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KNOWLEDGE-ABLE | ||
"I have come to rate all as loss in the light of the surpassing knowledge of my Lord Jesus Christ." 뾒hilippians 3:8 | ||
Because of Paul's "surpassing knowledge" of Jesus, he came to rate all as loss. Paul's personal relationship with Jesus changed the "ratings" in his life. Things he used to rate high were reassessed as worthless and empty. All of us have a "surpassing knowledge." Usually, our knowledge of and attraction to pleasure surpasses all else. For many people, even Christians, food, entertainment, TV programs, money, or lifestyle rate the highest. These surpass everything else. Eventually, we experience a "surpassing knowledge" of tragedy and/or death. This changes our ratings. In the face of death, we now rate as loss those things for which we formerly lived. We feel so empty and regret that we've wasted our lives. We feel condemned by the vain, stupid, empty priorities of our past life. However, the surpassing knowledge of tragedy and/or death, which surpassed our preoccupation with pleasure, can itself be surpassed by the personal knowledge of Jesus. When we totally give our lives to Jesus, we no longer stand condemned by the empty priorities of our past (see Rm 8:1). These vanities and regrets all disappear (see Jn 8:10). We give "no thought to what lies behind but push on to what is ahead" (Phil 3:13). Life in Christ is not merely meaningless stimulation but real excitement. Because of our knowledge of Jesus, life is a race, not a drag (see Phil 3:12). Live in the light of the surpassing knowledge of Jesus. | ||
Prayer: Father, "I wish to know Christ and the power flowing from His resurrection; likewise to know how to share in His sufferings by being formed into the pattern of His death" (Phil 3:10). | ||
Promise: "See, I am doing something new! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?" 뾋s 43:19 | ||
Praise: Risen Lord Jesus, praise You for revealing Yourself to us. You are the Light of my life (see Jn 8:12). |
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Some people easily condemn and ostracize others. They do so because they feel superior. Two groups of people who fit this type perfectly are the scribes and the Pharisees. They were the leading people during the time of Jesus and they always wanted the respect and admiration of everybody. They were ruthless and unforgiving. Nobody should oppose them. These scribes and Pharisees had a secret grudge against Jesus. They wanted to discredit Jesus probably so that the people would turn away from him.
In the gospel passage, the scribes and the Pharisees, knowing that they had a strong case, brought a woman caught in adultery to Jesus. They wanted to test how Jesus would judge this sinful woman. But Jesus knew what was in their minds. Rather than be trapped by them, Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground, but when they persisted in their questioning, Jesus stood up and said, " Let the one who has no sin be the first to cast a stone." Everybody became silent, and one by one, started to drift away. Then he turned to her and said, "Woman, where did they all go? Has no one condemned you?" "No one, sir," she answered. Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you. You may go. But from now on, avoid this sin."
Sometimes in our desire to prove our point that we are on the right, we use the same tactics. We bring the evidence, or we complain. How many times did we complain that we were treated unfairly? When we were not given a salary increase. Or when children complain to their parents that they listen more to their other brothers and sisters? We can enumerate a lot of complaints to prove our point. We are just like the scribes and the Pharisees. But why do these things happen? It happens because deep in our hearts we are jealous. We are jealous because others are better than we, but we don't want to admit it. The scribes and the Pharisees did not like Jesus because he took the limelight from them. They were a bunch of insecure people.
So as we reflect on this passage, let us be more aware of the way we conduct our lives. Let us be more aware of our sinful actions and pharisaic attitudes. Let us see Jesus as the one who can change our lives, and let us listen to his words. The sacraments are available to us. We should also realize that there is no sin in this world that cannot be forgiven if we repent. God is a loving God and He is always waiting for us to go back to Him.
