In
Matt. 19:11-12"But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it" Matt. 19:11-12 ESV., Jesus states that some people are born eunuchs, some people are made eunuchs by other men, and some people choose to be eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven. In the Old Testament in Deut. 23:1"No one whose testicles are crushed or whose male organ is cut off shall enter the assembly of the LORD" Deut. 23:1 ESV. and Lev. 21:17-21"Speak to Aaron, saying, 'None of your offspring throughout their generations who has a blemish may approach to offer the bread of his God. For no one who has a blemish shall draw near, a man blind or lame, or one who has a mutilated face or a limb too long, or a man who has an injured foot or an injured hand, or a hunchback or a dwarf or a man with a defect in his sight or an itching disease or scabs or crushed testicles.
No man of the offspring of Aaron the priest who has a blemish shall come near to offer the LORD's food offerings; since he has a blemish, he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God'" Lev. 21:17-21 ESV., eunuchs were not allow to become Jews or priests. However, in the New Testament, the Bible shows that eunuchs could become Christians, such as in Acts 8:36-39"Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, 'See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?'
And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing" Acts 8:36-39 ESV. when Phillip meets a eunuch and baptizes him, in Isa. 56:3-5"Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD say, "The LORD will surely separate me from his people"; and let not the eunuch say, "Behold, I am a dry tree."
For thus says the LORD: "To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant, I will give in my house and within my walls a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off" Isa. 56:3-5 ESV. when the Lord promises heaven to eunuchs who are faithful to Him, and in Matt. 19:12"For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it" Matt. 19:12 ESV. when Jesus explains that some men have become eunuchs for the sake of entering heaven. Why does the Bible take such great care in emphasizing that heaven is attainable for eunuchs? It is because eunuchs were some of the most scorned, ridiculed people in society, and biblical authors wanted to lift the status of these people up.1 Jesus is known for defending the downtrodden, the poor, the outcasts of society, and the lowly (see Matt. 25:34-40"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.'
Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?'
And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me" Matt. 25:34-40 ESV)))).
Like the eunuchs of the ancient times, homosexuals, bisexuals, and transgendered people are some of the most scorned, ridiculed, and persecuted people in society today. Violence against homosexuals is, unfortunately, common, along with general societal unacceptance. It's not a coincidence that even though a small percentage of teens are Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered, or Questioning (hereinafter GLBTQ), as of April 2010, between 20 to 40 percent of runaway teens were GLBTQ, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures which is a bipartisan organization that provides research for policymakers.2 In fact, gay youths are 2 to 3 times more likely to commit suicide in comparison to their heterosexual counterparts, over 84% of GLBTQ report that they are bullied at school because of their sexuality, and over 39% of GLBTQ report that they have been physically assaulted because of their sexuality.3
Persecution of homosexuals is not just a national phenomenon; it is also an international phenomenon. In fact, at the time that this page was being written, Uganda attempted to pass a "Kill the Gays" bill.4 Matt. 19:11-12"But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it" Matt. 19:11-12 ESV. simply serves as a reminder that those who are downtrodden and scorned by society, such as homosexuals, will also enter into heaven if they believe the Jesus is their Savior.
In Matt. 19:11-12"But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it" Matt. 19:11-12 ESV., Jesus states that some people are born eunuchs, some people are made eunuchs by other men, and some people choose to be eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven. This passage doesn't promote the sexuality of eunuchs. Instead, it encourages celibacy among eunuchs and their general acceptance, since in the last category of eunuchs Jesus states that some people voluntarily become eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven, which means that they either decide never to marry so that they can focus on serving God, or they decide after they are divorce an unfaithful wife that they will never remarry.1 Likewise, other passages such as Acts 8:36-39"Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, 'See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?'
And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing" Acts 8:36-39 ESV. and Isa. 56:3-5"Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD say, 'The LORD will surely separate me from his people;' and let not the eunuch say, 'Behold, I am a dry tree.'
For thus says the LORD: 'To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant, I will give in my house and within my walls a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off'" Isa. 56:3-5 ESV. state that there is a place in heaven for believing, Christian eunuchs; however, these passages never support the eunuchs' sexual preferences.
1"In a patriarchal culture where honor was tied to male domination, the effeminate, impotent eunuch was viewed with shame and as a threatening social deviant" (Freedman, 2000, p. 434). Return
2National Conference of State Legislatures, 2012, "Homeless and Runaway Youth" Return
3National Conference of State Legislatures, 2012, "Gay, Lesbian, Bi, Transgender and Questioning Youth" Return
4Ekine, S., 2012, Nov. 26 Return
1"Jesus' unique statement concerning self-made eunuchs 'for the sake of the kingdom of heaven' (Matt. 19:12) represents a metaphor for the discipline of celibacy, reflecting either a lifelong vow or a commitment not to remarry after divorcing an unfaithful wife (cf. vv. 3-12)" (Spencer, 2000, p. 435); "(T)hose who 'make themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven' are members of the community who choose to remain celibate in order to commit themselves fully to Christian work. While marriage and family life were valued by Jesus and the Matthean church as a gift from God and were the normal life of the disciple, exceptional people such as prophets and missionaries sometimes remained unmarried as a mark of their special calling. John the Baptist, Jesus, and Paul apparently belonged to this group" (Boring, 1995, p. 386-387). Return
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By: L. Jelle