The fact that they came up to him
shows that they were testing him by asking if one may divorce one’s wife for any cause, hoping that his answer would disrupt his influence over the people.
The Pharisees likely felt that if Jesus said no,
this would turn the people against him, who were disposed toward a more lenient view, and also turn Herod even more against him, as is seen in what Herod did to John. But saying yes,
endorsing a more lenient view, would damage Jesus’ reputation, for the people still respected the strict teachers of the Law. Thus the Pharisees tried to embarrass Jesus, assuming that both a yes
and a no
could be proven from Scripture, and hoped to undermine his authority as a teacher.
The fact that the Pharisees came up to him
indicates that they were on a specific mission to test him by asking whether it is lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause. Here again it is the Pharisees who are attempting to test Jesus by posing a question that he would be forced to answer in a way that necessarily disadvantages him and his cause.1 By means of this test, they tried to disrupt the inroads he had been making among the Jewish people.2
The Pharisees quite possibly argued that if Jesus were to say no,
this would turn the people against him, for they were naturally eager to hear and follow the more lenient view. Moreover, this would turn Herod even more against him, as is evident from what Herod did to John. But if Jesus were to say yes,
thereby declaring himself in favor of the more lenient theory, then his reputation would be damaged, for the people at the time still had a distinct respect for the strict teachers of the Law, whose opinions were generally affirmed by their own consciences. They therefore tried to embarrass Jesus, believing that both a yes
and a no
could be proven from the interpretation of Scripture, thereby hoping to undermine the Savior’s authority as a teacher.3
3 And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?”