ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
June 5, 2026
Many churches are doubling down on divorce. What I mean is that more churches are feeling the need to relegate those who have experienced divorce to a lower status in the life of the church. Depending on the congregation, this post-divorce status can look a little different, but in most cases, it means that you can attend worship and give money, but you cannot serve on the church board, teach a class, or participate in worship leadership. What’s interesting is the development of the church’s opinion on divorce. In Mark’s Gospel (the first Gospel written), Jesus is unequivocally against divorce. Luke is pretty similar, but Matthew’s Gospel (written after Mark and probably after Luke) offers an exception to the rule found in Mark and Luke. According to Matthew, divorce and remarriage are okay if the divorce was triggered by adultery. It’s interesting how the last Gospel to be written, John’s Gospel, has no record of Jesus saying anything on divorce. The Apostle Paul appears to hold the general line on divorce, yet with some additional grace and an exception of his own making. He wrote in 1 Corinthians 7, “I also have something to say to everyone else. It is from me, not a direct command from the Lord.” So, do we follow Paul or Jesus? And if we follow Jesus, do we follow Matthew or Mark’s Jesus? I mentioned in yesterday’s Etching the notion of univocality, the idea that everything in the Bible speaks with a single, harmonious voice. With a bit of snootiness, I enjoy watching those who claim univocality try to amalgamate what appear to be additional exceptions and modifications to the rule on divorce. If there is univocality to the Bible, then the one speaking has a really bad memory. Or maybe a better explanation is that in the ancient world, divorce was complicated as it is today, though the complicating factors in the ancient world were different than most circumstances today. It’s interesting how the further we got away from the actual time of Jesus, in the case of the Gospels, or the further away we got from the geographic region in which the Jesus story was told, in the case of the Apostle Paul’s travels, there appears to be some reinterpretation of the rule on divorce. It wasn’t that anyone was in favor of divorce, but like any hard and fast rule, the application of that rule in real life becomes complicated. Welcome to what it means to follow Jesus 2000 years after he concluded his ministry.
We look to you, Generous and Grace-filled God, for you are the one who knows us and loves us. We look to you for how we are to live our lives, and as we look to you, you see us as individuals seeking to live faithfully in a complicated world. Expectations of how to live faithfully on the edge of the Roman Empire centuries ago have changed because the world has changed. Your love and mercy, and the demand for justice and kindness have never changed, yet how we implement them in an ever-changing world must change if true faithfulness is our goal. Help us to perceive, as is described in Isaiah, the new thing you are doing. Amen.
