2010 – November 9 – Eunuchs for the Kingdom

Study from God’s Word… [Jesus moves from Ephraim, through Jericho and Bethany, on to Jerusalem and the trek to Calvary] Matt 19: 3-9 [Mk 10: 2-9]; Mt 19: 10-12 and Mk 10: 10-12; Mk 19: 13-16 [Mt 19: 13-15 & Lk 18: 15-17]; Mk 10: 17-22 [Mt 19: 16-22 & Lk 18: 18-23]; Mk 10: 23-27 [Mt 19: 23-26 & Lk 18: 24-27]; Mk 10: 32-24 & Lk 18: 31-14 [Mt 20: 17-19]; Mt 20: 20-23 & Mk 10: 35-40]; Mk 10: 41-45 [Mt 20: 24-28]; Lk 19: 1-10; Mk 10: 46-52 & Lk 18: 25-43 [Mt 20: 29-34]; Lk 19: 11-27; Lk 19: 25; Lk 11: 55-57; Mt 26: 6-13 & Mk 14: 3-9 & Jn :12: 1-8; Jn 12: 9-11 … Passage for Reflection: Matthew 19: 12 … NIV [Jesus] “For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others—and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”

My Journal for Today: Today’s text is taken from the context of Jesus discussing God’s position on divorce and remarriage; and we certainly know that the Lord took a hard line on this issue, which is pressing even more now in the Church than in the 1st century. So, what, in the midst of a discussion of the divorce issue with Jesus’ Disciples does the Lord bring up the subject of eunuchs?

Well, eunuchs (i.e., those who are rendered impotent physiologically at birth or surgically later in life), were generally not living that way in Jesus’ day because they wanted to be eunuchs. Hence, Jesus was using this example to illustrate that there are people who are involved in such life situations, such as divorce. Some were involved in divorce – and may be today- because of past sin or from a past marriage which was not covered by Jesus’ reflection on Moses’ teaching on divorce. In other words, in those days (and most certainly now) there are those who are divorced and would desire to be remarried (and some do) but should not be remarried because it would be consciously sinful and, according to Christ, tantamount to adultery. Tough stuff, isn’t it?

What Jesus was saying to His Disciples by using the example of eunuchs was summarized by Dr. LaGard Smith in his devotional entry for today; and let me quote what he said …

>>> Dr. LaGard Smith from The Daily Bible Devotional for November 9: “… Jesus insists that there are hard choices to be made for the sake of the kingdom. Maybe it has to do with not remarrying in the wake of (a biblically) unauthorized divorce. Maybe it has to do with not entering into (biblically) forbidden sexual relationships despite urges to do so, or turning down that lucrative job requiring a compromise of integrity. Whatever great personal price one has to pay to maintain kingdom values, God never promised us a spiritual rose garden.”

And Dr. Smith’s hard question for today, at the end of his devotional entry is this: ”What difficult choices am I willing to make FOR THE SAKE OF GOD’S KINGDOM.”

And I don’t know about you; but there are choices I must make – sometimes daily - in light of my personal and sinful desires and my default sin nature that I need to make to be able to do what Christ exhorted His disciples in Matt. 5: 16 … to shine HIS LIGHT for all to see my good works in order to glorify my Heavenly Father and to show off His Kingdom values. You’ll have to deal with this hard word and Dr. Smith’s question above on your own; but we all need to do this kind of value inventory … and in a sense become “eunuchs” for Christ in this world.

My Prayer for Today: Lord, I need Your strength to be Your “eunuch” as I choose to shine Your light in this ever darkening world. Amen