Homily from Father James Gilhooley 5 Lent |
Fifth Sunday of Lent - Cycle B - John 12:20-33 Socrates was sitting on a park bench. A cop asked him, "Who are you?" He answered, "I wish to God I knew." Egypt's King Tutankhamen left us his golden furniture and jewels, but he is dead. The Nazarene left us no golden toys, but He lives. The answer to this riddle is locked in this Gospel. No other Gospel contains the story of the Greek travelers. That is not surprising. John's work was written to present Christ to the Greeks and Gentiles. His Jesus was designed for export. Nor is it surprising to find Greeks in Jerusalem. The Greeks were inveterate wanderers. They had an insatiable desire to see fresh places and taste new ideas. They also had the dollars. They were yesterday's jet set. The Greek tourists were smart. The time to be in Jerusalem was Passover. Then they would get all the action and color they wanted. The Greeks may have seen some of the miracles worked by the Christ in Jerusalem. They may have witnessed Him driving the bankers out of the Temple. Surely they had heard of His triumphal entrance into Jerusalem. Is it any wonder then that they wanted to pull up chairs with our Christ? They were as inquisitive about Him as we are. Besides, they suspected such an outspoken person would not live long. They chose the apostle Philip as their messenger. They liked his Greek name. Their famous line "Sir, we should like to see Jesus!" has been echoed by billions since the Greeks spoke it. But Philip broke into a sweat at their request. Did the Master want to chat with these foreigners? They had no appointment. Timidly Philip threw the ball into Andrew's court. He set up the rendezvous immediately. He had learned long before that the Teacher had time for everybody. You need no appointment. He has no voice mail, no cell phone, no peeper. He takes all calls immediately. He is on the job 7/24/365. He's just a prayer away. Besides Jesus was delighted at the arrival of the Greeks. The Wise Men from the East at His birth carried news of Him to the countries east of Palestine. The Wise Men from the West would carry His message into the western world. Jesus shares a Greek salad (What else?) and white wine with His Greek guests at a vine covered outdoor cafe. Jerusalem is enjoying beautiful weather. There has been speculation for centuries that Jesus Himself spoke some Greek along with His native Aramaic. He proves as sophisticated as the Greeks. Originally they thought of Him as a Socrates. They found Him much more. Unlike Socrates, He knows exactly who He is. He blows their sharp minds with His surreal message. Only death brings life. To illustrate His point He uses the grain symbolism. Unless grains of wheat are buried, they will not produce wheat fields. Our Lord was teaching the Greeks and us that only by spending one's life do we retain it. We will exist long into the 21st century if we take things easily, avoid strain, and protect our lives as would a hypochondriac. We will exist longer, but unhappily we will not live. We will prove the point made by a priest that not all the dead are buried. History is filled with people who have learned the lesson Jesus was teaching the Greeks that day at brunch. GB Shaw's Joan of Arc is one. She knew her enemies were closing in. So she shouts to God, "I shall last only a year. Use me as you can." Christians who lost their lives helping Holocaust Jews are remembered today in Israel in the garden known as the Avenue of the Just. They surrendered their own lives to save others. Incidentally, the Teacher underlines His teaching that from death springs life more than once. You will find Him doing it two times in Matthew, twice in Luke, and once in Mark. He had no intention of pigeonholing this teaching. The Master picked up the check at the bistro. As He was leaving the Greeks, He threw them a fluttering knuckle ball that must have caused indigestion. "And when I am lifted up from the earth, I shall draw all men to myself." It was on the magnet of a wooden cross Jesus placed His hopes. History proved Him right. The empires founded on force have gone leaving bad memories - Genghis Khan, Alexander, Napoleon, Hitler, and Saddam. But, as Christ the swordless on an ass." The Christian life, the sage says, is like parachuting. We must do it right the first time. |
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Homily from Father Joseph Pellegrino http://www.st.ignatius.net/pastor.html 5 Lent |
