Jesus' Teaching about Divorce
(Mark 10:1-12)
1And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these sayings, he departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judaea beyond Jordan; 2And great multitudes followed him; and he healed them there.
3The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? 4And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, 5And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? 6Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. 7They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? 8He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. 9And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.
10His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry. 11But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. 12For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.
Jesus Blesses the Children
(Mark 10:13-16; Luke 18:15-17)
13Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them. 14But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. 15And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence.
The Rich Young Man
(Mark 10:17-31; Luke 18:18-30)
16And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? 17And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. 18He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, 19Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 20The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? 21Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. 22But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
23Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. 24And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 25When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? 26But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
27Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? 28And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. 30But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.
King James Bible
Text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.
Teachings about Divorce
(Mark 10:1–12)
1 It happened when Jesus had finished these words, he departed from Galilee, and came into the borders of Judea beyond the Jordan. 2 Great multitudes followed him, and he healed them there.
3 Pharisees came to him, testing him, and saying, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?” 4 He answered, “Haven’t you read that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall join to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh?’ 6 So that they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, don’t let man tear apart.” 7 They asked him, “Why then did Moses command us to give her a bill of divorce, and divorce her?” 8 He said to them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it has not been so. 9 I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and he who marries her when she is divorced commits adultery.”
10 His disciples said to him, “If this is the case of the man with his wife, it is not expedient to marry.” 11 But he said to them, “Not all men can receive this saying, but those to whom it is given. 12 For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother’s womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men; and there are eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven’s sake. He who is able to receive it, let him receive it.”
Jesus Blesses the Children
(Mark 10:13–16; Luke 18:15–17)
13 Then little children were brought to him, that he should lay his hands on them and pray; and the disciples rebuked them. 14 But Jesus said, “Allow the little children, and don’t forbid them to come to me; for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to ones like these.” 15 He laid his hands on them, and departed from there.
The Rich Young Man
(Mark 10:17–31; Luke 18:18–30)
16 Behold, one came to him and said, “Good teacher, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?” 17 He said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but one, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder.’ ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ ‘You shall not steal.’ ‘You shall not offer false testimony.’ 19 ‘Honor your father and mother.’ And, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” 20 The young man said to him, “All these things I have observed from my youth. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 But when the young man heard the saying, he went away sad, for he was one who had great possessions.
23 Jesus said to his disciples, “Most certainly I say to you, a rich man will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven with difficulty. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard it, they were exceedingly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 Looking at them, Jesus said, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
27 Then Peter answered, “Behold, we have left everything, and followed you. What then will we have?” 28 Jesus said to them, “Most certainly I tell you that you who have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on the throne of his glory, you also will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 Everyone who has left houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive one hundred times, and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many will be last who are first; and first who are last.
Teachings about Divorce
(Mark 10:1–12)
1 When Jesus had finished saying these things, He left Galilee and went into the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. 2 Large crowds followed Him, and He healed them there.
3 Then some Pharisees came and tested Him by asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?”
4 Jesus answered, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ a 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’ b? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”
7 “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses order a man to give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away? c”
8 Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because of your hardness of heart; but it was not this way from the beginning. 9 Now I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman, commits adultery. d”
10 His disciples said to Him, “If this is the case between a man and his wife, it is better not to marry.”
11 “Not everyone can accept this word,” He replied, “but only those to whom it has been given. 12 For there are eunuchs who were born that way; others were made that way by men; and still others live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”
Jesus Blesses the Children
(Mark 10:13–16; Luke 18:15–17)
13 Then the little children were brought to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them and pray for them. And the disciples rebuked those who brought them. 14 But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” 15 And after He had placed His hands on them, He went on from there.
The Rich Young Man
(Mark 10:17–31; Luke 18:18–30)
16 Just then a man came up to Jesus and inquired, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to obtain eternal life?”
17 “Why do you ask Me about what is good?” e Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”
18 “Which ones?” the man asked.
Jesus answered, “ ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, 19 honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself.’ f”
20 “All these I have kept,” said the young man. “What do I still lack?”
21 Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”
22 When the young man heard this, he went away in sorrow, because he had great wealth.
23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”
26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
27 “Look,” Peter replied, “we have left everything to follow You. What then will there be for us?”
28 Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, in the renewal of all things, g when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife h or children or fields for the sake of My name will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.
Footnotes:
4 a Genesis 1:27; Genesis 5:2
5 b Genesis 2:24 (see also LXX)
7 c See Deuteronomy 24:1.
9 d SBL and BYZ include And he who marries a divorced woman commits adultery ; see Matthew 5:32.
17 e BYZ and TR 16...“Good Teacher, what good thing must I do to obtain eternal life?” 17“Why do you call Me good?” See Mark 10:17–18 and Luke 18:18–19.
19 f Exodus 20:12–16; Leviticus 19:18; Deuteronomy 5:16–20
28 g Or in the regeneration
29 h NE, WH, and NA do not include or wife .
Jesus' Teaching about Divorce
(Mark 10:1-12)
1And it came to pass, when Jesus finished these words, he removed from Galilee, and did come to the borders of Judea, beyond the Jordan, 2and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them there.
