Matthew 19:10

The Message

Jesus’ disciples objected, “If those are the terms of marriage, we haven’t got a chance. Why get married?”

Cross References

Genesis 2:18

God said, “It’s not good for the Man to be alone; I’ll make him a helper, a companion.” So God formed from the dirt of the ground all the animals of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the Man to see what he would name them. Whatever the Man called each living creature, that was its name. The Man named the cattle, named the birds of the air, named the wild animals; but he didn’t find a suitable companion.

Proverbs 18:22

Find a good spouse, you find a good life— and even more: the favor of God!

Proverbs 21:19

Better to live in a tent in the wild than with a cross and petulant spouse.

Proverbs 21:9

Better to live alone in a tumbledown shack than share a mansion with a nagging spouse.

Matthew 19:11

But Jesus said, “Not everyone is mature enough to live a married life. It requires a certain aptitude and grace. Marriage isn’t for everyone. Some, from birth seemingly, never give marriage a thought. Others never get asked—or accepted. And some decide not to get married for kingdom reasons. But if you’re capable of growing into the largeness of marriage, do it.”

1 Corinthians 7:8

I do, though, tell the unmarried and widows that singleness might well be the best thing for them, as it has been for me. But if they can’t manage their desires and emotions, they should by all means go ahead and get married. The difficulties of marriage are preferable by far to a sexually tortured life as a single.