Feb. 18, 2024

Jesus continues teaching on divorce, celibacy, and blesses the little children, counsels the rich young ruler, and announces with God all things are possible.

Matthew Lesson 33 Study Questions

1.    Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away: The Pharisees wrongly thought that God commanded divorce where there was uncleanness. One rabbinic saying of that day went: “If a man has a bad wife, it is a religious duty to divorce her.” But Jesus noted the difference between “command” and “permitted.” God never _________ divorce, but He does ________ it.

2.    Except for sexual immorality: Jesus interpreted the meaning of the word uncleanness in the Mosaic Law, showing that it refers to sexual immorality, not just _________ that might _________ the husband. Therefore, divorce – and the freedom to remarry without sin – is only __________ in the case of sexual immorality.

3.    To this permission for divorce, the Apostle Paul added the case of ________________ by an _____________ spouse (1 Corinthians 7:15).

4.    This teaching of Jesus shows us that marriage, as a promise made to God, to our _______ and to the _____, is a binding promise, and cannot be broken at our own discretion. If God does not recognize the promise being broken, then it is not.

5.    Then little children were brought to Him: It is marvelous that in the midst of Jesus’ teaching on marriage, parents _______ their children to be blessed. Today, parents should still ______ their children to Jesus; He wants to bless them and welcome them into the kingdom of heaven.

6.    . What good thing shall I do to inherit eternal life: This question demonstrates that this man, like all people by nature, had an orientation towards ________ eternal life. He wanted to know what _____ work or _______ deed he could do to inherit eternal life.

7.    What do I still lack? This alone tells us that this man had not _________ kept the law, because he still knew that there was something _________ in his life, prompting the question.

8.    Sell all you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me: We may make two mistakes here. The one is to believe this applies to everyone, when Jesus never made this a general ________ to all who would follow Him, but especially to this one rich man whose riches were clearly an _________ to his discipleship. 

9.    . He went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions: In this, the wealthy questioner failed utterly. ______ was his god; he was guilty of ________. This is why Jesus, knowing the man’s heart, asked him to renounce his possessions.

10.    Assuredly, I say to you: We should not diminish the ________ of Jesus’ words, nor fail to see their _________ in our own affluent society. Who among us would not be considered richer than this rich young ruler was?

11.    With God all things are possible: It is _______ for the rich man to be saved. God’s ______ is enough to save the rich man; we have the examples of people like Zaccheus, Joseph of Arimathea, and Barnabas. These all were rich men still able to put God first, not their riches.

12.    Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters: But there will be universal _______ for all who _________ for Jesus’ sake; whatever has been given up for Him will be returned to us a hundred times over – in addition to everlasting life.