Someone came to Jesus with this question: “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” —Matthew 19:16 NLT Key Thought There’s something about our human nature that makes us want to find the best bargain: “What do I have to do to get that?” “Come on, you can let me have it …
One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could lay his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him. But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.” …
[After talking about divorce not being God’s plan and that divorce can lead to adultery,] Jesus’ disciples then said to him, “If this is the case, it is better not to marry!” “Not everyone can accept this statement,” Jesus said. “Only those whom God helps. Some are born as eunuchs, some have been made eunuchs …
“Then why did Moses say in the law that a man could give his wife a written notice of divorce and send her away?” [the Pharisees] asked [after Jesus’ initial response to their question about divorce]. Jesus replied, “Moses permitted divorce only as a concession to your hard hearts, but it was not what God …
“Haven’t you read the Scriptures?” Jesus replied [to the Pharisees’ question about divorce]. “They record that from the beginning ‘God made them male and female.’ And he said, ‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’ Since they are no …
Some Pharisees came and tried to trap [Jesus] with this question: “Should a man be allowed to divorce his wife for just any reason?” —Matthew 19:3 NLT Key Thought To trick Jesus, the religious leaders tried to get him to debate the legalistic elements of their law. What is powerful about this exchange is not …
When Jesus had finished saying these things [about the need to be forgiving], he left Galilee and went down to the region of Judea east of the Jordan River. Large crowds followed him there, and he healed their sick. —Matthew 19:1-2 NLT Key Thought In transitional verses, we often find key elements of truth that …
[Talking about being forgiving, Jesus continued,] “When some of the other servants saw [that the servant who had been forgiven a tremendous debt didn’t forgive another servant who owed him much less], they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. Then the king called in the man …
[Talking about being forgiving, Jesus continued,] “But when the man [who had been forgiven a tremendously large debt] left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment. “His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a …
[Talking about being forgiving, Jesus continued,] “Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. He couldn’t pay, so his …