Note 10 at Mr 10:2: This was not a sincere question on the Pharisees' part. They didn't really want to know what Jesus taught on divorce and remarriage. They didn't value His opinion but were tempting Him and desired to get Jesus mired in the big dispute of their day between liberal and conservative views on divorce. This was a very emotional issue then, just as it is today, and they thought that they had Jesus in a no-win situation. However, as always, Jesus proved to be more than their match, and He gave them much more than they asked for.

The Pharisees didn't question whether or not divorce was right. They took for granted the right to divorce. But Jesus, instead of expounding on acceptable grounds for divorce, went to the very root of the problem and showed that God never intended there to be any divorce at all. If they really understood the extent of the one-flesh covenant between a man and his wife, they would not have been looking for an excuse to get out of marriage. This approach amazed the Pharisees and occasioned their question about why Moses made provision for divorce in the Law (Mt 19:7).

Once a person begins to question "How can I get a divorce?" instead of "How can I keep this marriage together?" the marriage already has a serious breach that Jesus called a hardened heart (Mt 19:8).