An Alternative Strategy

“Where was the guy?” asked some teens, after one of their mothers asked what questions came to their mind when they heard this Gospel story of the woman caught in adultery. Good question. Maybe he had friends among the scribes and  Pharisees, who let him get away. These Jewish leaders, supposedly dedicated to the Law of Moses, decided to use the woman to get at Jesus, who came to fulfill the Law. 

But Jesus was having none of it. Of course, he knew the Law of Moses and their desire to trap him at this woman’s expense. If he said, “Stone her,” his reputation as a man who spoke so eloquently of God’s mercy would also die. If he said,  “Let her go,” his credibility as a rabbi would be at stake. And so, Jesus challenges  them: “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to cast a stone at  her.” 

Some say this story doesn’t fit in with John’s Gospel, that it belongs more to the Luke’s world with its particular emphasis on Christ’s compassion. But John’s Jesus is the Word become flesh, the light come into the darkness, whose glory we have seen. For John, God is love, gracious love. And in this season of God calling us all to draw closer, turning from whatever sin distances us from God, is there a better story that tells whom we shall meet when we do? 

Consider/Discuss

• Have you ever been trapped in self-righteousness, making harsh judgments that not only condemned another but imprisoned you?
• When have you known the mercy of God? Who showed it to you? 

Responding to the Word

Lord Jesus, if we did not know you, where would we be? What would we be like? What would we become? What would we be seeking, pursuing, hungering for? What would we hope for? You came as a light into the darkness of the world,  a light that the darkness has not overcome.