5th Lent: Come All You Sinners What was going through her mind? She was being dragged to the Lord. She had to have been terrified. Certainly these men were going to kill her. The woman was caught in adultery. Women have been killed for far less. Even in our modern times, women are treated throughout the world as chattel, their lives completely dependent on the will of their fathers, brothers or husbands. Horrible things continue to happen to women in the name of religion. Another travesty was about to take place, when the woman was brought before the Lord. She certainly expected to die. She must have been panic struck as they threw her before the Lord. She also must have been ashamed. People were laughing at her. They treated her like dirt. Perhaps she herself thought she was dirt. If they didn’t kill her, what type of life would she have left. Who would marry her? Who would give her a place to stay? Who would have mercy on her? She might as well die. The better-than-thous of her society, shouted that she had to die. The Law of Moses demanded it. What would this Jesus say about that? They were certain that they had him. His hands were tied. This, the Kindest Man to ever live, would have to oppose the Law or agree that she should die. And through the clamor, she looked up, and saw the Lord looking at her. Compassion for her flowed through him. Nobody cared about her before. The man or men who used her sexually, didn’t care that she was going to die. The leaders of her people didn’t care about her. Her own family probably disowned her. But Jesus cared. Then there was the silence. He knelt down and began writing on the ground. Silence. The silence must have been overpowering. Finally, he spoke. “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” And the sheer dynamism of his voice, the kindness and compassion of his voice, forced her accusers to return to the holes from which they had climbed out. “There is no one to accuse you. Then, nor shall I. But go and sin no more.” She left, not just with her life, but with a new dignity. She had been forgiven. She now could embrace a new life. Tradition holds that the woman was Mary Magdalene. Tradition also holds that Mary Magdalene became a close follower of the Lord and that this was the Mary who was the first to experience the Resurrection. She was also the first, in a long line of sinners, to come before the Lord in guilt and in shame, feeling the weight of sin, knowing that punishment was deserved, yet hoping to receive a share in His compassion. And so often in our lives we have come, groveling before the Lord, burdened with our sins, full of guilt, full of shame, seeking a glimmer of mercy. “Treat me as your servant, but let me back on the farm,” we join the Prodigal Son in our plea to the Forgiving Father. But the graciousness of the Lord, his forgiveness, his healing is beyond our fondest hopes. We are restored by his love. There are many who will approach the Sacrament of Penance during these remaining days of Lent. Some come to Church regularly, lead good Christian lives, but recognize that they are full of little sins, venial sins, that are holding them back. Others have been away from the Lord for a long time. Full of guilt, full of shame, the seek restoration. They seek redemption. All are welcomed back. All receive the compassion of the Lord. All are told, “Neither do I condemn you. Go now and sin no more.” We pray today for the conversion of sinners, beginning with ourselves. The time is right for the harvest. This is the time of year, the last weeks of Lent, when many people will be reconsidering their lives, thinking that they can be better, infinitely better than they have been. Pray for the conversion of sinners, starting with ourselves, and extending our prayers to all who are full of guilt, full of shame, afraid to change, and wondering is there any hope of forgiveness for them. All you sinners And the weak at heart All you helpless On the boulevards Wherever you are now Whatever evil you've found Bring all of your troubles And come lay 'em down Need to Breathe’s Come Lay ‘em down (CCLI License # 2368115) We call for the Lord’s compassion today on all who so desperately seek to be forgiven, including ourselves. United to Mary Magdalene we pray: Give us all the courage, Lord, to come before you in humility, and to leave not just with forgiveness, but with the determination to sin no more. The parable of the Prodigal Son, Forgiving Father or Elder Brother, whatever, is calling us to reflect on the depth of our own commitment to the Lord, and our own determination to live His Love. |
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Homily from Father Phil Bloom http://stmaryvalleybloom.org/ * available in Spanish - see Spanish homilies 5 Lent |
