Jesus taught them God’s view of divorce, and about abstaining from marriage to give more time to serve God.

Matthew 19:1-12

19 After Jesus had said that, he took us and left Galilee district and went to the part of Judea district that is located on the east side of the Jordan River. 2 Large crowds followed him there, and he healed the sick among them.

3 Some Pharisees approached Jesus and said to him, “Does our Jewish law permit a man to divorce his wife for any reason whatever?” They asked that in order to be able to criticize Jesus, whether he answered “Yes” or “No.” 4 Jesus said to them, “Because you have read [RHQ] the Scriptures, you should know that at the time God first created people, ‘he made one man, and he made one woman to be that man’s wife.’ 5 That explains why God said, ‘When a man and woman marry, they should no longer live with their fathers and mothers. Instead, the two of them shall live together, and they shall become so closely united that they are like one person [MET].’ 6 Consequently, although they functioned as two separate people before, they now become as if they were one person [MET]. Since that is true, a man must not separate from his wife whom God has joined to him, because it is God’s plan for them to remain together.”

7 The Pharisees then said to him, “If that is true, why did Moses command that a man who wanted to divorce his wife should give her a paper stating his reason for divorcing her, and then send her away?” 8 He said to them, “It was because your ancestors stubbornly wanted their own way that Moses allowed them to divorce their wives, and you are no different from them. But when God first [MTY] created a man and a woman, he did not intend for them to separate. 9 I am telling you emphatically that because God considers that a marriage lasts until either the husband or the wife dies, he considers that any man who divorces his wife and marries another woman is committing adultery, unless his first wife has committed adultery.” 10 We disciples said to him, “If that is true, it is better for men never to marry!” 11 Then he said to us, “Not every man is able to accept this teaching. Only the men whom God enables to accept it are able to do so. 12 There are men who do not marry because they are not able to have sexual relations because they have been sexually defective ever since they were born. There are other men who do not marry because they are unable to have sexual relations because they have been castrated {other men have made them that way}. There are other men who decide not to marry [MET] in order that they can serve God better and spend more time telling people about how God [MTY/EUP] wants to rule people’s lives. You who are able to understand what I have said about marriage should accept it and obey it.”