1
When Jesus had completed these teachings, he left Galilee and crossed the region of Judea on the other side of the Jordan.
2
Great crowds followed him there, and he healed them.
3
One day the Pharisees were badgering him: "Is it legal for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?"
4
He answered, "Haven't you read in your Bible that the Creator originally made man and woman for each other, male and female?
5
And because of this, a man leaves father and mother and is firmly bonded to his wife, becoming one flesh - no longer two bodies but one.
6
Because God created this organic union of the two sexes, no one should desecrate his art by cutting them apart."
7
They shot back in rebuttal, "If that's so, why did Moses give instructions for divorce papers and divorce procedures?"
8
Jesus said, "Moses provided for divorce as a concession to your hardheartedness, but it is not part of God's original plan.
9
I'm holding you to the original plan, and holding you liable for adultery if you divorce your faithful wife and then marry someone else. I make an exception in cases where the spouse has committed adultery."
10
Jesus' disciples objected, "If those are the terms of marriage, we're stuck. Why get married?"