The Bible Study Podcast, episode 600.

Today, the Bible Study podcast continues the study of the gospel of Mark with chapter 10.

Welcome to the Bible Study podcast.

I'm your host, Chris Christensen.

We will at least start the chapter 10 of Mark today, but I did want to at least acknowledge 600 episodes of the Bible study podcast. I certainly couldn't have imagined this when I started this podcast so many years ago, and I honestly don't know how many, but it's over 10. But I thank you for listening,

and I plan on continuing to make these, at least for a while. Mark chapter 10, divorce.

Jesus then left that place and went into the region of Judea and across the Jordan. Again,

crowds of people came to him, and as was his custom, he taught them.

Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?

What did Moses command you?

He replied.

They said Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.

It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law, Jesus replied,

but at the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh,

so that they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate.

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

anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. And if

she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery. This has been a difficult verse for a lot of people.

Obviously, a lot of people who are divorced, who are considering divorce,

and it has been a contentious verse among churches.

But it's very clear that God doesn't desire that we get married and then get divorced. It really encourages

us to consider marriage carefully and to consider that when we're making those promises

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