The Breastplate (March 17, 2013) Bottom line: In Jesus' death and resurrection, we receive power - the Breastplate, the armor we need for spiritual combat. Today is the Fifth Sunday of Lent - the final Sunday prior to Holy Week. Before we enter these intense celebrations, I would like to take a step back to recall that we are in the Year of Faith. We have two current events that help us appreciate the meaning of our faith: One is at a distance - the election of a new pope. The other is quite near - we are accompanying our candidates for the Easter Sacraments - Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist. About the papal election, we pray for the man who will carry out this vital ministry. Regarding the candidates for Easter Sacraments, this Sunday we have the final "scrutiny," that is the pre-baptismal exorcism. The word "exorcism" might scare some people, but it shouldn't. An exorcism is a solemn declaration that the power of Jesus is greater than that of the enemy - Satan and his hosts of demons. Here are words of this Sunday's scrutiny: "Free them from the slavery of Satan, the source of sin and death...Place them under the reign of your beloved Son." This prayer underscores that we are in spiritual combat - on one side is the slavery of Satan and on the other the rule of Jesus. The battle affects all levels: from the Vatican right down to our parish, our families - and most urgent, your heart and mine. We are in a spiritual war - and every moment we are either falling under Satan's power or turning to Christ. Sometimes it seems we are fighting a losing battle. We see people slipping from the faith. We see young people giving in to the culture of death: alcohol and drug abuse; contraception, abortion and cohabitation. And the devil has powerful tools - new forms of pornography to attack men, women, young people and even children. We are in a spiritual war. Satan wants to weaken us adults. Why? His ultimate target is our children and grandchildren. The devil goes after those who are innocent and defenseless. We can see that in today's Gospel. It is about a case of adultery. Adultery harms adults, but its devastate children. We can understand why Israel had a "zero tolerance" policy against adultery. But Jesus is not about policies; he is about people. He know that we all have in some way turned against God. All of us have come under Satan's power. And Jesus wants to free each one. He faces the accusers and his look causes each to examine his conscience. Then he speaks to the woman. Instead of condemnation, he offers a new beginning, "Go and from now on do not sin any more." She must have experienced an incredible, but also a huge challenge. How would she rebuild her life? Tradition places her at the foot of the cross. That's where you and I have to go. Jesus offers a new beginning - by way of the cross. As the Scrutiny prayer indicates: by the cross Jesus defeats Satan, the source of sin and death. I would to like conclude with an exorcism prayer that you can use: the Breastplate of St. Patrick. By a nice coincidence this year the Fifth Sunday of Lent falls on March 17 - St. Patrick's Day. I am making his prayer available to you - the Breastplate - St. Patrick's armor against Satan. In the prayer he asks for "God's shield to protect me...from the snares of demons, from temptations and vices." Then he says: Christ with me, Christ before me... Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me. We are in a spiritual war. It sometimes seems like a losing battle, but did you notice that Isaiah speaks today about a "powerful army." That army is Jesus with his host of angels and saints. As we will experience dramatically in Holy Week, in Jesus' death and resurrection, we receive power - the Breastplate, the armor we need for spiritual combat. Take up the Breastplate, put on the armor of Christ - for your own salvation and for the sake of your children and grandchildren. Amen. |
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Homily from Father Andrew M. Greeley http://www.agreeley.com/homilies.html 5 Lent |
March 17th, 2013 A.D. Fifth Sunday of Lent "Go, and do not sin again" Background: Many Jewish scholars are offended by this passage from the Gospel. By what right did Jesus attack those who were merely providing the logistics for the temple sacrifices and thus it would appear he was questioning the sacrificial rites themselves, though they were established by the mosaic law. By what right did he do these things. Contemporary Judaism of course does not do animal sacrifices any more and perhaps would not even if the temple were rebuilt. However, It is somewhat difficult to understand what the meaning of this text is, save perhaps it intends to show that for all his gentleness and kindness Jesus had a passionate and even on occasion furious side. Story: Once upon a time a high school principal discovered that someone had stolen the exam questions from her office. It had to have been the sophomores because they were the only ones whose grades shot up. She assembled all the sophomores in the gym and tore into them. I don’t know who’s more stupid she said, the one’s who stole the tests and then gave them to everyone else or the ones who use the stolen tests to improve their grades. Either way we were bound to catch you. So you’re not only sneaky and dishonest and corrupt. You’re also dumb. We’re suspending the lot of you indefinitely until we find out who stole the tests. Tell your parents not to bother to come over here and try to change my mind. I won’t talk to them. I won’t even waste my time telling them that their children are crooked and dumb. If the people who did it confess, we might not expel them, but they don’t have much time to fess up. Then she stormed out of the gym. The sophomores slipped out in twos and threes. I agree with what she said, they admitted, but I didn’t like the way she said it. |
