Mark 10:12Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Following a series of probing inquiries, the Pharisees sought His permission to pose one final question regarding a point of contention: Is divorce allowed? The two prominent rabbinic schools, Hillel and Shammai, had differing perspectives on this issue. Hillel permitted divorce for virtually any slight, while Shammai imposed stricter limitations. In contrast, the Lord presented His own viewpoint, rooted in the fundamental, natural law of marriage. He declared that divorce is not permitted, except in cases of infidelity. What God has united, let no man divide. When challenged with the question, "How did Moses permit this?" He responded that the allowance was a concession to the hardness of the hearts of the people in that era.

The Evangelist Mark provides a more precise account indicating that these words were spoken by Jesus Christ, not in response to the Pharisees as Matthew does, but rather to certain disciples while Jesus was present with them in the house. Nevertheless, the first evangelist captures the essence of Christ's teaching more accurately: Mark does not include any phrases that qualify the New Testament’s teaching on the permanence of marriage, save for the mention of adultery. In Mark's view, Jesus Christ not only prohibits a husband from divorcing his wife to marry another, but He also states that it constitutes adultery ‘if a wife divorces her husband and marries another’ (v. 12). Under Jewish law, a woman did not possess the right to divorce her husband, reflecting the norms within Greco-Roman society. However, there were exceptions, such as Herodias, who left her first husband Philip to marry Herod Antipas.

The Pharisees approached Him with the intention of testing Him, asking, "Is it permissible for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?" In His response regarding marriage, divorce, and the state of celibacy, Jesus addressed the crucial issue of the permanence of marriage. The inquiries posed by the Pharisees, along with subsequent questions from His disciples, prompted Jesus to clarify the concept of marriage’s indissolubility, reaffirming this in connection with His teachings in the Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 5:31-32).

The narrative of Christ’s dialogue with the Pharisees concerning the sanctity of marriage closely parallels that found in Matthew, though the expression of that dialogue varies somewhat, and certain phrases are rearranged. This alteration does not impact the fundamental truth conveyed (cf. Matt. 19:1-12). The challenge posed by the inquiry about the permissibility of divorce rests on the phrase "for any reason" (Matthew 19:3). While the Law of Moses allowed for divorce under specific circumstances, the basic question of whether divorce is permissible at all was without significance to the Pharisees.

Upon arriving at the dwelling, the disciples urged the Lord to elaborate further on the matter. The Divine Lawgiver, who came not to abolish the law or the prophets, but to bring them to completion (Matt. 5:17), reiterated the principles of his spiritual kingdom—principles that uphold the sanctity and permanence of marriage, provided these attributes are not compromised by the actions taken. If a man divorces his wife and marries another, he commits adultery against her; and if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.