Are You a Modern Eunuch According to Jesus? (Eunuchs and Singleness-Part 2)

When you are studying a biblical topic deeply there are two places you should always go as starting points, Genesis 1 and anything Jesus said on the topic (aka the Gospels, and a couple moments in Acts ;)). The reason why this is so necessary is because we learn what God's good ideal and intention was for humanity in the first couple chapters of Genesis. What God thinks about relationships, what God thinks about us, why humans were made, what our relationship is to nature and God Himself, etc. We get God's blueprint, so to speak, in the first pages of the Bible. And even though Genesis 3 begins humanity's project to do life without God (spoiler alert: it didn't and hasn't gone very well), we still see God's rescue plan in action throughout the timeline of history through Israel. And, surprise surprise, it all leads to Jesus and His life, death, resurrection and ascension, talked about in the Gospels. Jesus clues us in with even more direction, clarity (at times lol) and lived example of what God has desired since the beginning in Genesis 1 (see the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7). So, all that to say, when we talk about things like singleness and marriage, like we are today, we want to start first with God's thoughts and words and go from there.

Today, I want to take a look at a passage in Matthew 19 where Jesus explicitly links eunuchs and singleness in a discussion between the Pharisees and His disciples. We'll get to Genesis 1 in the future I promise ;). But in this passage, per usual, the Pharisees are trying to engage Jesus in a conversation in order to test/trap Him in His words. It's a bittersweet thing because, on one hand, it's really sad that the religious leaders of the day could so badly misjudge the God they claimed to follow, but, on the other hand, I am also thankful that their questions lead to Jesus's answers that we can learn from today.

The initial question is about divorce. The Pharisees want to know what Jesus's stance is on divorce to see how well or not it matches up with their own. And like I said above, when

you are really trying to understand something you want to go to Genesis 1 and that's exactly what Jesus does. Jesus lays out what God's original intention and vision was for marriage. And the Pharisees point out that even though the original plan did not include divorce, Moses allowed for divorce in certain circumstances. This was because, Jesus says, due to the hardness of hearts of humans. Unfortunately, because of the sin and brokenness in our world, humans have not been able to keep the standard God had set for this sacred union. In fact, people started using this divorce option given by Moses very casually, divorcing their wives for something as small as not liking their cooking. Talk about brokenness. So, because of this, in Matthew 19:9 Jesus provides wisdom on how to navigate marriage and divorce as things stand now, and very much narrows the reason for divorce, but not barring it completely.

This whole conversation sets up what the disciples say next in response to Jesus's teaching. The disciples are amazed and say "if this is the situation between husband and wife, it is better not to marry."(Matt 19:10). Translation: wow, if the commitment to marriage is that high, it is better to just stay single because that sounds so hard! And side note, even though there's a bit of sadness I feel about their response (I wish commitment in marriage was higher so that there would be less brokenness in our world), but I also love it because they get it. Something clicks and they realize marriage is a sacred thing not to be taken lightly or flippantly, people need to honor and respect and truly love each other sacrificially to make this work. And not only that, but God Himself is wrapped up in this covenant as well, so a marriage should not be something that is easily broken. BUT we aren't here to talk about marriage specifically. This response from the disciples leads us to Jesus's response about singleness.

Jesus says to His disciples: 11 Jesus replied, “Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. 12 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.” (Matthew 19:11-12, NIV)

Jesus affirms the disciple's reaction to marriage and singleness. Jesus in the first sentence acknowledges that not everyone can accept this level of commitment to marriage. He then discusses some different types of singleness that people might find themselves in. If some people cannot engage in the commitment of marriage, there may be different reasons for it or different reasons for being single period.

Let's look at each of these briefly:

1. Those who cannot accept the responsibility and commitment of marriage (v. 11)- In this verse Jesus is directly acknowledging the response of the disciples and agreeing that some people may not be able to accept Jesus's parameters of marriage: one man, one woman in a covenant for life and the only grounds for ending this covenant without death is divorce due to sexual immorality (there is much more to say on grounds for divorce and remarriage and all that, for the sake of this blog post I am focusing just on Jesus's words in this specific passage). What the disciples realize and what Jesus affirms is that marriage is a lifelong commitment and people should be able to accept that going in.

For the other 3 "eunuch" statements Jesus makes I think the Message version helps us to see some meaning behind Jesus's words:

"...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.”(Matthew 19:11-12, MSG)

2. "Eunuchs who were born that way"(v.12)- This could be singleness due to someone not even considering marriage at all in their lifetime for one reason or another. Or perhaps people who were "born without the capacity for sex and marriage." (Enduring Word Commentary)

3. "Eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others" (v. 12)- This could refer very specifically to the eunuchs of Jesus's time who were castrated men in service to a king. Or those who have never been asked or accepted for marriage.

4. "Those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom" (v. 12)- This would be people who choose singleness for kingdom reasons. In our modern, western context this could be lifelong commitments to singleness like a monk or nun, same-sex attracted "side B" Christians, or, I believe, those who feel their singleness is to be used intentionally for kingdom work, long-term or temporarily.

So, after looking at Jesus's words on eunuch's and singleness in this passage, 3 takeaways stand out to me:

• Jesus SEES singleness. And not just as a general throwaway category, but the nuances that come with it. It is not an ignored status of His brother's and sister's. And if Jesus sees singleness, talks about it, then I know He sees me. He sees you.

• Jesus does not pit singleness and marriage against each other. He doesn't raise one against the other. He speaks highly of marriage, its design from the beginning of creation and His/God's desire to see it as something holy. But He also validates the experience and value of being single by BEING SINGLE HIMSELF. Which brings me to the last takeaway...

• It's really cool to think that in this situation Jesus is talking to the Pharisees and His disciples (who some could have been single), but also when He talks about eunuchs who are so "for the sake of the kingdom", He's talking about Himself. Jesus is not distantly describing things that those other humans deal with, but He is describing something of His own life experience on this earth. Jesus had/has an immense purpose and calling on His life and He was using singleness as one of the tools to accomplish that purpose. What a beautiful thing.

Jesus and His disciples. Any "The Chosen" fans out there? ;)

What are your takeaways?? What do you think about Jesus's comments here on singleness? I'd love to hear from you. And stay tuned for next week where we dive into the incredible story of one specific eunuch in a chariot :).