Matthew 19: Family and Children are From the Beginning and Meant to the End

I loved some of the phraseology used to describe a man and his wife, eternal life, and Jesus' actions toward children as presented in Matthew 19.  As I'm an inherent romantic, consider the following words,

at the beginning

male and female,

cleave,

twain shall be one flesh

joined together,

born from their mother's womb,

little children,

kingdom of heaven,

good thing,

eternal life,

be perfect,

treasure in heaven,

follow me,

with God all things are possible,

inherit everlasting life.

This progressive phraseology elicited a closer look at the whole of Matthew 19, which I now consider one of my little 'family chapters' in the New Testament.  It is precedent by the Saviour admonishing us to have compassion upon one another, and forgive every one his brother his trespass.  Quite applicable as an opening to discuss family.

I consider this chapter a little racing medley, starting with a sprinter holding a baton, and passing it on to the next teammate.  When the first sprinter in the leg of a medley does well, it benefits each succeeding competitor by providing a head start. 

The race starts with "he which made them at the beginning made them male and female (v. 4)."  We're told that "for this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife."  Yet, upon first reading a was a bit confused for what cause shall a man leave his father and mother?  Is the cause 'from the beginning,' or is it 'male and female'?  Is is something hidden between the lines?

It seems to me that we are made male and female for the distinct purpose that we twain shall be one flesh, at least that is how this segment reads.  That means we are literally made to be married, a male to a female. We are not only physically appropriate for eachother, but it is a spiritual principle that has existed since the beginning. Seems pretty strait forward. Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God. We were made to be given and taken in marriage- it's part of our divine heritage.

On to leg two of the race.  What topic does the author of Matthew choose to insert next in the chapter?  That of little children, "...For of such is the kingdom of heaven (v. 14)." The apostles forbid little children brought unto Jesus, saying there was no need, for Jesus had already declared them saved.  Jesus rebuked his disciples, and proclaimed that the little children be not forbidden to come unto him.

I'm intrigued that Jesus doesn't say that little children are the kingdom of heaven, but of such is the kingdom of heaven.  What does 'of such' mean? Could it mean that the congregation of heaven is made up of such persons as little children?  of such persons who have the traits of little children?  of such organized units of which children are apart? It very well may be that the beginning of heaven was founded for the marriage of man and woman, and the kingdom of heaven is consummated in the family unit of which little children are a part.

Long distance leg three of this race. One came unto Jesus asking what good thing he should do to have eternal life. He was a wealthy man, having been taught in his youth, and having kept the commandments since his youth.  Consider the expansive amount of doctrine he must have been exposed to if he had, indeed, been taught since his youth.  Maybe his situation is a little like some of our own- having been raised with volumes of teaching, but yet lacking something. 

I believe this story is not about money, or about 'all that the man had.' We extrapolate that his great possessions caused his downfall, but the first thing which Christ admonished was If thou wilt be perfect, then go and sell all. The counsel Christ offered targeted an insufficiency in this man, and ended with come and follow me. The young man went away sorrowing because he had great possessions, but the point is, the young man went away.  He didn't go and follow Christ.  He didn't perform the great sacrifice which would have purged him of his selfishness.  He didn't consecrate himself to the ministry of the Lord.  He directly and outrightly denied the personal invitation to 'follow me,' the exact same invitation given to Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother (Matt. 4:19).  When first offered by Jesus to someone, that phrase appears in the Book of Matthew only in the context of an invitation to discipleship.  The young man didn't just deny the offer to keep the commandments.  He blatantly walked away from the stewardship to which Christ called him.

Seeking and keeping both the rite to marriage and having children is a sacred stewardship to which each man and woman has been called. We learn from the parable of the man with great possessions that part of the theology of the family requires we figuratively follow Christ; we give up those insufficiencies, whether physical, spiritual, or emotional, which inhibit our acceptance of family, and yolk ourselves to our divine calling.

The closing leg of this figurative medley comes in the form of a rhetorical, yet very real, question by Peter.  He asks the Saviour, "We have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? (v. 27)"  Jesus answers that in the resurrection,

"Every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my names's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. (v. 29)"

To decipher what Christ means, we must differentiate between what has been sacrificed, and what is being promised for an inheritance of everlasting life. Excepting the mention of houses and lands (both of which were especially tied to family in NT times), Christ references forsaking members of a family: brethren, sisters, father, mother, wife, and children for his name's sake.  If it be required, sacrifices may come in the form of forsaking.  But, the inheritance of everlasting life is an hundredfold compensation of family. The pique happiness we experience comes in the envelope of family.  Family perpetuation is everlasting life.

What does all this have to do with a track medley relay?  For each step forward we make, by the righteous use of our agency toward bolstering and accepting the theology of the family is a blessing to those who receive the baton at our hand: our progenitors.  By maintaining righteous habits now, we bless our families for the eternities, literally, to come.

My Dad and Grandpa

My Father's Grandpa. Circa Great Depression