Scripture Helps

Matthew 19–20; Mark 10; Luke 18

The Savior left Galilee and traveled south toward Judea. He taught about marriage and divorce, blessed young children, and counseled the rich young man. He taught His disciples that those who sacrifice for His sake will inherit everlasting life. Jesus taught the parable of the laborers in the vineyard, foretold His own death and Resurrection, and taught His Apostles to serve others. He healed a blind man. He taught the parable of the unjust judge and the parable of the Pharisee and the publican.

Resources

• Background and Context

• Learn More

• Media

Note: The citation of a source not published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not imply that it or its author is endorsed by the Church or represents the official position of the Church.

Background and Context

Matthew 19:3–9

What did Jesus Christ teach about marriage and divorce?

The Pharisees’ question about divorce reflected a dispute among the Pharisees. Some believed that divorce should not be permitted for any reason except sexual transgression. Others believed divorce was acceptable for “any cause,” such as “childlessness, argumentativeness, or even failure to properly keep house.”

The Lord responded by rejecting the practice of divorce for any reason other than sexual transgression. He also reminded the Pharisees of the original intent of marriage as taught in Genesis 1:27–28; 2:22–24. He emphasized that “marriage was meant to establish a permanent relationship.” This teaching rejected the “unrighteous oppression of women” that resulted from divorce for trivial causes.

Modern readers may feel uncomfortable with Jesus’s teaching that whoever divorces a wife and then remarries commits adultery against her. But those in Jesus’s time might have noted that this teaching elevated the status of women. In biblical times, a married woman was considered to “belong” to her husband. Accordingly, adultery was thought of as an offense against a man. “By teaching that a man’s adultery was an offense against his wife, Jesus placed the husband under ‘the same moral obligation as the wife’ and ‘raised the dignity and status of women.’ A wife did not simply ‘belong’ to her husband like a possession, but each belonged to the other and had mutual claim on the other’s fidelity (see 1 Corinthians 7:3–4).”

Commenting on Matthew 19:8–9, President Dallin H. Oaks taught: “The kind of marriage required for exaltation—eternal in duration and godlike in quality—does not contemplate divorce. In the temples of the Lord, couples are married for all eternity. But some marriages do not progress toward that ideal. Because ‘of the hardness of [our] hearts,’ the Lord does not currently enforce the consequences of the celestial standard. He permits divorced persons to marry again without the stain of immorality specified in the higher law. Unless a divorced member has committed serious transgressions, he or she can become eligible for a temple recommend under the same worthiness standards that apply to other members.”

Matthew 19:12

What did Jesus teach about eunuchs?

A eunuch was an emasculated man. A man could be a eunuch by birth, by castration, or by choice “for the kingdom of heaven’s sake.” This last group is best understood figuratively. It may include those who voluntarily abstain from marriage or sexual relations in order to serve God. For example, Peter and other disciples were separated from their wives for a time to follow the Savior and do His work. Rather than approving of lifelong celibacy, the Savior may have been teaching that these disciples would need to temporarily sacrifice family and marital relationships while they traveled with Him.

The call for temporary abstinence to follow the Savior did not change the importance of marriage. Both ancient and modern revelation affirm that marriage and procreation are commandments of God and essential aspects of His plan of salvation.

Matthew 19:24

What does the message about a camel going through the eye of a needle mean?

Jesus was likely using hyperbole (intentional exaggeration) to teach that a rich person would have great difficulty entering into heaven. The Joseph Smith Translation adds, “With men that trust in riches, it is impossible; but not impossible with men who trust in God and leave all for my sake, for with such all these things are possible.”

Matthew 20:1–16

Why were all the laborers paid the same wage?

President Jeffrey R. Holland said of this parable: “It is important to note that no one has been treated unfairly here. The first workers agreed to the full wage of the day, and they received it. Furthermore, they were, I can only imagine, very grateful to get the work. In the time of the Savior, an average man and his family could not do much more than live on what they made that day. If you didn’t work or farm or fish or sell, you likely didn’t eat. With more prospective workers than jobs, these first men chosen were the most fortunate in the entire labor pool that morning. …

“But just at day’s close, the householder returns a surprising fifth time with a remarkable eleventh-hour offer! These last and most discouraged of laborers, hearing only that they will be treated fairly, accept work without even knowing the wage, knowing that anything will be better than nothing, which is what they have had so far. Then as they gather for their payment, they are stunned to receive the same as all the others! How awestruck they must have been and how very, very grateful! Surely never had such compassion been seen in all their working days.

“It is with that reading of the story that I feel the grumbling of the first laborers must be seen. As the householder in the parable tells them (and I paraphrase only slightly): ‘My friends, I am not being unfair to you. You agreed on the wage for the day, a good wage. You were very happy to get the work, and I am very happy with the way you served. You are paid in full. Take your pay and enjoy the blessing. As for the others, surely I am free to do what I like with my own money.’ Then this piercing question to anyone then or now who needs to hear it: ‘Why should you be jealous because I choose to be kind?’”

Mark 10:45

How did Jesus Christ “give his life a ransom for many”?

