In Matthew 19:3 and the parallel passage in Mark 10, the Rabbis asked Jesus about his interpretation of Deuteronomy24:1.
The context, discovered only in recent years, was that there were two different Forms of Divorce available at the time.
The Any Matter Form of Divorce was a technical term from Jewish divorce law, a Form of Divorce.
The other Form of Divorce, divorce on the grounds of "General Sexual Immorality", was available to both men and women, both of whom were able to divorce their partner.
This traditional type of divorce was becoming rarer by the start of the 1st century, being replaced by the "Any Matter" Form of Divorce, which was for men only, and popular as no grounds had to be shown and there was no court case.
For an "Any Matter" divorce, the man simply had to write out a certificate of divorce and give it to his wife.
By Jesus' time, the Any Matter Form of Divorce was the more popular, but the Rabbis were still arguing about the legalities of it.
.
The disciples of Shammai were particularly opposed to it.
For the "Any Matter" divorce see Josephus, AJ 4.
253, "He who desires to be divorced from his wife who is living with him on the grounds of 'Any Matter'...
must certify in writing...
"; Philo, Special Laws 3.
30, "...
if a woman is parting from her husband on the grounds of 'Any Matter.
'" Matthew 19:3-8 has been mistranslated giving the impression that Jesus was asked the question, "Is it ever legal to divorce?" and Jesus answered, "No, except on the grounds of sexual immorality.
" This is not the case.
Jesus was asked if it was legal to divorce on the grounds of the Any Matter Form of Divorce and he answered, "No, only on the grounds of the General Sexual Immorality Form of Divorce.
" In other words, he was disagreeing with the Any Matter Form of Divorce and declaring it invalid.
Jesus certainly was not saying that at that time, or in the time to come, people were never to divorce except on the ground of sexual immorality.