Mark 10:5Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

He states that Moses was not so lacking in compassion to establish such a Law; rather, he enacted it due to your stubbornness. Aware of the cruelty among the Jews, where a husband who harbored no affection for his wife might readily take her life, Moses allowed for a husband to release a wife he did not cherish.

After facing numerous tempting inquiries, the Pharisees sought His permission to pose yet another question that had sparked debate: Is divorce allowable? The two prominent rabbinical factions, Hillel and Shammai, approached this matter in contrasting ways. Hillel permitted divorce for almost any trivial offense, while Shammai imposed stricter guidelines. The Lord presented His own resolution, grounded in the fundamental, divine design of marriage. There should be no dissolution of the union, except in cases of infidelity. What God has united, let no one divide. When He was challenged with, "Why then did Moses permit it?" He responded that this allowance was a concession made due to the people's inability to uphold the original covenant.

The inquiry posed by the Pharisees—“Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife for any reason?”—was a tricky one. This was partly due to the fact that Christ was in the territory of Herod Antipas, who had been publicly criticized by John the Baptist for unlawfully living with his brother's spouse. The Pharisees anticipated that Christ would provide an indirect response rather than a straightforward rejection of divorce's legality, which would have placed Him in conflict with His teachings (Matthew 5:31-32). Additionally, within rabbinical circles, this question was debated: some teachers claimed divorce could be granted for any reason, while others permitted it only in cases of infidelity.

The Pharisees approached Him, attempting to test Him by asking, "Is it permissible for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?" Jesus' discourse concerning marriage, divorce, and celibacy—particularly the state of virginity—was prompted by this inquiry from the Pharisees as well as a follow-up question from His disciples. Jesus provided clarity on the permanence of marriage, addressing the allowance for divorce in cases of infidelity, as previously noted when discussing the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:31-32). It is important to also highlight Jesus' perspective on celibacy: He firmly opposed the Jewish practice that allowed men to dismiss their wives at will if they fell out of favor. Instead, He affirmed the sacredness of the marriage covenant and allowed for the dissolution of unions solely in cases of adultery.

The narrative of Christ's dialogue with the Pharisees regarding the sanctity of marriage aligns closely with that found in Matthew's account. The difference lies primarily in the variation of expression and the arrangement of certain phrases, which does not impact the fundamental significance of the discussion (cf. Matt. 19:1-12). The question posed concerns the legality of divorce: "for any reason" (Matthew 19:3) implies a challenge, as the Law of Moses explicitly allowed divorce under specific circumstances. Thus, the mere inquiry about the permissibility of divorce lacked relevance for the Pharisees.