Mark 10:2-16
Year B
How many preachers will feel called to preach on … anything but Mark 10:2-16 this week? There are some lovely alternatives in the Revised Common Lectionary, and the PC(USA)’s Special Offerings office has chosen some verses from Zechariah for this week’s focus on Peace and Global Witness. My congregation currently follows the Narrative Lectionary, and I’ll confess that I agreed to write this lectionary reflection before I looked at the RCL texts. Friends, God indeed has a sense of humor.
We could avoid it, but that doesn’t erase Jesus’ teaching on divorce as told by Mark, or the harm that the church has done. Ignoring it won’t lighten the weight of judgment – real or perceived – that is often felt by those who have been divorced, whatever the reasons may be. People will be listening, and silence can speak volumes.
The preacher might lean on contextual differences. At the time of this teaching, women and children had no power and few rights. They were economically, physically and socially dependent on the male head of household, father or husband. Biblical law allowed for a man to give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away, with few exceptions. The wife had no legal recourse to contest the divorce. Nor could a woman divorce her husband. Jesus’ response focuses on the Mosaic law but also reflects Roman law, which permitted women to divorce their husbands.
Marital expectations and family life were quite different during Jesus’ life, too. Marriage offered protection and stability, especially for women and children. That would have factored into Jesus’ teaching on divorce. It’s consistent with his admonishments – and with the Hebrew Scriptures – to care for the most vulnerable. It also makes sense considering the verses following it.
All that being said, this prohibition of divorce goes beyond what was legal and who needs to be protected. According to Mark, Jesus’ teaching on marriage is clear and absolute. Marriage is ordained and sealed by God. Once a couple is united by God, there is no separation. That’s why Jesus argues that remarriage after divorce is the same as committing adultery. Matthew’s Gospel adds a little wiggle room (Matthew 5:31-32), but here, Jesus allows no exceptions.
By this definition, I’m sure I won’t be the only adulterer in the pulpit. I am the child of divorce, and my kids are children of divorce. It’s hard and complicated. I never wanted this to be my reality, and I never wanted my children’s lives to be complicated by it. Divorce is a fracture, and fractured lives and relationships are not God’s desire for us. Divorce doesn’t initiate the fracture. It’s the response to what has already been broken and “torn asunder.”
We believe that God wants the very best for us, and we know that our present reality isn’t it. We cling to the hope of transformation, new life, and the promise of resurrection. Sometimes transformation and healing can happen within a marriage, and sometimes, they cannot. Upholding marriage at all costs has exacted devastating, and sometimes deadly, tolls. The church has often idolized marriage and demonized divorce, and so much harm and hurt have been caused because of it. Our reluctance to address it perpetuates the harm.
The second part of the pericope might serve as an interpretive lens for the first. Jesus didn’t say much about marriage and divorce, but he frequently addressed the need to care for the most vulnerable. He reoriented the focus to the margins, drawing in those who were pushed aside and silenced. The church has often given inordinate weight to the few verses addressing marital and intimate relationships. Perhaps we’re missing the heart of the Gospel message: Jesus reveals to us the depth of God’s love and concern for all of God’s children.
The Gospels continue to draw our attention to the margins, inviting us to ask who we ignore or exclude today. Many of our churches and ministries remain oriented to heteronormative family units: mom, dad, and 2.5 kids. My congregation looks much different. Because of shared custody arrangements, more than half of our children and youth are with us part-time. We plan programming with those complexities in mind. We have single parents, blended families, and grandparents providing significant care, all reflecting a range of gender identities and sexual orientations. We use language that intentionally includes that diversity.
Do all of God’s children find welcome and blessing in our churches, just as they are? Divorce is hard enough without the added baggage of the church’s judgment, silent or not. Wrestling with this text invites us to name and repent of the harm the church has done. People will be listening for the good news of the Gospel, for words of grace and love. We may never know just how much someone needs to hear it.
Questions for reflection
- The theme of family life weaves through most of today’s readings. Reflect on the families in your church and in your community. How do they resemble or differ from families in previous church generations? How has your congregation responded to those changes? What needs remain unmet?
- There are two Gospel readings over the three-year cycle that address divorce. How have you encountered these readings in the church? Have you heard or preached sermons, or participated in discussions about either of these passages? If so, what have you heard? What messages have you or others internalized about the church’s beliefs regarding divorce and remarriage?
- Many churches will celebrate World Communion Sunday and Peace and Global Witness Sunday this week. How might those foci provide additional lenses for reflecting on the Gospel reading? How do we welcome all of God’s children to the table? How do we maintain peace and unity with churches and denominations that have significantly different views on divorce and/or “family values?”
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