“Not everyone can accept this word,” He replied, “but only those to whom it has been given.
11. All are not capable of receiving this saying. By this he means, that the choice is not placed in our hands, as if we were to deliberate on a matter submitted to us. If any man thinks it advantageous for him to want a wife, and, without making any inquiry, lays upon himself an obligation to celibacy, “S’il s’astreigne a n’estre point marie;” —...
But he said unto them,.... With respect to the inference or conclusion, the disciples formed from what he had asserted: all men cannot receive this saying; of their's, that it is not good to marry, but it is more proper and expedient to live a single life!
Verse 11. All men cannot receive this saying. The minds of men are not prepared for this. This saying evidently means what the disciples had just said, that it was good for a man not to marry. It might be good in certain circumstances, in times of persecution and trial, or for the sake of lab outing in the cause of religion, without the care and burden of a family.