Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking: is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife? — the testing question from the Pharisees is explicitly identified as a test (peirazō), not a genuine inquiry. The divorce question in the Transjordan/Perean region carries political overtones: this is Herod Antipas's territory, and John the Baptist was beheaded for confronting Herod's divorce and remarriage. The Pharisees may be hoping Jesus will say something that puts him on the same collision course with Herod that destroyed John.

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