Mark 10:1–16

Jesus Teaches About Divorce

10Jesus left that place and went into the area of Judea and across the Jordan River. Again crowds of people came to him. As usual, he taught them.

²Some Pharisees came to put him to the test. They asked, “Does the Law allow a man to divorce his wife?”

³“What did Moses command you?” he replied.

⁴They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a letter of divorce and send her away.”

⁵“You were stubborn. That’s why Moses wrote you this law,” Jesus replied. ⁶“But at the beginning of creation, God ‘made them male and female.’ ⁷‘That’s why a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife. ⁸The two of them will become one.’ They are no longer two, but one. ⁹So a man must not separate what God has joined together.”

¹⁰When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this.

¹¹He answered, “What if a man divorces his wife and gets married to another woman? He commits adultery against her. ¹²And what if she divorces her husband and gets married to another man? She commits adultery.”

Little Children Are Brought to Jesus

¹³People were bringing little children to Jesus. They wanted him to touch them. But the disciples told the people to stop.

¹⁴When Jesus saw this, he was angry. He said to his disciples, “Let the little children come to me. Don’t keep them away. God’s kingdom belongs to people like them. ¹⁵What I’m about to tell you is true. Anyone who will not receive God’s kingdom like a little child will never enter it.”

¹⁶Then he took the children in his arms. He put his hands on them and blessed them.