Word to the Wise
Monday, April 11, 2011 - 5th Week of Lent - Mon
[Dan 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62 or 13:41c-62 and John 8:1-11 or, in Year C, John 8:12-20]"Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" She replied, "No one, sir." Then Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more."
There is much in this famous scene to capture our attention. (It was included in Mel Gibson's THE PASSION!) There are the usual bad guys (the scribes and Pharisees), a crowd, Jesus and the Woman caught in adultery. This is the stuff of high drama! There is no question of the guilt of the lady. What remains is the punishment! Her crime is a capital crime according to the law of Moses. How could there be any question? Well.....there ARE questions.
One might ask the question about whose conduct is more shameful? Hers or the scribes' and Pharisees'? She has committed a seriously wrongful act, but they use her to attack Jesus. If, as is often the case, we are drawn into the scene, where do WE stand? Do we have a rock in our hand? Do we agree with the scribes and Pharisees or do we agree with Jesus? In other words, does Jesus' reply to the scribes and Pharisees make us uncomfortable because we think the lady should be punished somehow? After all, the Law is the Law, isn't it? We can't just let her get away with that, can we? I mean, really...... Hmmm, what's that Jesus is writing on the ground? Wait a minute! Why are the senior scribes and Pharisees slinking away? Well, I'M not going to be the FIRST one to cast a stone, am I? Hmmmm....maybe this isn't as cut and dried as I thought it was.....! Where can I drop this rock? If we are left alone with the woman, as Jesus is, what do we say then? Will we condemn? Wag our finger at her? Jesus says simply, "Neither do I condemn you. Go and from now on do not sin any more!"
It might occur to us that Jesus himself was a violator of the law of Moses in the eyes of the scribes and Pharisees. There will be s similar crowd scene soon and everyone will be yelling, "Crucify him! Crucify him!" The scene in today's gospel and the one that is to come might be occasions when we can confront the violence that lurks within us - the desire for a "scapegoat" which will serve to give us relief from those feelings! If we can get through this week and Holy Week without feeling uncomfortable about OUR role and the meaning of all the events for us personally, that lack of discomfort may mean we have lost touch with what Jesus has done for us. AMEN
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