Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God.

‘During the time of the Savior’s mortal ministry, divorce was a vexing issue, debated without resolution among rabbis. For many people, divorce was justified even for trivial reasons. The Pharisees sought to involve Jesus in the controversy by asking His opinion about divorce. In response, the Savior emphasized the sanctity of marriage by referring to Adam and Eve, who provided the ideal of marital unity and permanence (see Matthew 19:4–6; see also Genesis 2:24).

Matthew 19:7 records that the Pharisees referred to Deuteronomy 24:1, which some of their leaders understood to mean that if a man married a woman and she did not please him, he could provide her a written bill of divorcement. When asked why Moses permitted divorce, Jesus Christ declared, “Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so” (Matthew 19:8; italics added). Latter-day scriptures affirm that in the Lord’s plan of happiness, marriage is meant to be eternal (see D&C 132:15–20; Ecclesiastes 3:14; Moses 4:18).

President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency taught about the seriousness of divorce:
“Modern prophets have warned that looking upon marriage ‘as a mere contract that may be entered into at pleasure … and severed at the first difficulty … is an evil meriting severe condemnation,’ especially where children are made to suffer [David O. McKay, in Conference Report, Apr. 1969, 8–9].
“In ancient times and even under tribal laws in some countries where we now have members, men have power to divorce their wives for any trivial thing. Such unrighteous oppression of women was rejected by the Savior [see Matthew 19:8–9]” (“Divorce,” Ensign May 2007, 70).

President Gordon B. Hinckley (1910–2008) taught, “There may be now and again a legitimate cause for divorce. I am not one to say that it is never justified. But I say without hesitation that this plague among us, which seems to be growing everywhere, is not of God, but rather is the work of the adversary of righteousness and peace and truth” (“What God Hath Joined Together,” Ensign, May 1991, 74).’ (Institute New Testament manual)

President Dallin H. Oaks explained that in our day divorced individuals may remarry without their new marriage being considered adultery, but in the celestial kingdom there will be no divorce: “The kind of marriage required for exaltation—eternal in duration and godlike in quality—does not contemplate divorce. In the temples of the Lord, couples are married for all eternity. But some marriages do not progress toward that ideal. Because ‘of the hardness of [our] hearts’ [Matthew 19:8], the Lord does not currently enforce the consequences of the celestial standard. He permits divorced persons to marry again without the stain of immorality specified in the higher law” (Institute New Testament manual)

Eternal life is available to all—no matter how early or late we accept the gospel.

Jesus tells the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16) in response to Peter’s question in Matthew 19:27: “Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?”

Peter wanted to know what reward would be given to those who give up everything to follow Jesus. In response, Jesus explains this truth about the kingdom of heaven.

The parable tells of the owner of a vineyard who went to the marketplace at the first hour of the morning (6:00 a.m.) to find workers for the day. His offered wage of one penny, a Roman’s soldier’s pay for a day, was generous. The workers in the first group were more than happy to work for the generous wage.

As the day progressed  the landowner returned to the marketplace at 9:00 a.m., 3:00 p.m., and 5:00 p.m. (the eleventh hour), found other unemployed men who were willing to work, and hired them. The specific wage was not mentioned, but the landowner promised to pay “whatsoever is right.”  Altogether, four groups of workers were hired, the last group just one hour before the end of the day. When the time came for the wages to be paid, the first group of workers saw the last group being paid a penny and were naturally thinking they would be paid more since they had worked the longest. Their anger against the landowner spilled forth when they saw they would all be paid the same, even though they got exactly what they had agreed upon when they were hired. The landowner was forced to defend his actions to the first group, even though he had dealt them in perfect fairness according to the contract.

The first group of workers in the vineyard resented receiving the same wage as the last group. Their attitude was similar to that of the Pharisees, who were incensed at Jesus’ teaching that others could inherit a heavenly kingdom they thought was reserved for them alone. They despised Jesus for offering the kingdom to poor, oppressed, weak sinners whom He made equal to them.

The landowner’s decision to pay all the workers the same was an act of mercy—not injustice.

Those hired in the eleventh hour might represent those who become converted late in life but thereafter labor diligently in the kingdom. One truth this parable illustrates is that whether people become disciples of Christ in their youth, in their young adulthood, in the later stages of life, or in some instances in the spirit world (see D&C 137:7–8), eternal life is the reward for all people who make and keep sacred covenants with the Lord.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles offered these additional lessons from this parable of the laborers:
“This parable—like all parables—is not really about laborers or wages any more than the others are about sheep and goats. This is a story about God’s goodness, His patience and forgiveness, and the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a story about generosity and compassion. It is a story about grace. It underscores the thought I heard many years ago that surely the thing God enjoys most about being God is the thrill of being merciful, especially to those who don’t expect it and often feel they don’t deserve it.
“… However late you think you are, however many chances you think you have missed, however many mistakes you feel you have made or talents you think you don’t have, or however far from home and family and God you feel you have traveled, I testify that you have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love. It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ’s Atonement shines.
“… There is no dream that in the unfolding of time and eternity cannot yet be realized. Even if you feel you are the lost and last laborer of the eleventh hour, the Lord of the vineyard still stands beckoning.
“… His concern is for the faith at which you finally arrive, not the hour of the day in which you got there.
“So if you have made covenants, keep them. If you haven’t made them, make them. If you have made them and broken them, repent and repair them. It is never too late so long as the Master of the vineyard says there is time” (“The Laborers in the Vineyard,” Ensign, May 2012, 32–33).

The Savior will guide us closer to Him as we ask for His help.

Watch or read: What Lack I Yet? by Elder Larry R Lawrence

We should trust God’s mercy, not our own righteousness.

President Howard W. Hunter explained that the Pharisee’s prayer was “not one of thankfulness, but of boastfulness” and taught that the contrast between the Pharisee and the publican illustrates the importance of humility and contrition:
“Could there be greater contrast in the prayers of the two men? The Pharisee stood apart because he believed he was better than other men, whom he considered as common. The publican stood apart also, but it was because he felt himself unworthy. The Pharisee thought of no one other than himself and regarded everyone else a sinner, whereas the publican thought of everyone else as righteous as compared with himself, a sinner. The Pharisee asked nothing of God, but relied upon his own self-righteousness. The publican appealed to God for mercy and forgiveness of his sins.
“Continuing the story, Jesus then said: ‘I tell you, this man,’ referring to the publican, the despised tax collector, ‘went down to his house justified, rather than the other.’ (Luke 18:14.) In other words, the Lord said he was absolved, forgiven, or vindicated. …
“Humility is an attribute of godliness possessed by true Saints. It is easy to understand why a proud man fails. He is content to rely upon himself only. … The proud man shuts himself off from God, and when he does he no longer lives in the light. …
“… History bears record that those who have exalted themselves have been abased, but the humble have been exalted. On every busy street there are Pharisees and publicans. It may be that one of them bears our name” (“The Pharisee and the Publican,” Ensign, May 1984, 65–66).