Matthew 19:12: Single for a reason? Or single for a "season"? (Which may or may not last a lifetime!)
Captain Sensible writes: I am greatly indebted to receive the following posting. It has been sent to me by a very wise and courageous soul who cares extremely deeply about the departure from God's true Word on the issue of singleness, and the resulting consequences that we are now seeing in the body of Christ today. JM, I doubt it will be possible to thank you enough in this life.
Despite the fact that there have been hundreds of Christian books written in the past several decades prooftexting "God's way" for singles, there are only two passages in the Bible that even address singleness: those in 1 Corinthians 7 (see previous post) and Christ's words in Matthew 19:11-12.
To understand Matthew 19:11-12, we need to look at the context in which Christ spoke. In verses 3-9, some Pharisees had been testing him with questions about divorce, to which he responded by affirming the scriptural limits of divorce and remarriage. In verse 10, the disciples, daunted by the rigor of this teaching said to him, "If the case of the man be so with [his] wife, it is not good to marry." The Lord responds in verse 11 by setting the conditions for a teaching that he immediately declares as being for some, but not all:
De epo autos (But he said unto them), pas ou choreo (all [men] cannot receive/or "make space for") touton logos (this saying), alla hos didomi (save [they] to whom it is given).
In verse 12, he proceeds with this teaching, describing three types of eunuchs:
Gar eisi eunouchos (For there are some eunuchs) hostis houto gennao ek meter koilia (which were so born from their mother's womb), kai eisi eunouchos (and there are some eunuchs) hostis eunouchizo hupo anthropos (which were made eunuchs of men), kai eisi eunouchos (and there be some eunuchs) hostis eunouchizo heautou eunouchizo dia basileia ouranos (which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake).
Note that the first type of eunuch, "so born from their mother's womb", is not described as being made that way by God. This is not to dispute God's sovereignty but to note what the Bible does and does not refer to as a gift or provision of God. Indeed, being in the second case, would certainly have been considered an unfortunate affliction in Bible times, and they both have something in common: neither had any choice in the matter. The whole point of the teaching emerges when he presents the third kind of eunuch, those who MADE THEMSELVES eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom. It is plain to see that Christ is making a distinction between those who have no choice (and would probably never have made such a choice) from those who can choose to sacrifice marriage and all its connubial benefits to fulfill a mission.
Christ then concludes this verse by stating A SECOND TIME the conditions he set in verse 11, reiterating clearly that it is for those capable of receiving it (rather than obeying under compulsion or command from God): Dunamai choreo choreo (He that is able to receive (it), let him receive (it).
Several thoughts come to mind about how this passage has been interpreted by modern writers on Christian singleness:
1) No where in this passage or any other part of the Bible is anyone ever "called to singleness" by God in the Bible, with the exception of Jeremiah, whose singleness was limited to a specific place and mission (we don't know if he married later). Like 1 Cor 7, Matthew 19 offers an endorsement of singleness for the purpose of Godly devotion that is clearly optional, because marriage will be the most preferred and practical state of affairs for the vast majority of believers.
2) Contrary to what one popular Christian singleness writer who suggested to those who hope for "the future blessing of marriage" that they are being "GIFTED AS SINGLES for the benefit of Christ and His church" (temporarily, "for a season"), Matthew 19:12 is hardly the picture of a "season of singleness". It would be grandiose for any of us who are not single by choice to put ourselves in the same league as those who truly made a sacrificial decision for the sake of the kingdom, such as those who join monastic orders.
3) Matthew 19:12 has also been cited as an example of Christ's "positive attitude" towards singles and singleness. Again, this might apply to those few who resemble the third type of "eunuch", having voluntarily taken a path of kingdom work that precludes marriage, but there is nothing here that validates or blesses the circumstantial singleness of the other two types. Indeed, to be born a "eunuch" or made a eunuch by men would have been considered a great misfortune in biblical times. If anything, Christ's description of them takes a tone that is more neutral than positive, so we cannot assume that Christ mentioned them to encourage them in their "contentment" or "purpose". Despite what would seem to be a natural proclivity for sexual containment, they aren't even mentioned as candidates for any specific kingdom work, at least, not in this passage. Verse 12 is clearly about the third type of "eunuch": those exceptional individuals who voluntarily choose to sacrifice everything for the sake of the kingdom.