3And the Pharisees came near to him, tempting him, and saying to him, 'Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?' 4And he answering said to them, 'Did ye not read, that He who made them, from the beginning a male and a female made them, 5and said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and cleave to his wife, and they shall be -- the two -- for one flesh? 6so that they are no more two, but one flesh; what therefore God did join together, let no man put asunder.' 7They say to him, 'Why then did Moses command to give a roll of divorce, and to put her away?' 8He saith to them -- 'Moses for your stiffness of heart did suffer you to put away your wives, but from the beginning it hath not been so. 9'And I say to you, that, whoever may put away his wife, if not for whoredom, and may marry another, doth commit adultery; and he who did marry her that hath been put away, doth commit adultery.'
10His disciples say to him, 'If the case of the man with the woman is so, it is not good to marry.' 11And he said to them, 'All do not receive this word, but those to whom it hath been given; 12for there are eunuchs who from the mother's womb were so born; and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men; and there are eunuchs who kept themselves eunuchs because of the reign of the heavens: he who is able to receive it -- let him receive.'
Jesus Blesses the Children
(Mark 10:13-16; Luke 18:15-17)
13Then were brought near to him children that he might put hands on them and pray, and the disciples rebuked them. 14But Jesus said, 'Suffer the children, and forbid them not, to come unto me, for of such is the reign of the heavens;' 15and having laid on them his hands, he departed thence.
The Rich Young Man
(Mark 10:17-31; Luke 18:18-30)
16And lo, one having come near, said to him, 'Good teacher, what good thing shall I do, that I may have life age-during?' 17And he said to him, 'Why me dost thou call good? no one is good except One -- God; but if thou dost will to enter into the life, keep the commands.' 18He saith to him, 'What kind?' And Jesus said, 'Thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not bear false witness, 19honour thy father and mother, and, thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.' 20The young man saith to him, 'All these did I keep from my youth; what yet do I lack?' 21Jesus said to him, 'If thou dost will to be perfect, go away, sell what thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come, follow me.' 22And the young man, having heard the word, went away sorrowful, for he had many possessions;
23and Jesus said to his disciples, 'Verily I say to you, that hardly shall a rich man enter into the reign of the heavens; 24and again I say to you, it is easier for a camel through the eye of a needle to go, than for a rich man to enter into the reign of God.' 25And his disciples having heard, were amazed exceedingly, saying, 'Who, then, is able to be saved?' 26And Jesus having earnestly beheld, said to them, 'With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'
27Then Peter answering said to him, 'Lo, we did leave all, and follow thee, what then shall we have?' 28And Jesus said to them, 'Verily I say to you, that ye who did follow me, in the regeneration, when the Son of Man may sit upon a throne of his glory, shall sit -- ye also -- upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel; 29and every one who left houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or fields, for my name's sake, an hundredfold shall receive, and life age-during shall inherit; 30and many first shall be last, and last first.
The Favor of God Message paraphrase
Jesus Teaches About Divorce
¹ When Jesus had finished speaking, He left Galilee and went into the region of Judea beyond the Jordan River.
² Large crowds followed Him, and He healed them there.
³ Some Pharisees came to test Him by asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”
⁴ Jesus replied, “Haven’t you read that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’
⁵ and said, ‘For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’?*
⁶ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate!”
⁷ “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”
⁸ Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning.
⁹ I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”
¹⁰ The disciples said to Him, “If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.”
¹¹ Jesus replied, “Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given.
¹² For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others—and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”
Jesus Blesses the Children
¹³ Then people brought little children to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them.
¹⁴ Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
¹⁵ When He had placed His hands on them, He went on from there.
The Rich Young Man
¹⁶ Just then, a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”
¹⁷ “Why do you ask Me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”
¹⁸ “Which ones?” he inquired.
Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony,
¹⁹ honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’”*
²⁰ “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”
²¹ Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”
²² When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Jesus Warns About Riches
²³ Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.
²⁴ Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
²⁵ When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”
²⁶ Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
The Reward of Following Jesus
²⁷ Peter answered Him, “We have left everything to follow You! What then will there be for us?”
²⁸ Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
²⁹ And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for My sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.
³⁰ But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.”
Footnotes:
19:5: Jesus quotes from Genesis 2:24, affirming God’s original design for marriage as a lifelong union between a man and a woman.
19:19: “Love your neighbor as yourself” is from Leviticus 19:18, a command Jesus highlights as central to the law’s ethical demands.
19:9: Divorce for reasons other than sexual immorality was considered by Jesus as breaking the marriage covenant and leading to adultery if remarried.
19:12: Jesus acknowledges different situations where people live celibately for the sake of the kingdom, challenging societal expectations of marriage.
19:24: The “eye of a needle” likely refers to a small gate in Jerusalem, emphasizing how difficult it is for the rich to enter the kingdom when wealth holds their hearts.
19:21: Jesus invites the young man to a radical form of discipleship—surrendering wealth to follow Him wholeheartedly.
19:30: This paradoxical statement refers to the reversal of worldly expectations in God’s kingdom, where self-sacrifice and humility are valued over status and wealth.