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Homily from Saint Vincent Archabbey, Latrobe,Pa http://www.saintvincentarchabbey.org/sunday_homily 5 Lent |
Fifth Sunday of Lent, Cycle B Sunday, March 17, 2013 March 17, 2013 John 8:1-11 Gospel Summary This is the gospel about the woman who had been caught in adultery. Enemies of Jesus bring her to him at daybreak while he is teaching people in the temple area. They make her stand there humiliated in public. In an attempt to trap him into opposing either Mosaic Law or Roman Law, they ask Jesus whether he judges that she should be stoned. After Jesus exposes their malice, the woman's accusers are afraid to condemn her. Beginning with the elders, they all go away. Then Jesus says to the woman: "Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin anymore." Life Implications The story about Jesus and the woman caught in adultery happily became part of Holy Scripture, inserted as it was in the fourth gospel. Some early manuscripts have the story placed after Luke 21:38 where it says that people came at daybreak to listen to Jesus as he taught in the temple area. The story fits very well in the fourth gospel because it illustrates some of its most basic themes--truth, judgment, blindness, sight, darkness, light, death, life, sin, creation. In Jesus' time it was important to determine the arrival of daybreak when the first offerings were to be made in the temple. A rabbi asked his students what criterion might be used to determine that the night had ended. One student said the night had ended when there was enough light to tell a goat from a sheep. Another said when you could distinguish an apple tree from a fig tree. The rabbi gave this answer: "A new day has arrived when you can look at a human face, and see a brother or a sister. If you are unable to see a brother or a sister in every human face, you are still in the darkness of night." Though morning had come, for the woman's accusers it is still night. They cannot see that it is their brother and their sister who have committed the sin. They have humiliated the more vulnerable partner of the adultery by making her stand alone in the public temple area. This echoes the malice of the elders who ordered the veil to be removed from the woman Susanna after accusing her of adultery (Dan 13:32). Moreover, in their darkness, the woman's accusers are unable to see that Jesus is also their brother, sent by God to bring them into the light. They have violated the God-given dignity of the woman by reducing her to the status of an object. They attempt to use her as a means to advance their own interests by laying a trap for Jesus in order to have a charge to bring against him. The malice of their action is compounded by the fact that they are seeking to destroy Jesus under the guise of honoring the divine law given to Moses. This surely is taking the name of God in vain (Ex 20:7). We can identify with any of the actors of the drama. Regrettably we can easily identify with the woman's accusers. We too take the name of God in vain when, under the guise of defending some orthodox doctrine or practice, we engage in destructive, personal attacks upon those who differ with us. The woman caught in adultery? We can all identify with her, in need of forgiveness--often fallen from the pure joy of living in harmony with God's truth and love. "What is our innocence, what is our guilt? All are naked, none is safe" (Marianne Moore). Most important of all, because we share the gift of his Spirit, we can be like Jesus in his act of true judgment and creative love. Forgiveness is true judgment and creative love. We say, for example, that a friendship has ended because some infidelity has destroyed it. The friendship can come into being again through forgiveness, creative love given and received. Jesus re-creates the woman into her beauty as divine image through his forgiveness. He tells her the good news that she is free to walk away from the mess she is in and begin a new life: "Go, and from now on do not sin anymore." Campion P. Gavaler, OSB |
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Homily from Father Cusick http://www.christusrex.org/www1/mcitl/lowhome.html Meeting Christ in the Liturgy 5 Lent |
