Some of us in the congregation and in the faith community might find ourselves scratching our heads and asking, like the old woman in a long-ago Wendy’s commercial, “where’s the beef?” “Where’s the Gospel?”

Thank God that there are 27 books in the NT, and today's lesson is only one piece of one Gospel.

It does however, raise some important questions. There are faith communities where many of us would no longer be permitted to receive communion, or get married after a divorce or even have our children baptized.

Today’s Gospel is one of those times that the Lutheran interpretation makes a difference.

Instead of asking where's the beef, we need to ask where’s the Gospel.

In Jesus' time all a man had to dissolve a marriage was to write the wife a letter called “a certificate of divorce.”

The most vulnerable in his day were women and children… A woman who was not married either because of the death of her husband, or having never been married or having been divorced, had no social or legal standing…

no one to take care her of her or protect her…

Jesus addressed not so much the legal aspect of divorce but the dynamics of the relationship between a man and a woman.

Joseph and Mary were engaged when Joseph learns that before they had any relations, she is expecting. 

According to Deut. 22.21 he has several options. The most extreme is to have her stoned to death.

In the Gospel of Matthew we learn that Joseph was a righteous man, in that he wanted to do the right thing.

But is doing what the Bible says, always the righteous thing?

According to Deut. 22. 21 “She shall be brought to the door of the father's house and there the men of the town shall stone her to death…”

If Joseph wanted to keep the letter of the law and be righteous – what should he have done?

Okay, in the birth narrative of Jesus we also learn that Joseph in a dream was told that the child would be the Messiah… and that he should not “put her away.”

He was going to “quietly put her away” so there would be no gossip, no shame brought on her and her family.

So here we have the Bible saying two different things…

Matthew says that because Joseph was a righteous man he refused to do what the Law gave him permission to do…

He decided not to obey the Law. Here in the Bible are two different perspectives on what being righteous means.

That should be a warning to those who quote scripture and say “this is what the Bible says.” These folk should first find out what the Bible says and says again…

One more example – In the Gospel of John a woman who had been caught in the very act.

I always wondered what about the man? I mean if the woman was caught… Doesn’t it take two?

Anyway, we are told that she was dragged before Jesus and again those who wanted to set a trap for Jesus were waiting. They challenged him to render judgment … it was a set- up.

Being first century Bible thumpers they knew about that passage in Deut.  But they also knew Jesus well enough by this time to know he wouldn’t do it.

Jesus always favored grace over law, mercy over pity, forgiveness over punishment and they knew that.

Jesus said, “ok, those of you who are without guilt, without sin, those of you who have no fault, go ahead and pick up a rock and let’s get started…”

No one moved and one by one they slowly walked away… That is the only time that we read that Jesus bent down, not to pick up a stone but to scribble something in the sand.

Then he stood up, looking around and seeing only the woman said “There is no one here to accuse you,  go and sin no more”…So the law which comes from God says “stone adulteresses” and Jesus who comes from God says, “Not on my watch.”

Two different faces of God, one says “justice” is demanded – sin equals punishment.

The other says “no it doesn’t.” Grace trumps justice, forgiveness trumps punishment.

Pr. Fred Craddock, who used to teach Bible at Emory in Atlanta once said “I get sick

 and tired of people thumping the Bible as though you can just open it up and turn to a passage and that clears up everything.”

You can quote scripture before killing someone: “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.”

You can get rid of your wife, the Bible says “if a man finds something displeasing in his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce and send her out of his house.”

It also says that women should keep their heads covered and their mouths shut.  There is much more…

Jesus healed on the Sabbath. That too was against the Law… since practicing medicine was work and work was a “no-no” on the Sabbath.

So we learn that in today’s Gospel Jesus is again set up.

He is asked about divorce. He is told that in the Bible it is written that Moses gives permission – Jesus responds that it wasn’t God but Moses who had the idea.  He was pressured into it. He made a concession.

I thank God for all of you here today who have been faithful in your marriage vow. Those of you who continue to celebrate the passing of time with your life-long partner.

You are an inspiration, a model, a blessing to us all. 

You have been able to transcend the literalism of the Bible and embrace the God of both justice and compassion.

As for the rest of us – we like all of you - live in the light of a compassionate God. A God who picks up a child places it on his lap and says – look here, if you want to know about the Kingdom, this is what it’s about.

Not because children don’t sin, but because children know they sin and tell you so and are sorry for it. 

A child looks at the world and sees there an eternity of wonder, mystery, of feeling uncensored… while grown-ups have learned how to rationalize, sentimentalize, compartmentalize and make excuses…

Let us be children who know that we have a Father with infinite compassion.

Let us give thanks for His blessing today, tomorrow, and always. Amen.