MATTHEW 19:11 — KING JAMES VERSION 0
“But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given.”
But he said to them: not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. Jesus' response to the disciples' not-marry conclusion: not everyone can receive this saying. The receive is the same language as receiving the kingdom (Matthew 18:5) — the capacity to live within the ruling of verse 9 is a gift, not a universal ability. The discipleship that Jesus describes requires the grace to live by the creation's marriage standard.
Church Fathers on Matthew 19:11
A wife is a grievous burden, if it is not permitted to put her away except for the cause of fornication. For what if she be a drunkard, an evil temper, or of evil habits, is she to be kept? The Apostles, perceiving this burdensomeness, express what they feel; 'His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry.'
For it is a lighter thing to contend with himself, and his own lust, than with an evil woman.
And the Lord said not, It is good, but rather assented that it is not good. However, He considered the weakness of the flesh; 'But he said unto them, All cannot receive this saying;' that is, All are not able to do this.
Read all 12 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain
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