THE LORD leaves Galilee and begins His last journey to Jerusalem. He is approached by the Pharisees who, knowing His graciousness, would seek to get Him entangled with the law of Moses on the matter of dissolving the marriage tie. He refers them to the beginning of man’s history, of how when the Lord God created Adam and Eve, He had said of man and wife, “they twain shall be one flesh.” The Lord upholds the sanctity of the marriage bond and adds, “What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”
But they come back with another question, Why did Moses give a commandment as to divorce? The Lord’s answer is, “Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives:” It was not a command, but God allowed it because of the hardness of their hearts. It was not so from the beginning, and there really is only one ground for divorce. It appears that divorce was a very common thing in that day, so that even the disciples say to Jesus, “If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry.” The Lord tells them that while there were some who for the kingdom of heaven’s sake did not enter into marriage, yet everyone was not bound to do the same.
Some brought little children unto Him at this time, that He might lay His hands on them and pray for them. A child is a little thing in the eyes of the world, and the disciples in their zeal, thinking little children were unworthy of the Lord’s notice, but rather an annoyance, would have driven them away. The Lord, however, sets aside these unbecoming thoughts of His disciples who had misrepresented Him, and sets forth His own feelings as to little children.
His words on this occasion have ever since been an encouragement to pants and to those who work with children. He says, “Suffer 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 thence.”
Next there comes to Him a young man who had “great possessions.” Elsewhere we read, “and Jesus loved him,” for he seemed to have been a naturally beautiful character, whose heart was not hardened by sin. But the question he asks shows the purpose of his heart, which only He who searches the heart could bring out. He addresses the Lord as “Good Master.” He had no thought that the One whom He was addressing was God Himself. He sees Him as a good man. “What good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?” He knew the provisions of the law which promised life as long as one fulfilled its demands, but it seems he had some misgivings about that. The Lord answers him, “Why tallest thou Me good? there is none good but One, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life,” (He doesn’t say eternal life, which can only be had as a gift from God) “keep the commandments.” He refers him to those commandments which have particularly to do with man’s responsibility to his fellow-men. The young man says, “All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?” The Lord then tells him to sell all that he had and give to the poor, “and come and follow Me.” This revealed a covetous heart, for the young man went away sorrowful, unwilling to part with his wealth and to become a follower of the lowly Jesus. This was sad, for we never hear of him again.
ML-11/04/1962