Learned people challenged Jesus on all sorts of topics: healing, observance of the sabbath, taxes, marriage, and more. They hoped to trip him up with hair-splitting questions on technicalities of living the faith. Each time, Jesus responded with a challenge to deeper discipleship. In this passage, Jesus first challenges the learned people to honor the scriptural description of marriage as “one flesh,” and he privately admonishes his disciples to avoid divorce.

Human relationships are never guaranteed to work out. Sometimes things beyond our control put our relationships to the test. Sometimes we don’t bring our best selves to our relationships. Sometimes we have to make painful choices in order to go on living.

I have puzzled over the difference between Jesus’ words for the larger audience and his strict teaching for the smaller group of disciples. Does he intend for the “no divorce” teaching to apply to everyone or only to his closest companions?

I don’t know if I can answer this question, but I can say that Jesus calls each of us to treat human relationships as gifts from God. Jesus challenges us to accept each person we meet as a child of God, made in God’s image. He treats the woman at the well, who has been married multiple times, as the child of God she is, worthy of love. (See John 4:1-30.) He instructs the lawyer to show mercy and be a good neighbor. (See Luke 10:25-37.) Jesus challenges his listeners to forego rights and privileges in favor of the more vulnerable in society.

We are called to see the image of God in each person and to treat others accordingly. When our relationships suffer, we are called to lean on the One who made us in the divine image.