Mark 10:9
What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
Original Language Analysis
Historical Context
First-century practice allowed easy divorce, especially under Hillel's interpretation permitting divorce for trivial causes. Jesus' restrictive teaching shocked hearers—disciples responded, 'If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry' (Matthew 19:10). This reveals how radical Jesus' teaching was. Greco-Roman world practiced easy divorce; Jewish law (Deut 24:1-4) regulated it. Jesus returned to Genesis, asserting creational permanence over legal accommodation. The early church maintained Jesus' strict standard despite cultural pressure. Augustine developed theology of marriage's indissolubility; Reformers debated whether desertion (1 Cor 7:15) constituted second exception. Contemporary evangelicalism often adopts cultural accommodation rather than Jesus' creational norm.
Questions for Reflection
- How does Jesus' statement that God joins couples together challenge contemporary view of marriage as purely human agreement?
- What does Jesus' restrictive teaching on divorce (despite Mosaic permission) reveal about prioritizing God's creational design over cultural accommodation?
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Analysis & Commentary
Jesus commanded: 'What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder' (ὃ οὖν ὁ θεὸς συνέζευξεν ἄνθρωπος μὴ χωριζέτω). The verb 'joined together' (synezeuxen, συνέζευξεν) means yoked or paired—God actively unites husband and wife. The aorist tense indicates definitive, completed action at marriage. God, not merely human agreement, creates marital bond. Therefore 'let not man put asunder' (chōrizetō, χωριζέτω, separate or divorce). Human beings shouldn't dissolve what God established. This principle grounds Christian opposition to no-fault divorce—marriage isn't human institution dissolvable by mutual consent but divine ordinance requiring God's authority to dissolve. The only exception Jesus allowed was sexual immorality (Matthew 19:9), and even then as permission, not command. God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16) because it violates His creation design and images Christ-church union.