<p>19:12&nbsp;<em>For there are eunuchs that were born so from their mother's womb, and there are eunuchs that were made eunuchs by men</em>- Perhaps the idea is that there are some people who are put into a position in which they cannot remarry due to the failures of others [cp. &ldquo;of men&rdquo;]. The purpose of making men eunuchs was so that they would be faithful servants of a king- and the King in our case is the Lord Jesus.</p>
<p><em>And there are eunuchs that made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake</em>- By the literal cutting off of a body part. In this we see another connection with chapter 18, where the Lord had taught that it was better to cut off body parts in order not to offend a little one (18:7-9). The teaching not to divorce and remarry, to remain single if need be, was therefore not just a command with no reason behind it. The intention, according to the parallel with 18:7-9, was in order not to make the woman concerned stumble because of your unforgiveness of her. Once we perceive this context of forgiveness and not causing to stumble, we realize that the whole teaching here is not about divorce and remarriage in a global context, but specifically as to what to do in the case that a wife commits adultery as a one-time event, whilst she remains living with her first husband. This was the context of the initial question- is it possible to forgive so unconditionally, as Jesus had just taught, even if your wife commits adultery? And the answer to that is &lsquo;yes&rsquo;. It may be in certain cases of failure that one remains single, making themselves a eunuch, but the decision will be in order not to make another little one stumble and sin. The one caused to stumble may be the first partner, or it could be the woman to whom the husband is subsequently married. This desire not to cause others to stumble, especially the partners involved, is what should be the guiding principle in all our thinking about this vexed topic.</p>
<p>&quot;For the Kingdom of Heaven&rsquo;s sake&quot; is to be paralleled with the command to cut off body parts&nbsp;<em>in order to the enter the Kingdom</em>&nbsp;in 18:7-9.&nbsp;</p>
<p><em>He that is able to receive it, let him receive it</em>- The Greek literally means 'to have space for'. We have here the Lord's recognition of varying spiritual capacities, and His other parables suggest the same in talking of varying amounts of spiritual wealth being given to different servants, with His expectation of differing response. And it is for this reason that our ultimate status in His Kingdom shall vary- one star differs from another in glory, one rules over five cities, another over two. Of course we are all inclined to think that we are one talent material, that this is not given to me to live by. But in this lies the crucial need for a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus within which we ask Him to reveal to us what are His hopes and expectations of us, the nature of our talents and callings.&nbsp;</p>