Fifth Sunday Isaiah 43, 16-21; Psalm 126; Philippians 3, 8-14; St. John 8, 1-11 "Go, and do not sin again." (Jn 8:11.) How can we today hear these words just as the woman caught in adultery did, so that we may walk away from the Lord cleansed, renewed, made whole again after the tragedy and brokenness of sin? Through the sacraments of healing. The forgiveness of the Lord is infinite and without conditions. The healing power of the mercy of God, fully given in Christ, can be ours definitively and completely whenever we approach the Lord in the sacrament of Confession and, when sick in body, also through the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. The Lord Jesus Christ, physician of our souls and bodies, who forgave the sins of the paralytic and restored him to bodily health, (Cf. Mk 2:1-12) has willed that his Church continue, in the power of the Holy Spirit, his work of healing and salvation, even among her own members. This is the purpose of the two sacrmanets of healing: the sacrament of Penance and the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. (CCC 1421) "Those who approach the sacrament of Penance obtain pardon from God's mercy for the offense committed against him, and are, at the same time, reconciled with the Church which they have wounded by their sins and which by charity, by example, and by prayer labors for their conversion." (LG 11 art. 2) (CCC 1422) It is called the sacrament of forgiveness, since by the priest's sacramental absolution God grants the penitent "pardon and peace." (OP 46: formula of absolution.) It is called the sacrament of Reconciliation, because it imparts to the sinner te life of God who reconciles: "Be reconciled to God." (2 Cor 5:20) He who lives by God's mercfiul love is ready to respond to the Lord's call: "Go; first be reconciled to your brother." (Mt 5:24) (CCC 1424) If Baptism is clearly recorded in the Gospels as the gift of God's mercy and the washing away of all our sins. why another sacrament in order to have the forgiveness of God? "You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God." (1 Cor 6:11) One must appreciate the magnitude of the gift God has given us in the sacraments of Christian initiation in order to grasp the degree to which sin is excluded for him who has "put on Christ." (Gal 3:27) But the apostle John also says: "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." (1 Jn 1:8) And the Lord himself taught us to pray: "Forgive us our trespasses," (Cf. Lk 11:4; Mt 6:12) linking our forgiveness of one another's offenses to the forgiveness of our sins that God will grant us. (CCC 1425) Conversion to Christ, the new birth of Baptism, the gift of the Holy Spirit and the Body and Blood of Christ received as food have made us "holy and without blemish," just as the Church herself, the Bride of Christ, is "holy and without blemish." (Eph 1:4; 5:27) Nevertheless the new life received in Christian initiation has not abolished the frailty and weakness of human nature, nor the inclination to sin that tradition calls concupiscence, which remains in the baptized such that with the help of the grace of Christ they may prove themselves in the struggle of Christian life. (Cf. Council of Trent (1546): DS 1515.) This is the struggle of conversion directed toward holiness and eternal life to which the Lord never ceases to call us. (Cf. Council of Trent (1547): DS 1545; LG 40.)(CCC 1426) Let's pray for each other until, together next week, we "meet Christ in the liturgy", Father Cusick (See also no. 583 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.) (Publish with permission.) http://www.christusrex.org/www1/mcitl/ |
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Homily from Father Alex McAllister SDS http://www.catholicwealdstone.org 5 Lent |
Fifth Sunday of Lent Posted on March 11, 2013 by admin This is Year C in the Liturgical Cycle and week-by-week we have been progressing steadily through the Gospel of Luke. But here on the Fifth Sunday of Lent we suddenly switch from the Gospel of Luke to the Gospel of John. Or do we? I say, “or do we” for the very good reason that this Gospel passage—the story of the woman caught in adultery was most probably not written by John. It is not found in any of the early manuscripts and in fact it is acknowledged as a very late insertion into the Gospel of John, coming in around the fourth century. Even though the story enters the Gospel very late, it is, however, regarded as a very ancient in its origins and the Western, Eastern and Protestant Churches have universally accepted it as an authentic part of Holy Scripture. The style of the story is not Johannine in grammar or vocabulary and some have observed that it has much greater affinity with the writing and style of Luke. And they say it would be more appropriately placed directly after Luke 21:38. Certainly it is the sort of story that Luke would have included since it portrays in an extraordinarily delicate way the mercy and subtlety of Jesus. These are interesting questions and one can only presume that it if it was originally part of Luke’s Gospel it