One of the notable instances where Jesus taught on divorce can be found in the Gospel of Matthew, specifically in Matthew 19:3-9 (NIV):
"Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, 'Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?'"
In this encounter, the Pharisees were trying to trap Jesus with a question about divorce, a controversial and debated topic in his time.
"'Haven’t you read,' he replied, 'that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' 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'? So, they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.'"
Here, Jesus points back to the creation story in Genesis, emphasizing the sacred nature of marriage as a union established by God, where two individuals become one.
"'Why then,' they asked, 'did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?'"
The Pharisees referred to a provision in the Mosaic Law that allowed for divorce under certain circumstances. They wanted to see how Jesus would reconcile this with his previous statement.
"Jesus replied, 'Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.'"
In this response, Jesus acknowledges the concession made by Moses due to the hardness of people's hearts but reinforces the original intention of marriage as an unbreakable union. He states that divorce should only be permitted in the case of sexual immorality, which was a significant exception.
This teaching emphasized the sanctity of marriage and the seriousness of divorce in the eyes of Jesus. It challenged the prevailing cultural norms and highlighted the importance of upholding the commitment and covenant of marriage.