When the Pharisees test Jesus with a loaded question about divorce, he answers with one of his own: “What did Moses command?” In this episode on Mark 10:2–16, we trace Jesus’ response back to Genesis, explore why Moses ever made room for divorce at all, and consider what it means to hold together both the beauty of God’s design for marriage and the painful reality of life in a fallen world. In this week’s episode, we explore:How this scene fits the second half of Mark, as Jesus turns his face toward the cross and begins pressing hard questions about discipleshipThe debate behind the Pharisees’ trap question—“for any cause” divorce versus sexual immorality—and why Jesus won’t play their legal gameWhat Deuteronomy 24 actually does (and doesn’t) say about divorce, and how it was meant to restrain abuse rather than endorse easy separationJesus’ phrase “because of your hardness of heart” and what it reveals about why divorce was ever permitted in Israel’s lawGod’s original design in Genesis: male and female, leaving and cleaving, and the “one flesh” union that is meant to be intimate, exclusive, and enduringThe three core commitments of marriage: specialness (leaving), one-flesh sharing of life, and permanence (cleaving) in a world of fragile promisesHow Jesus strips away euphemisms about “starting a new chapter” and insists that we name sin honestly without making divorce an unforgivable categoryPractical wisdom for navigating troubled marriages—why seeking help early matters, and how issues like adultery, abandonment, abuse, and addiction can shatter the marriage covenantThe tender connection to Jesus welcoming children right after this discussion, and what that means for kids and adults carrying the wounds of divorceAfter listening, you’ll have a clearer picture of how Jesus holds together truth and mercy: upholding God’s high view of marriage while meeting divorced and hurting people with compassion, not contempt. You’ll be invited to see your own story—whether married, single, divorced, or a child of divorce—as a place where God can work real healing, strengthen faith in the middle of failure and loss, and surround you with a community that reflects his restoring love.Series: Questions Jesus AskedStart Strong: A New Believer’s Guide to Christianity is available now wherever books are sold.Beginning February 4, join us for Season 27 of the podcast, Start Strong: A New Believer’s Podcast. Each episode walks through the Scripture behind the book.Visit StartStrongBook.org for more details. Support the show

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