The Reading—James 2: 8-13
You do well when you complete the Royal Rule of the Scriptures: "Love others as you love yourself." But if you play up to these so-called important people, you go against the Rule and stand convicted by it. You can't pick and choose in these things, specializing in keeping one or two things in God's law and ignoring others. The same God who said, "Don't commit adultery," also said, "Don't murder." If you don't commit adultery but go ahead and murder, do you think your non-adultery will cancel out your murder? No, you're a murderer, period. Talk and act like a person expecting to be judged by the Rule that sets us free. For if you refuse to act kindly, you can hardly expect to be treated kindly. Kind mercy wins over harsh judgment every time.
The Gospel Reading: John 8: 1-19
Jesus went across to Mount Olives, but he was soon back in the Temple again. Swarms of people came to him. He sat down and taught them. The religion scholars and Pharisees led in a woman who had been caught in an act of adultery. They stood her in plain sight of everyone and said, "Teacher, this woman was caught red-handed in the act of adultery. Moses, in the Law, gives orders to stone such persons. What do you say?" They were trying to trap him into saying something incriminating so they could bring charges against him.
Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger in the dirt. They kept at him, badgering him. He straightened up and said, "The sinless one among you, go first: Throw the stone." Bending down again, he wrote some more in the dirt.
Hearing that, they walked away, one after another, beginning with the oldest. The woman was left alone. Jesus stood up and spoke to her. "Woman, where are they? Does no one condemn you?" “No one, Master." "Neither do I," said Jesus. "Go on your way. From now on, don't sin."
Jesus once again addressed them: "I am the world's Light. No one who follows me stumbles around in the darkness. I provide plenty of light to live in." The Pharisees objected, "All we have is your word on this. We need more than this to go on."
Jesus replied, "You're right that you only have my word. But you can depend on it being true. I know where I've come from and where I go next. You don't know where I'm from or where I'm headed. You decide according to what you can see and touch. I don't make judgments like that. But even if I did, my judgment would be true because I wouldn't make it out of the narrowness of my experience but in the largeness of the One who sent me, God. That fulfills the conditions set down in God's Law: that you can count on the testimony of two witnesses. And that is what you have: You have my word and you have the word of God who sent me." They said, "Where is this so-called God of yours?" Jesus said, "You're looking right at me and you don't see me. How do you expect to see God? If you knew me, you would at the same time know God."
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Holy and everlasting God, bring us to a fuller knowledge of your generous and loving welcome. Show us how to extend that same welcome to all who enter our lives and our church’s life. May my words reflect your Truth and our thoughts inhabit your praise. Amen
This is an amazing story and we all love it—the sin, the sexiness of the story, Jesus silently scribbling in the dirt while all the powers that be yelled and screamed and, in general, made fools of themselves. And, finally, Jesus gives us what we’ve all been waiting for—forgiveness and a clean slate upon which to write the remainder of our, oops, meant to say, “her” life. From start to finish, this is a story that calls us to re-examine the nature of every relationship in our lives.
First, let’s set the stage that this story plays itself upon. Jesus has returned to Jerusalem after going to the Mt. of Olives and is teaching again in the Temple. Swarms or people are vying for a place at his feet to hear him speak—standing perhaps all day, just wanting to be close enough to hear this Teacher of teachers speak. Suddenly, the cloud parts as the Jewish rulers callously drag a woman, bruised and frightened, and plop her on her feet in front of Jesus. Can’t you just see her—eyes red from crying, her head hung low out of shame—perhaps not shame for what she has done, but , at least, shame at having been treated like this. “Here you go, Jesus, here is a woman that was caught in the very act (can’t you hear the crowd gasp?) of adultery. The Law of Moses orders her to be stoned. What do you say, O Teacher, who claims to be related somehow to God?” Jesus, who took them all by surprise, followers and adversaries alike, kneels and writes in the dirt. This infuriates the scholars and Pharisees, who begin to raise a ruckus. I envision them much like the crowd at a baseball game when they begin to taunt the batter who is trying to focus on the ball. So Jesus continues to write in the dirt. Finally, when he is ready, he stands and says, “Anybody here who has never sinned? If so, go ahead and throw the first stone.” And then he leans down and continues to write in the dirt. Although the scripture doesn’t say so explicitly, I have always envisioned Jesus as close enough to the woman as to be taking a chance of getting hit, should someone have had the arrogance to believe that they were sinless. However, one by one, from the oldest to the youngest, they slip away. In fact, it appears that everyone, save the woman, slips away. Jesus, stands up and says to her, “where are all your accusers? Does anyone condemn you?” “No one, Teacher,” says the woman. Jesus responds, “Then I don’t condemn you either, go your way and do not continue to sin.”
