will have life forever. 30Many people that have the highest place in life now will have the lowest place in the future. And many people that have the lowest place now will have the highest place in the future.
Pharisees The Pharisees were a Jewish religious group that claimed to follow carefully all Jewish laws and customs. Scriptures Holy Writings--the Old Testament. 'he made ... female' Quote from Gen. 1:27 or 5:2. 'So a man ... one' Quote from Gen. 2:24. a command ... certificate of divorce See Deut. 24.1. adultery Breaking a marriage promise by sexual sin. some men cannot marry Literally, "there are eunuchs." But ... marriage Or, "The person that can accept this teaching about not marrying should accept it." put his hands on them Showing that Jesus was giving special blessings to these children. 'You must not ... mother' Quote from Ex. 20:12-16. 'you must love ... yourself' Quote from Lev. 19:18. Son of Man A name Jesus used for himself. In Dan. 7:13-14, this is the name for the Messiah, the one God chose to save his people. Israel First, Israel was the Jewish nation, but the name is also used to mean all of God's people.