Jesus responds (Matthew 19:8) by pointing out why divorce kept its place in the law. Moses permitted what was not allowed in the beginning due to your hardness of heart.
Like their fathers in the wilderness, the Pharisees here did not listen and embrace what God had declared in the very beginning. Jesus stresses that Deuteronomy 24:1 was not giving a command, but rather regulating a hopeless situation. Moses did not command divorce, but permitted it as an emergency measure to salvage a chaotic situation in which the continuation of the marriage seemed impossible. In other words, it was a concession connected to a lost ideal. The Mosaic law was somewhat adapted to the sinful nature of humanity.
The beginning had neither divorce nor polygamy. The first polygamist was Lamech from Cain’s line (Genesis 4:19). Later, people had apostatized so far that the original command could, practically speaking, no longer be obeyed. There was even a danger that a man might mistreat his wife or try to kill her to be rid of her, making it better—despite everything—to allow for divorce.
Man, being sinful, of course also sins within marriage, which can cause unbearable conditions due to the hardening of hearts, which is when Moses permitted divorce. In Matthew 19:8, Jesus portrays the Israelites’ evil disposition so often revealed in the wilderness in their rebellion against the Lord and against Moses. They did not submit to God’s guidance in their lives—not even in their marital life (see Galatians 3:19), and both the Pharisees and the people in Jesus’ day were no better than their forefathers, so Jesus addresses them directly (see Matthew 23:32).
Jesus responds to his tempters (Matthew 19:8) by pointing out why divorce retained its place in the law. Moses permitted what was not allowed in the beginning, and he did so because of your hardness of heart.
Just like their fathers in the wilderness, the Pharisees here refuse to listen and embrace that which God had declared in the very beginning. This is the consequence of their permanent hardness of heart. They refuse to adapt their views or be told otherwise.1
Jesus highlights that Deuteronomy 24:1 was not issuing a command, but rather regulating a hopeless situation. Moses did not command divorce but only permitted it as an emergency measure to salvage a situation that had become chaotic, and in which the continuation of the marriage seemed impossible. In other words, it was a concession connected to a lost ideal. The laws of Moses were, to some extent, adapted to the sinful nature of humanity.
In the beginning there was neither divorce nor polygamy. The first man to practice polygamy was Lamech from the line of Cain (Genesis 4:19). Later, the people had apostatized to such an extent that the original command could, for all practical purposes, no longer be obeyed. There was even the danger that a man might mistreat his wife or attempt to kill her in order to be rid of her. In such a case, it was—despite everything—better to allow for divorce.2
Man, being sinful, of course also sins within marriage. These sins can eventually lead to unbearable conditions arising as a result of the hardening of hearts, and these are the instances in which Moses permitted divorce. Here in Matthew 19:8, the Lord portrays the evil disposition that the Israelites so often revealed in the wilderness when they rebelled against the Lord and against Moses. They did not submit in faith to God’s guidance in their lives—not even in their marital life (see Galatians 3:19). And so the Pharisees, as well as the people in the Lord’s own day, were no better off than their forefathers, which is why Jesus addresses them directly (see Matthew 23:32).3
8 He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.