Matthew 19 · a question people ask

"Not all men can receive this saying" (19:11). Which saying does Jesus mean, and who is 19:12 about?

In the text

Here is exactly what the verses say. Jesus had said, "whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery" (19:9). His disciples said, "If this is the case of the man with his wife, it is not expedient to marry." (19:10). "But he said to them, “Not all men can receive this saying, but those to whom it is given." (19:11). Then he spoke of eunuchs "who were born that way from their mother’s womb", eunuchs "who were made eunuchs by men", and eunuchs "who made themselves eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven’s sake", and ended, "He who is able to receive it, let him receive it." (19:12). The verses don't name the saying beyond this saying, and Jesus doesn't say more in this chapter about who is meant in 19:12. Christians read these verses in more than one way. These notes quote them exactly, don't choose a reading, and apply them to no one's marriage or singleness.

From Favor's study of Matthew 19

Matthew 19: With God all things are possible

When Peter says, "we have left everything and followed you" (19:27), his two verbs are the two Matthew used of Simon and Andrew by the sea of Galilee: "They immediately left their nets and followed him" (4:20). In the Greek they are the same verbs, and Thayer lists the two verses together.

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Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Every answer cites the verses it rests on. What we believe · All Bible questions