Faith and trust

Made One in Him: The Foundation of Faith and Trust

In Matthew 19:1–20, Jesus anchors faith in an indissoluble promise: what God has joined together, no one may separate.

BibleVibe Editorial5 min read
TranslationESV
Matthew 19:1-20

And it came to pass when Jesus had finished these words, he departed from Galilee, and came into the borders of Judaea beyond the Jordan; and great multitudes followed him; and he healed them there. And there came unto him Pharisees, trying him, and saying, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? And he answered and said, Have ye not read, that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh? So that they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. They say unto him, Why then did Moses command to give a bill of divorcement, and to put her away? He saith unto them, Moses for your hardness of heart suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it hath not been so. And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and he that marrieth her when she is put away committeth adultery. The disciples say unto him, If the case of the man is so with his wife, it is not expedient to marry. But he said unto them, Not all men can receive this saying, but they to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs, that were so born from their mother's womb: and there are eunuchs, that were made eunuchs by men: and there are eunuchs, that made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it. Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should lay his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, Suffer the little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for to such belongeth the kingdom of heaven. And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence. And behold, one came to him and said, Teacher, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why askest thou me concerning that which is good? One there is who is good: but if thou wouldest enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, Which? And Jesus said, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honor thy father and mother; and, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. The young man saith unto him, All these things have I observed: what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If thou wouldest be perfect, go, sell that which thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. But when the young man heard the saying, he went away sorrowful; for he was one that had great possessions. And Jesus said unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, It is hard for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. And when the disciples heard it, they were astonished exceedingly, saying, Who then can be saved? And Jesus looking upon them said to them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. Then answered Peter and said unto him, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee; what then shall we have? And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, that ye who have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit on the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And every one that hath left houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and shall inherit eternal life. But many shall be last that are first; and first that are last.

Matthew 19:1–20 (ESV) records Jesus' teaching on marriage, children, and eternal life — showing that true faith receives what God gives, trusts His design from the beginning, and rests not in human effort but in the Creator's covenant.

Narration

Historical and Geographic Setting

Matthew 19 opens a transitional chapter. Jesus has just concluded His Galilean discourses (compare Matthew 7:28; Mark 10:1) and now travels from Galilee into the borders of Judaea beyond the Jordan — the Perean ministry zone. Great multitudes followed Him and He healed them there. It is into this crowd that the Pharisees come, testing Him on divorce, then disciples bring children, and a young man (later called 'the rich young ruler' in the Synoptic parallels) asks the pivotal question, 'Teacher, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?' The setting matters because Jesus deliberately grounds His answers in creation: 'He who made them from the beginning made them male and female.' By appealing to the original ordinance of marriage before Moses, Jesus places His teaching beyond the reach of later rabbinic debate. Josephus notes that disputes over divorce were lively in this period; among the schools of Shammai and Hillel the Pharisees sought to force Jesus into one camp (cf. Josephus, Antiquities 18.2.2 on the various Jewish sects of the Herodian era). The cross-references to John 10:40 remind us that this journey beyond the Jordan also evokes the place where John had baptized — a region thick with messianic expectation. Theologically, the passage is structured to expose what faith is not: it is not a tactical answer to a theological trap (the Pharisees), it is not sentimental religious activism (the disciples rebuking children), and it is not moral effort aimed at earning eternal life (the rich man). Each scene pushes the hearer toward the same point — faith is receiving what God has given, trusting His design, and depending on the One who joins and heals and saves.

The Scene in Space and Time

Faith reflections rooted in the First Temple era, spanning the Davidic heartland of Jerusalem, the Galilean ministry grounds of Jesus, and the Bethlehem–Nazareth corridor of messianic fulfillment.

Meaning of the Text

Three movements shape the meaning of Matthew 19:1–20. First, marriage and the doctrine of God. Jesus rejects the premise that Moses' concession was the ideal. 'From the beginning it was not so.' Marriage is grounded in creation, not regulation. The indissoluble union of husband and wife is a window into God's own faithfulness — He does not abandon what He has joined. Faith is therefore not a contract we can renegotiate when our hearts harden; it is a receiving of what God has set in place from before the foundation of the world. Second, the eunuch saying and the welcome of children. Jesus insists that the single life and the married life, the child and the adult, are not graded on a scale of spiritual achievement. 'Not all men can receive this saying, but they to whom it is given.' Likewise, the kingdom 'belongs' to such little ones. Faith is not the mastery of difficulty for God's sake; it is the humble reception of a gift. Children cannot earn the kingdom — and neither can adults who act like children of the Father. Third, the question of eternal life. The rich man's question — 'What good thing shall I do?' — reveals the religious default of every age: trusting the self instead of the Savior. Jesus will go on (in the verses that follow this passage) to direct him to the commandments, then to Himself, then to the surrender that reveals an idol. The whole arc of these twenty verses is a setup: human effort cannot do what only God's gift can give. Faith, in every scene here, is the outstretched hand receiving from the One who made, who joins, who gives, who calls.

Application for Today

Where is your faith leaning on your own cleverness? The Pharisees came with a test, and Jesus answered with creation — a reminder that our debates often evaporate when we return to what the Lord said at the start. When a relationship, a vocation, or a conviction feels brittle, return to the original word of God over it. Faith trusts the Designer more than the current crisis. Where has your faith grown impatient with weakness? The disciples tried to filter out the children, and Jesus was 'indignant' in Mark's telling (Mark 10:14). Faith that despises smallness, dependence, or beginning-again humility is faith that has forgotten it was once carried. Make room for the littlest prayers, the simplest hopes, the newest believers. Where are you asking, 'What shall I do?' — as if doing could produce eternal life? The young man's question is the modern question of moral striving, religious performance, and self-improvement spirituality. Jesus' answer (continued in the verses that follow) is that the gift must be received, not earned. Trust is not doing more for God; it is letting God give Himself to you. Examine the closet of your heart today and ask the Lord to name the one thing you are still holding onto instead of receiving from His hand.

Reflection

Faith is not first a doctrine we recite but a posture we assume. In Matthew 19, that posture looks like a child placed in the arms of Jesus, a creation that cannot unmake itself, and a soul that has run out of self-made righteousness and stands — empty-handed — before the only One who has something good to give. The cross-references echo this same posture: in John 10:40, John had pointed to the Lamb and the people came; in Mark 10:1, the journey itself is the answer — the Shepherd comes where the sheep are. To trust is to stop calculating the bill of divorcement and to enter the house of the Father. 'He who is able to receive it, let him receive it.'

FAQ

Does faith or does keeping the law lead to eternal life?

The rich young man in Matthew 19 asks, 'What good thing shall I do?' Jesus leads him to see that eternal life is not a wage for deeds but a gift to be received. Faith receives the gift; it does not earn it.

Why does Jesus say, 'What God has joined together, let no one separate'?

Because marriage is grounded in God's original creative order, not in human expedience. Faith therefore rests in God's design, not in human workaround.

What does it mean to let the little children come to Jesus?

The kingdom belongs to those who, like little children, do not rely on themselves but simply receive. Faith is not a display of ability but a childlike dependence.

Can faith embrace singleness?

Jesus says, 'Not all can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given.' Singleness, received for the kingdom's sake, is an expression of trusting the goodness of God's arrangement.

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