Back At You

Do you think Jesus expected to be tested each time he came to the temple?

Early in the morning Jesus came again to the temple. All the people came to him and he sat down and began to teach them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them, they said to him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, sir.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.” - John 8:1–11

I have often wondered where the man is with whom the woman was committing adultery.

And I wonder if Jesus had asked himself the same question.  Perhaps he even pondered which of these men it might be.

The trap the men set for Jesus, though, didn't produce the results they desired.  They hoped he would fail to cast a stone to punish her, and in a way, they were right.  He didn't want to be her judge, but he didn't fall into their trap.

Instead, he led them into it, one by one.

Let anyone who is without sin cast the first stone, he says.

No one is without sin.  We all believe that, though we may not be willing or eager to admit it in public.

And we can argue whose sins are worse, but to have no sin at all is probably impossible for us humans.

So, what is the message here?

The woman is not condemned, even though she was guilty of the sin, and Jesus tells her not to sin again.

She got off easy this time, and is probably thankful to have her life back.  They would have stoned her to death.

So, for her, the message is clear, do not sin.

But for us it is about judgment.  If we are without sin, we are free to judge, but if we are sinners, judgment is not for us to dole out.

That makes everything harder, doesn't it?

More to come...