Mark 10:1-12
1 Setting out from there, Jesus *went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan; crowds *gathered to Him again, and, as He was accustomed, He once more began to teach them.
2 And some Pharisees came up to Jesus, testing Him, and began questioning Him whether it was lawful for a man to divorce his wife.
3 And He answered and said to them, “What did Moses command you?”
4 They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send his wife away.”
5 But Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment.
6 But from the beginning of creation, God created them male and female.
7 For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother,
8 and the two shall become one flesh; so they are no longer two, but one flesh.
9 Therefore, what God has joined together, no person is to separate.”
10 And in the house the disciples again began questioning Him about this.
11 And He *said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her;
12 and if she herself divorces her husband and marries another man, she is committing adultery.”
Marriage and Divorce
Question from the Pharisees
To better understand today’s passage, let’s focus on the following points: (1) Location: Jesus, along with His disciples, traveled from Galilee to the south, crossing the Jordan River and advancing to the region of Perea. This area was under the jurisdiction of Herod Antipas. (2) Political Background: This Herod, having married Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, faced severe criticism from John the Baptist. He found John’s actions troublesome and eventually had him beheaded. Jesus, depending on His comments about Herod’s marriage, could also be exposed to potential danger. (3) Religious Background: At that time, there was a division of opinion among the Pharisees concerning divorce. The School of Hillel interpreted Deuteronomy 24:1 broadly and taught that anything could be a reason for divorce. According to this, even poor cooking could be a reason to divorce. In contrast, the School od Shammai restricted divorce to cases of a wife’s immorality. Either way, Jesus faced a situation that could work against Him. In such context, the Pharisees, in order to test Jesus, posed a question whether it was permissible for a husband to divorce his wife.
Jesus’ answer
Jesus gave such a wise answer. (1) Originally, God did not envision divorce within the order of creation (Gen. 1:27, 2:24). By God’s guidance, husband and wife become one, and therefore, man should not separate this union. (2) Moses permitted the issuing of divorce certificates as a concession for the hardness of people’s hearts. (3) Divorce is limited to cases of adultery (Jesus’ position was closer to the School of Shammai). (4) Not only the adultery of a wife but also that of a husband should be a concern. However, in the laws of that time, only that of a wife was an issue. (5) In the end, Jesus declared that divorcing one’s current spouse to marry another person constitutes adultery and rebuked Herodias, who divorced her husband, Herod Philip, and married Herod Antipas. Let us learn from the wisdom and courage of Jesus, who reveals the truth regardless of the circumstances. Whether single or married, let us seek to glorify God through our way of life.
Today's prayer
Heavenly Father, please give me wisdom and courage. Help me become a Christian who brings blessings. I pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.