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

Matthew tells us the Pharisees asked this question as a test, in other words, they knew the answer, but they wanted to trip Jesus up in answering them. But why did they view this question as a test? They knew the law of Moses, they even cited it later, so they knew Moses permitted a man to divorce his wife by giving her a certificate of divorce. (Matthew 19:7). The fact that they use this question as a test shows that they suspected, in their hearts, that divorce for any reason is wrong. They expected Jesus to struggle with this because the law of Moses said one thing, but their hearts were telling them another.

God is subtle, as is His law, but we very much tend not to be. Jesus says unchastity on the part of a spouse is the only reason divorce is allowed (Matthew 19:9), so there is a reasonable exception to His prohibition on divorce. But we take that one exception and stretch it to include more and more circumstances until it means everything and nothing. Again, we are not subtle, and we want what we want!

How often do I go to Jesus with the motivation of wanting Him to bless and affirm what I want to do, but that I have a niggling feeling may be wrong? In the Surrender Novena, Jesus tells us "In pain you pray for Me to act, but I act in the way you want. You do not turn to Me, instead you want Me to adapt to your ideas." (Surrender Novena Day three). That is exactly it - we want God to adapt to our ideas, instead of realizing His law is all good and therefore will bring us greater happiness in the long run.

In the trying time of leading the people out of Egypt, God allowed Moses to permit divorce for any reason. He was choosing His battles with this stiff-necked people. By the time Jesus came, His people were ready to hear the truth. In fact, the Pharisees give away that fact by using divorce as the law with which they try to trick Jesus. Now the question is, will they listen, or will they continue to expect God to adapt to their ideas? What about us?