must have been dropped because it shows Christ as being too lenient. The early Church was much stricter in its penitential discipline and this text must have seemed dangerously liberal so it was put on the back burner, as it were. Thankfully this account has found its way back into the Canon of Scripture and no one today doubts its authenticity. We recognise it as a true picture of the love and mercy of the Jesus we know. The woman was brought to Jesus, the Scribes and Pharisees wanting to test him. Here is another interesting point; in the normal way of things the woman would have been brought before the Sanhedrin and sentenced to death. But there is evidence that in AD 30 the Romans removed the death sentence from the Jewish authorities. That is also why, according to John, Jesus was tried by Pilate and not by the Jews. (cf; John 18:31) Pilate said to them. ‘Take him yourselves and try him according to your own law.’ They replied, ‘We are not allowed to put anyone to death.’ So, since the woman could not be condemned to the punishment required by the Jewish law, she was used instead as a pawn to trick Jesus. Or, as many writers suggest, the whole thing was a set up job. Perhaps her husband knew she was having an affair and gathered witnesses together and burst in on the woman and her accomplice just in order to provide the Scribes and Pharisees with an excuse to put Jesus on the spot. If this suggestion is correct it implies a very deep level of hatred against Jesus that they should go to such lengths to find a way of betraying him to the Romans. Their cynical manipulation of the woman is further testimony to their deeply corrupt view of the world. If Jesus had followed the letter of the Jewish law, and said that the woman ought to be sentenced to death, then the mob, agitated by the Scribes and Pharisees, would have surely carried the punishment out there and then. If that were to happen then Jesus could easily have been hauled up before the Roman authorities and accused of inciting the crowd and thereby causing the woman’s death. So Jesus was really put on the spot. He had no doubt as to the intentions of the Scribes and Pharisees and was very wary of them since his hour had not yet come. When Jesus says, let he who is without sin cast the first stone, he is perhaps pointing to the sin of those who want, not the death of the woman caught in adultery, but his own death. He knows what is in their hearts and they know that he knows what is in their hearts. But Jesus even shows the accusers mercy. I think that is what the drawing on the ground meant. A lot of ink has been spilt over the centuries as to just what Jesus did write on the ground that day. Some have suggested that he wrote something that indicated to the Pharisees that he knew what they were about and that it was a set up job. You will notice that he actually draws or writes on the ground twice. First they ask him for his verdict in the case and he bends down and starts to draw on the ground—this is what a Roman judge would have done, first written out the sentence before delivering it verbally. By doing this they believe that he has fallen into their trap and he has their complete attention. But then Jesus looks up and says the famous words, let he who is without sin cast the first stone. He then bends down again and returns to his doodling in the sand. Because he averts his gaze from them he enables the woman’s accusers to slip away one by one without losing face. Jesus’ mercy is therefore not only shown towards the woman, it is also shown towards her accusers. But in neither case does he condone the crime. Both the woman and the Pharisees implicitly acknowledge their sin and Jesus condemns neither. He simply says in words to the woman and by his actions to the Pharisees: Go away and don’t sin any more. Jesus forgives sin. He doesn’t ignore it; he knows it for what it is—a fundamental and personal rejection of God. He doesn’t brush it aside but neither does he make a mountain out of a molehill. He is not shocked or upset. He forgives and invites the sinner to convert, to turn from their evil ways and embrace the good. That woman experienced the forgiveness of Christ; even though he never actually says the words I forgive you. We don’t know what she did afterwards, whether she went back to her husband, or lover, or other family. But we do know that she must have been deeply affected by her encounter with Christ and as a result would have wanted to embrace the life of chastity he presented to her as the truly worthy way to live. What the woman did is of no real consequence. It is what we do that matters. Go away and don’t sin any more. These words of Jesus challenge us at the deepest level of our being. Yes, we will go away, but by living in such a way we will be always close to him who is our Saviour and our friend. |
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