Caught in a Trap
"Then Jesus said, 'Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.' - John 8:11”
Sometimes it feels good to sanctimoniously point fingers at a “sinner” and shake our heads when they are not “punished” by God (or society) for their sins (except of course when that “sinner” is us). Perhaps, this is a legitimate time to ask, “What would Jesus do?"
Today’s gospel is often referred to as “the woman caught in adultery” scripture. But it might better be known as “the scribes and Pharisees try to catch Jesus in a trap.” They bring before him a woman supposedly caught in an adulterous act. Jewish law required death by stoning of the accused.
If Jesus does as their law demands, he might be seen to act against his own admonitions of mercy. On the other hand, if he just ignores the law, he will be seen as a scofflaw. Jesus, however, does not concern himself with their expectations nor their perceptions of him. Rather, he focuses on the problem at hand- how best to help the woman in front of him while reminding the religious leaders and crowd of God’s very nature – one of loving mercy.
He says to the crowd that those without sin may cast the first stone. He then bends down and begins to write on the ground. What is he writing? There is much speculation about this – is he writing the names and sins of her accusers? Is he writing the story of Susanna (today’s first reading) who is falsely accused of adultery and is about to be killed until David saves her?
Whatever he writes causes the scribes and Pharisees to drop their stones and walk away. Then he looks at the woman and without any accusations he allows her to walk away free – free to get on with her life encouraging her not to fall back into the “trap” of this situation. Jesus freed her from a seemingly hopeless situation, just as he slipped the “net” of those who tried to “catch” him.
This is what I take with me after reading this moving gospel. Jesus doesn’t get pulled into the dirt and fray of would-be accusers. Jesus extends his loving mercy to the person in front of him – and to all of us who are in seemingly hopeless situations. And not only that, he convinces the crowd that this is the best option for them as well- to drop their stones and extend mercy to the accused, and to themselves.
Do I hypocritically want a fellow sinner to be accused by the community? Do I treat others justly – not accusing and punishing? How do I want mercy to be extended to me by God and by my community?
Mary Schimmoller