Mark 10:1-12 Meaning: What God Joins
1He arose from there and came into the borders of Judea and beyond the Jordan. Multitudes came together to him again. As he usually did, he was again teaching them.
2Pharisees came to him testing him, and asked him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?”
3He answered, “What did Moses command you?”
4They said, “Moses allowed a certificate of divorce to be written, and to divorce her.”
5But Jesus said to them, “For your hardness of heart, he wrote you this commandment.
6But from the beginning of the creation, God made them male and female.
7For this cause a man will leave his father and mother, and will join to his wife,
8and the two will become one flesh, so that they are no longer two, but one flesh.
9What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.”
10In the house, his disciples asked him again about the same matter.
11He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her.
12If a woman herself divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”
1And he arose from thence, and cometh into the coasts of Judea by the farther side of Jordan: and the people resort unto him again; and, as he was wont, he taught them again.
2And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him.
3And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you?
4And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away.
5And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept.
6But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.
7For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife;
8And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh.
9What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
10And in the house his disciples asked him again of the same matter.
11And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her.
12And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.
1And he arose from thence, and cometh into the borders of Judæa and beyond the Jordan: and multitudes come together unto him again; and, as he was wont, he taught them again.
2And there came unto him Pharisees, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? trying him.
3And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you?
4And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away.
5But Jesus said unto them, For your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment.
6But from the beginning of the creation, Male and female made he them.
7For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife;
8and the two shall become one flesh: so that they are no more two, but one flesh.
9What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
10And in the house the disciples asked him again of this matter.
11And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her:
12and if she herself shall put away her husband, and marry another, she committeth adultery.
1And having risen thence, he doth come to the coasts of Judea, through the other side of the Jordan, and again do multitudes come together unto him, and, as he had been accustomed, again he was teaching them.
2And the Pharisees, having come near, questioned him, if it is lawful for a husband to put away a wife, tempting him,
3and he answering said to them, `What did Moses command you?'
4and they said, `Moses suffered to write a bill of divorce, and to put away.'
5And Jesus answering said to them, `For the stiffness of your heart he wrote you this command,
6but from the beginning of the creation, a male and a female God did make them;
7on this account shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave unto his wife,
8and they shall be--the two--for one flesh; so that they are no more two, but one flesh;
9what therefore God did join together, let not man put asunder.'
10And in the house again his disciples of the same thing questioned him,
11and he saith to them, `Whoever may put away his wife, and may marry another, doth commit adultery against her;
12and if a woman may put away her husband, and is married to another, she committeth adultery.'
1And rising up thence he comes into the coasts of Judaea, and the other side of the Jordan. And again crowds come together to him, and, as he was accustomed, again he taught them.
2And Pharisees coming to [him] asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away [his] wife? (tempting him).
3But he answering said to them, What did Moses command you?
4And they said, Moses allowed to write a bill of divorce, and to put away.
5And Jesus answering said to them, In view of your hard-heartedness he wrote this commandment for you;
6but from [the] beginning of [the] creation God made them male and female.
7For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be united to his wife,
8and the two shall be one flesh: so that they are no longer two but one flesh.
9What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.
10And again in the house the disciples asked him concerning this.
11And he says to them, Whosoever shall put away his wife and shall marry another, commits adultery against her.
12And if a woman put away her husband and shall marry another, she commits adultery.
Meaning in one sentence
Jesus teaches about marriage, divorce, and God's original design. What does it mean that God joins two people together?
Context
Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem. He leaves Galilee and travels into Judea, crossing the Jordan. Crowds gather around him, and as he had done so many times before, he teaches them. Then the Pharisees step forward with a question meant to trap him: is divorce allowed? They want him to take sides in an old debate between two rabbinic schools. One school said a man could divorce his wife for almost any reason. The other held that only serious wrongdoing justified it. Either way Jesus answered, they hoped he would lose support. But Jesus does not play their game. He takes them further back, to the beginning, to God's original intention.
Key Words
Two Greek words carry the weight of this passage. The first is sklērokardia, "hardness of heart." It means literally a stiff, unyielding heart. Moses permitted divorce, Jesus says, because of this condition. But hardness of heart is never the last word. The second word is proskollēthēsetai, "will be joined" or "will cleave." It comes from a verb meaning to glue together. Picture two things bonded so tightly they cannot be pulled apart. That is what marriage was meant to be. And then Jesus uses sunezeuxen, "has yoked together." God is the one who yokes a husband and wife. They are not two separate animals pulling in different directions. They are joined under one yoke, moving together.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians across traditions have read these verses with care. The Catholic Church teaches that marriage is a sacrament that cannot be dissolved by human choice, though annulments may declare that a valid marriage never existed. Many Protestant traditions allow divorce in cases of adultery or abandonment, pointing to Matthew's parallel account where Jesus mentions an exception. Orthodox churches permit divorce and remarriage in certain circumstances, seeing it as a pastoral concession to human weakness. What unites all these traditions is the belief that marriage is not a casual arrangement. It is a bond that God creates, and it deserves reverence and commitment.
A common misunderstanding
A common misreading is to think Jesus banned divorce entirely, with no room for any exception. But the Gospels do not all say the same thing. Mark's version does not mention an exception, while Matthew's includes "except for sexual immorality." Christians have understood this differently. Some see Mark as the absolute ideal, others see Matthew's exception as part of the teaching. The mistake is to pick one Gospel and ignore the other. In fact, the passage calls us to take marriage seriously, to see it as God's doing, and to hold it as sacred even when it is hard.
Living This Out
This week, consider one relationship where you feel tempted to pull away. It might be a marriage, or it might be a friendship or a commitment at work. Ask yourself: am I looking for a way out, or am I looking for a way to stay? Jesus does not promise that sticking together will be easy. He does promise that God is the one who joins us. That means we are not alone in the work of staying faithful. Pray for the strength to keep promises you have made. Let this passage remind you that God's design for any relationship is not a trap but a gift.
Main takeaway: Marriage is not a human contract but a divine joining, and we are called to honor that bond with faithfulness.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
God makes two people into one family when they get married. That is a very special thing. We should always try to love each other and stay together.
For ages 9, 12
Jesus says that when two people marry, God joins them together like glue. They become one flesh. Jesus wants us to take marriage seriously and not look for excuses to leave. He knows it can be hard, but he also knows that God's plan is for people to stay faithful and love each other for life.
Questions People Ask
What does 'hardness of heart' mean in Mark 10:5?
Hardness of heart means a stubborn, unyielding attitude. Jesus says Moses allowed divorce only because people's hearts were hard, not because that was God's original plan. It is a concession to human sinfulness.
Does Jesus forbid all divorce in Mark 10?
Mark's account does not mention an exception, but Matthew's parallel includes 'except for sexual immorality.' Different Christian traditions interpret this differently. Some see it as a total prohibition, others see room for exceptions in serious cases.
What does 'one flesh' mean?
'One flesh' means a deep, permanent union. It refers to the physical and spiritual bond between a husband and wife. They are no longer two separate individuals but one united whole.
Why did Moses allow divorce if God hates it?
Jesus explains that Moses permitted divorce because of human hardness of heart. It was a way to limit harm in a fallen world, not an endorsement. God's original design was for marriage to be lifelong.
Can a divorced person remarry according to Mark 10?
Jesus says that whoever divorces and marries another commits adultery. This suggests that remarriage after divorce is not part of God's intention. However, many Christians read this alongside other passages and see room for exceptions.
For pastors & researchers
Greek interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study