Despite the fact that there have been hundreds of Christian books written in the past several decades prooftexting "God's way" for singles, there are only two passages in the Bible that even address singleness: those in 1 Corinthians 7 (see previous post) and Christ's words in Matthew 19:11-12.
To understand Matthew 19:11-12, we need to look at the context in which Christ spoke. In verses 3-9, some Pharisees had been testing him with questions about divorce, to which he responded by affirming the scriptural limits of divorce and remarriage. In verse 10, the disciples, daunted by the rigor of this teaching said to him, "If the case of the man be so with [his] wife, it is not good to marry." The Lord responds in verse 11 by setting the conditions for a teaching that he immediately declares as being for some, but not all:
De epo autos (But he said unto them), pas ou choreo (all [men] cannot receive/or "make space for") touton logos (this saying), alla hos didomi (save [they] to whom it is given).
In verse 12, he proceeds with this teaching, describing three types of eunuchs:
Gar eisi eunouchos (For there are some eunuchs) hostis houto gennao ek meter koilia (which were so born from their mother's womb), kai eisi eunouchos (and there are some eunuchs) hostis eunouchizo hupo anthropos (which were made eunuchs of men), kai eisi eunouchos (and there be some eunuchs) hostis eunouchizo heautou eunouchizo dia basileia ouranos (which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake).
Note that the first type of eunuch, "so born from their mother's womb", is not described as being made that way by God. This is not to dispute God's sovereignty but to note what the Bible does and does not refer to as a gift or provision of God. Indeed, being in the second case, would certainly have been considered an unfortunate affliction in Bible times, and they both have something in common: neither had any choice in the matter. The whole point of the teaching emerges when he presents the third kind of eunuch, those who MADE THEMSELVES eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom. It is plain to see that Christ is making a distinction between those who have no choice (and would probably never have made such a choice) from those who can choose to sacrifice marriage and all its connubial benefits to fulfill a mission.
Christ then concludes this verse by stating A SECOND TIME the conditions he set in verse 11, reiterating clearly that it is for those capable of receiving it (rather than obeying under compulsion or command from God): Dunamai choreo choreo (He that is able to receive (it), let him receive (it).
Several thoughts come to mind about how this passage has been interpreted by modern writers on Christian singleness:
1) No where in this passage or any other part of the Bible is anyone ever "called to singleness" by God in the Bible, with the exception of Jeremiah, whose singleness was limited to a specific place and mission (we don't know if he married later). Like 1 Cor 7, Matthew 19 offers an endorsement of singleness for the purpose of Godly devotion that is clearly optional, because marriage will be the most preferred and practical state of affairs for the vast majority of believers.
2) Contrary to what one popular Christian singleness writer who suggested to those who hope for "the future blessing of marriage" that they are being "GIFTED AS SINGLES for the benefit of Christ and His church" (temporarily, "for a season"), Matthew 19:12 is hardly the picture of a "season of singleness". It would be grandiose for any of us who are not single by choice to put ourselves in the same league as those who truly made a sacrificial decision for the sake of the kingdom, such as those who join monastic orders.
3) Matthew 19:12 has also been cited as an example of Christ's "positive attitude" towards singles and singleness. Again, this might apply to those few who resemble the third type of "eunuch", having voluntarily taken a path of kingdom work that precludes marriage, but there is nothing here that validates or blesses the circumstantial singleness of the other two types. Indeed, to be born a "eunuch" or made a eunuch by men would have been considered a great misfortune in biblical times. If anything, Christ's description of them takes a tone that is more neutral than positive, so we cannot assume that Christ mentioned them to encourage them in their "contentment" or "purpose". Despite what would seem to be a natural proclivity for sexual containment, they aren't even mentioned as candidates for any specific kingdom work, at least, not in this passage. Verse 12 is clearly about the third type of "eunuch": those exceptional individuals who voluntarily choose to sacrifice everything for the sake of the kingdom.
posted by Captain Sensible at 3:59 AM
1 Comments:
Whenever I hear the term "season of singleness" I think nuclear winter.
;)
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