Mark 10:1-12
What God Joined Together
Read the passage
1Then Jesus left that place and went into the region of Judea, beyond the Jordan. Again the crowds came to Him and He taught them, as was His custom.
2Some Pharisees came to test Him. “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” they inquired.
3“What did Moses command you?” He replied.
4They answered, “Moses permitted a man to write his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away.”
5But Jesus told them, “Moses wrote this commandment for you because of your hardness of heart.
6However, from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’
7‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife,
8and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh.
9Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”
10When they were back inside the house, the disciples asked Jesus about this matter.
11So He told them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her.
12And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.”
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
Some Pharisees test Jesus by asking whether a man may divorce his wife. He asks what Moses commanded. They point to the permission for a certificate of divorce, but Jesus says that provision addresses hardness of heart.
He takes them back to creation. God made humanity male and female, and a man is joined to his wife so that the two become one flesh. Marriage is more than an arrangement to be discarded when it becomes inconvenient. Jesus concludes:
“Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”
Later, the disciples ask Him about the matter privately. He says that a man who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, and gives the corresponding warning about a woman divorcing her husband and marrying another. The seriousness applies to both spouses.
The passage calls us to honor God’s purpose rather than look for permission to abandon it. Jesus names hard-heartedness as a problem, not a permanent excuse.
Families reading this may have lived through betrayal, separation or divorce. Mark’s account should be heard alongside the related teaching in Matthew and First Corinthians, where other circumstances are addressed. A particular marriage needs careful, truthful counsel, not a quick verdict based on a few lines. God’s design is worthy of faithfulness, and people harmed by its breaking need protection, compassion and the mercy found in Christ.
How We Know
Jesus brings Genesis’s creation account into a discussion of the divorce provision described in Deuteronomy. Reading both shows the distinction He makes between God’s purpose for marriage and a legal provision addressing hardened human relationships.
Questions
1 Why does Jesus say Moses gave the divorce provision?
AnswerBecause of hardness of heart. A provision dealing with human sin is not the same as God’s purpose for marriage from creation.
2 What does Jesus emphasize from Genesis?
AnswerThe husband and wife become one flesh, joined by God. That union should not be treated as something people may casually take apart.
3 What warning does He give privately?
AnswerHe describes divorcing a spouse and marrying another as adultery, addressing both husband and wife. His teaching holds each responsible for faithfulness.
4 How should we care for someone whose marriage has broken?
AnswerListen carefully, avoid assuming equal blame and seek wise counsel from the whole of Scripture. Offer practical care and protection where needed rather than using the passage to shame them.
What This Means for Us
Faithfulness in marriage includes the daily work of truthful speech, repentance and care. A small habit of contempt or concealment deserves attention before it becomes something we defend. Seek help when a relationship is struggling.
This teaching must never be used to require someone to remain in immediate danger or hide abuse. Nor should children carry responsibility for adults’ broken promises. Christ’s people should uphold marriage while offering safety, honest counsel and patient support to those wounded by its breaking.
Prayer
Father, strengthen faithfulness, tenderness and honesty in marriages. Bring repentance where harm has been done and protection where it is needed. Comfort those living with loss, and teach us to offer care in the mercy of Christ. Amen.