Llook at the various levels of relationship that appear in this brief story. First, Jesus is found in the Temple teaching. Jesus seems to be always available to those who seek to know the Truth. And so, here he is, day after day, teaching in the Temple. There would have been all kinds of folks there, the Temple was a much more of a social center than say, this Temple is. It would have rarely been empty and those seeking Truth would have come to the Temple to learn. And, the Truth they find is Jesus. We may find ourselves as seekers as well. As seekers, longing for more knowledge of Jesus, these folk are in right relationship with God and in their own hearts.
The Jewish leaders enter and the crowd parts. The crowd would have done this partly out of respect and partly out of fear. And, let us not forget, curiosity. This would have been quite a scene in this busy, yet sacred space. The crowd steps a few steps back, wanting to give Jesus and these rulers some room. Perhaps fearing the stones that the Pharisees carried in readiness for the intended stoning, stepping back seemed a wise thing to do. Now, it is not clear that the Pharisees intended to stone this woman at all. In fact, common practice would suggest that they did not intend such a thing. While the penalty of stoning for adultery was found in the Law of Moses, there seems to be few times that the penalty was carried out throughout history. So it would seem that their true intention was to put Jesus into a place where there would be no ‘right’ answer and to set him up for their judgment. If, as scholars suggest, this whole scene was a ‘set-up’, the relationship of these rulers to the Law was questionable as well as their dishonesty, through their trickery, with the people, the woman, and Jesus.
It must have been infuriating to the Jewish leaders that Jesus did not respond to them. We don’t know what Jesus was writing in the dirt, doesn’t seem to play much of a role in the story. But his actions served the purpose of inciting the rulers to riot. After Jesus allows the rulers to be seen for the hypocrites that they were, he stands up and pronounces “judgment” as it were. “Are any of you without sin? If so, boldly cast the first stone”, he says and kneels down to continue writing. As often happens when Jesus is teaching, there is a strange twist in the story at this point. The rulers are asking Jesus to pronounce judgment on the woman; instead, He pronounces judgment on them. By raising the right question at just the right moment, Jesus gave the gift of divine insight even to those who sought to entrap him. Knowing that they are not without sin, they slink away. The Law of Moses—never intended to be used in trickery or scam—was given to the people of God to guide them in their search for Godliness. Jesus calls the so-called scholars and rulers to account for their wrong relationship to the Law and we see them turn, in disappointment, I would think, and walk away.
And, so, we are left with the woman and Jesus. Unnamed and unclaimed, she waits to hear her sentence from Jesus who now speaks only to her. When she tells him that no one is left to condemn her, he grants her divine forgiveness and reconciliation and tells her to cease her sinning. Jesus calls her, as only Jesus can, to right the several relationships in her life that are put in jeopardy by unfaithful acts. Obviously, her relationship with her husband has been rendered dishonest by her illicit behavior with those to whom she is not married or committed. But, it is not about the sex. Let me repeat that, it is not about the sex. Certainly there are those who believe and wish to believe that it is about the sex. It makes for a better, juicer story, and it is always easier to cease an action than it is to do the hard work of righting relationships. Rather than the sex itself, the real damage is the series of broken relationships that are her responsibility to mend. Broken also is the relationship between herself and her spirit. This is a defeated woman and it seems likely that this is the real reason she did not run away when all the others left. In reality, her life was a mess. In Jesus’ presence, freed from blame and shame, she comes to terms with those relationships she must now make right. Her dishonest relationship with both her husband and those with whom she engaged in extra-marital affairs had taken its toll; and, she is prepared to learn a new way of behaving, one free from deceit and guilt. And, so, she accepts Jesus’ ‘verdict’ and begins, from that moment on, to put her relationships back in order and restore her relationships with the people in her life, with herself, and with God.
But, what, you still ask, was Jesus writing in the dirt? I would like to know that as well. Some say it was the Ten Commandments. Some say he was writing the New Commandment. And some say he was drawing pictures or merely doodling. I believe that he was praying—praying for the woman and for the Jewish leaders to see the brokenness of their actions and behaviors. I believe that Jesus was communing with God throughout the entire time—that he was maintaining his right relationship with his divine parent. What would happen if we were able to do the same? What if, when we are confronted with malice, and what the Jewish leaders tried to do was certainly malicious—what if, we could calmly continue or heighten our relationship by praying, talking, writing, or singing to God while we wait for God’s response to the viciousness or evil. What would have happened if Jesus were as argumentative as most of us? The rush to pronounce judgment on the Pharisees would have precluded any hint of healing or reconciliation. Jesus, when confronted with the very real possibility of violence responded with patience and peace. When we are confronted with the violence of broken relationships, God calls us, as Jesus models for us, that we are to remain firm in our relationship with God, ourselves, and others—quietly so. And as we learn to ask the right questions at just the right time, we are invited to participate in the incoming of God’s reign of justice and hope. Amen and amen.
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