Matthew 19:3 "And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking 'Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause?'"

The Pharisees were always trying to test Jesus; trying to catch him in a seeming contradiction with the law of Moses. But the questions they asked Him always elicited revelatory answers. It is so obvious that, even in their assumed superiority, God used the Pharisees to allow Jesus to reveal His truth to them and to us.

In this case, when Jesus answers the question, He does contradict the law of Moses, which allowed divorce. He says that it is not lawful to divorce unless there has been unchastity. (Matthew 19:9) So the Pharisees got what they wanted, they got Jesus to contradict Moses, but they also got a whole lot more than they expected - a new, more restrictive law on divorce! They should have been more careful in coming up with their question!

I think the Pharisees probably felt, deep in their hearts, that divorce for any reason was wrong, even if they likes the status quo. I suspect that is one thing that prompted this specific question. In any event, they have to be wondering who Jesus really is when He answers them with such authority. He says that Moses was lenient with the people on this issue because of their hardness of heart. (Matthew 19:8) He sets out God's law very clearly: In marriage, a man is joined to his wife and the two become one. God has joined them and man cannot dissolve this bond. (Matthew 19:5-6).

It is always good to go to God with our questions, He welcomes us and our curiosity. However, we should not approach Him with the attitude of the Pharisees. We must ask our questions of Him in a spirit of truly wanting to know the truth, and we must be ready for an answer that may not be at all what we expected or wanted to hear. Then, and this is often the hard part, we have to live by the answer we get!