“Ransom” is translated from the Greek word lytron, meaning a price of release or a means by which release is made possible. In Old Testament times, when someone was in bondage, his or her family was expected to pay the price of release. As the Firstborn of our Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ paid the ransom required to free all people from the bondage of sin. This ransom was paid not with money or gold but with the “precious blood of Christ.”

The “many” who would be redeemed contrasts with the One, Jesus Christ, who paid for their redemption. The prophet Isaiah taught: “The Lord hath laid on [Jesus Christ] the iniquity of us all. … By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.”

Luke 18:1–8

What can we learn from the parable of the unjust judge?

Luke stated that the main message of the parable of the unjust judge is that people “ ought always to pray, and not to faint.” The Greek word translated as “to faint” means to become discouraged or lose heart. In the parable, praying without becoming discouraged is represented by a widow who repeatedly asks a judge to fix an injustice.

This parable is also one of several instances when the Savior taught about God’s perfection by contrasting it with human imperfection. If a wicked judge will finally answer a pleading widow whom he does not care for, how much more will God, the righteous Judge of all, answer the prayers of His people and give them justice?

Luke 18:9–14

Why did the Savior contrast a Pharisee with a publican?

Pharisees were generally respected for strictly obeying the law. They had developed many rules and traditions, known as the oral law, to ensure that the law of Moses was kept. Unfortunately, their teachings had the effect of reducing “religion to the observance of rules and encouraged spiritual pride.” This led to an attitude of self-righteousness. In contrast, Publicans were tax collectors, who were hated and seen as corrupt. They were often grouped with harlots and sinners. But many publicans humbly received Jesus’s teachings. The Gospels do not record any instances of Jesus rebuking those who were willing to listen and improve their lives.

Learn More

Marriage

• Dallin H. Oaks, “Divorce,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2007, 70–72

Discipleship

• M. Russell Ballard, “To Whom Shall We Go?” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2016, 90–92

• Dallin H. Oaks, “Followers of Christ,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2013, 96–99

• Larry R. Lawrence, “What Lack I Yet?,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2015, 33–35

• Jeffrey R. Holland, “The Laborers in the Vineyard,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2012, 31–33

Media

Videos

“Christ and the Rich Young Ruler” (2:28)

“Laborers in the Vineyard” (3:05)

“Suffer the Little Children to Come unto Me” (2:44)

Images

Christ and the Rich Young Ruler, by Heinrich Hofmann

Illustration by Robert T. Barrett

Notes

1. Richard D. Draper, “What Therefore God Hath Joined Together, Let No Man Put Asunder,” in The Sermon on the Mount in Latter-day Scripture, ed. Gaye Strathearn and others (2010), 123, note 5.

2. Draper, “What Therefore God Hath Joined Together,” 114.

3. Draper, “What Therefore God Hath Joined Together,” 115.

4. Dallin H. Oaks, “Divorce,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2007, 70.

5. See Mark 10:11.

6. Mark D. Ellison, “Family, Marriage, and Celibacy in the New Testament,” in New Testament History, Culture, and Society: A Background to the Texts of the New Testament, ed. Lincoln H. Blumell (2019), 540.

7. Dallin H. Oaks, “Divorce,” 70.

8. See Bible Dictionary, “Eunuch.”

9. See Matthew 19:27–29; see also Ellison, “Family, Marriage, and Celibacy,” 541.

10. See Matthew 19:27–29.

11. See Genesis 1:27–28; 2:24; Doctrine and Covenants 49:15–17; 131:1–4; see also “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” Gospel Library.

12. Joseph Smith Translation, Mark 10:26 (in Mark 10:27, footnote a).

13. Jeffrey R. Holland, “The Laborers in the Vineyard,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2012, 31.

14. See Tremper Longman III and Mark L. Strauss, The Baker Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words (2023), 646, 1104.

15. See Leviticus 25:48–49.

16. 1 Peter 1:19.

17. Isaiah 53:6, 11; emphasis added.

18. Luke 18:1.

19. See Longman and Strauss, The Baker Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, 1071.

20. See Luke 11:5–8, 11–13.

21. The Greek word translated as “avenge” in Luke 18:3, 5, 7–8 means to execute justice or to punish (see Longman and Strauss, The Baker Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, 1071).

22. See the section “Who were the Pharisees?” in “Between the Old and New Testaments,” Scripture Helps: New Testament.

23. On another occasion, Jesus told His followers to do what the scribes and Pharisees taught but not follow their examples (see Matthew 23:3). He then rebuked the scribes and Pharisees for their hypocrisy (see Matthew 23:4–36).

24. Guide to the Scriptures, “Pharisees,” Gospel Library.

25. See Guide to the Scriptures, “Publican,” Gospel Library.

26. See Matthew 9:10–11; 11:19; 21:32; Mark 2:15–16.

27. See Matthew 21:31–32; Mark 2:15–16; Luke 15:1. Some Pharisees also were receptive to Jesus’s teachings: see John 3:1–13; 19:38–40; Acts 15:5; Philippians 3:4–9.

28. See Luke 18:14; Doctrine and Covenants 52:15.