Plantation SDA Church
Join us as Pastor Joseph Salajan continues Season 3 of Deeper. Deep study into the book of Matthew
Deeper Theme: Celibacy may be an option, not in order to obtain the Kingdom, but in order to further it.
Matthew 19:9 NKJV
Why is it that in the Bible it is always the man that divorces his wife, and not the other way around?
• It was a man thing… they asked Him.
• Women did not really have that option
• Patriarchal society →the man is the boss!
Does what Jesus says to men also apply to women?
• If women had asked the question…
• Men and women are tempted alike.
• Abuse usually comes from the one that feels more in power.
Matthew 19:10-11 ESV
Is “never getting married” the solution to avoid complications?
• It may be for some.
• Celibacy is not for everybody.
• Better to marry than to burn! (1Cor. 7:9)
I Corinthians 7:9 NKJV
Matthew 19:10-12 NKJV
Are there eunuchs that were born like that?
• Congenital illness (physical abnormality)
• Functionality issues
Who are the eunuchs made by men?
• War prisoners
• Royal housekeepers (e.g. Esther, Daniel) → Montesquieu: Persian Letters
• Tenor singers (➔ 18th century)
Who are the eunuchs that made themselves eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven’s sake?
• Monks and hermits (?)
• Self-castration/mutilation (?) → Origen
• They remained unmarried (e.g. Paul)
Take Away
• Sexual attraction is not evil per se; mutilation of the body doesn’t take away sexual attraction.
• Celibacy may be an option not in order to obtain the Kingdom, but in order to further the Kingdom.