Mark 10:3

Mark 10:3, in plain English

Instead of answering directly, Jesus asked, 'What did Moses tell you?' He wanted them to think about what Scripture actually says before He showed them what it means.

Why it's here

Jesus often answered questions with questions. He wasn't dodging — He was teaching them to think more deeply about what they already knew.

Who's speaking

Jesus responds with a question of His own.

Where it sits in the story

Classic Jesus — answering a question with a question. But it wasn't a dodge. He was about to take them deeper into Scripture than they'd ever gone on this topic.

The scholarly reading

Jesus employs a counter-question ('What did Moses command?') that turns the rabbinical method back on His questioners, forcing them to state the legal framework before He reinterprets it.

Language and setting

By asking what Moses 'commanded' (eneteilato) rather than 'permitted,' Jesus subtly sets up the distinction He will make between concession and ideal.

Voice

Jesus responds to the Pharisees' question with His own question.

Significance

Rather than answering directly, Jesus redirects to Scripture itself: 'What did Moses command?' He will use their own Torah to reveal something they have overlooked.

1Then Jesus left that place and went into the region of Judea, beyond the Jordan. Again the crowds came to Him and He taught them, as was His custom.

2Some Pharisees came to test Him. “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” they inquired.

3“What did Moses command you?” He replied.

4They answered, “Moses permitted a man to write his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away.”

5But Jesus told them, “Moses wrote this commandment for you because of your hardness of heart.

Read all of Mark 10 — Jesus redefines greatness. The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve — and to give His life as a ransom.