Divorce pt 3
10 The disciples said to him, “If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.”
11 Jesus replied, “Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. 12 For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others—and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”
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The disciples understood Jesus’ teaching on marriage and divorce clearly. They understood that it was not a commitment to be entered into quickly or lightly, and considered that since marriage is so binding before God, then maybe it is better not to marry.
Paul said that the one who is unmarried because of calling should be holy both in body and in spirit (1 Corinthians 7:34). Therefore these eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake should come to peace with their celibacy both physically and spiritually; it should not be a consistent torment to them in either aspect.
What are the advantages for God’s kingdom being married and not?
One of God’s commands to human kind was to be “fruitful and multiply.” I once heard Allan Meyer say that God’s ultimate purpose for creating the world and people is that He is building a family. By birthing children and raising them in God’s ways we have the privilege of adding to our heavenly family. There are of course many other benefits apart from this, but I don’t want to write an essay for this post!
The primary advantage of not being married is the ability and freedom to carry out God’s work without worrying about anyone else. As mentioned in the passage this is a truly unique calling. This is a message to those who are yet to find their life partner to take full advantage of their circumstances, rather than wallowing in self-pity like I did!
Too right Ben. Without a “significant other”, we are allowed to turn all of our attention towards God 100%. Getting married and having a family is a beautiful and wonderful thing. But when there are spouses and children to divide our attention, it just means that it is impossible to focus all of our time and resources to God.