In using the word eunuch, Jesus likely had kingdom imagery in mind, because many kings appointed only eunuchs to high offices. In order to serve a king, these men had to give up the hope of having a family. The very word eunuch carried both of these implications. Besides referring to a castrated man, by the first century it also carried the connotation of being a high royal official (see Esth. 2:3; Dan. 1:3; Acts 8:27). Jesus was saying that in the same way, some will be called to forgo marriage to serve in God’s kingdom. As shocking as this thought is in our culture, it would have been
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