Day 19
I was driving my Honda Accord to Georgia State University with 18-month-old Mary Grace securely strapped in her carseat behind me. I was finishing up my Masters degree in Early Childhood Education at Georgia State that year. While I was in classes three days a week, Mary Grace attended the Child Development Center on campus. The radio was dialed in to 104.7 The FISH and we sang while heading to school. We were surprisingly on time that day, so I drove without a care in the world, until blue lights pulled up behind me, and it quickly became obvious that I was being pulled over by Atlanta City police.
Could I have been speeding while singing to Steve Green on the radio? I guess it was possible. But I’d been in this situation before and had always been able to talk or cry myself out of a ticket. I’m not sure I said this to my toddler daughter, but I certainly thought, “Let’s see if your Mama still has it!” The police officer came to my window and asked for all of the necessary information - driver’s license, insurance, etc. - and asked me if I knew how fast I was going. I responded, “I’m guessing too fast? I’m so sorry.” Fully expecting to receive a warning, I was flabbergasted when the officer returned to my window and handed me a speeding ticket! What was I supposed to do with that?
As I continued on my way to GSU, I became more and more incensed that the officer would dare to give me a ticket. By the time I got home that afternoon and told Dale the story, I was determined to go to court and plead my case, rather than simply paying the $250 fine. (For context, It was 1995 and $250 was a lot of money, at least to me.) The date for my court appearance came and I brought Mary Grace with me. We walked into the courtroom and sat down to wait for my name to be called. I had heard from a friend that If I pled “not guilty” and the ticketing officer was there and testified that I was in fact guilty, the judge could increase my fine. I looked at the police officers who were there to testify and defend their tickets, but couldn’t remember what mine looked like. My name and case was called, Mary Grace and I went up to the podium; the judge smiled at my curly headed darling and asked me my plea. I replied, “Not guilty, Your Honor.” He then called the name of the officer, but he wasn’t there! My accuser hadn’t shown up! The judge dismissed my case and Mary Grace and I celebrated the win with ice cream!
Before I read from John, I want to make something very clear. I am in no way comparing my silly story with the woman in the passage for today, other than we both were caught by authorities, and rightly so. Yet when we came before the judge, our accusers either didn’t show up or left.
Read John 7:53 - 8:1-11
There is considerable doubt that this story is part of John’s original Gospel, for it is absent from all of the oldest manuscripts. However, according to multiple commentaries I study, there is nothing in it unworthy of sound doctrine. It seems best to view the story as something that probably happened during Jesus’ ministry but not originally part of what John wrote in his Gospel.
The religious leaders were ready to stone a woman to death for being caught in adultery. The law was clear on this point. But it also was clear that the man involved needed to share in the punishment as well, as it takes two to commit adultery. Deuteronomy 22:22 states, “If a man is found sleeping with another man’s wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die.You must purge the evil from Israel.” and later in Torah Israel is instructed, “If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death. (Leviticus 20:10)
So where was the man? The leaders were clearly operating with a double standard, and Jesus was having none of it. When Jesus was asked by those who had caught the woman and who were ready to commence with executing her, his words are piercing to any honest individual then and today. “The one without sin among you should be the first to throw a stone at her.” (v 7)
Every one of the woman’s accusers walked away silently until none were left but Jesus. The group was ready to kill her until they did some simple and basic introspection. Jesus then said to her, “”Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ ‘No one, Lord,’ she answered. ‘Neither do I condemn you,’ said Jesus. ‘Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.’” (vv 10-11) When we look inward at our own motives, thoughts and past actions, it should give us pause before we consider judging others - even those who are or have been acting against what we believe or offend us.
There are two types of people we should identify with in this vignette. First, we are often standing with those leaders who are ready to judge and hand out the sentence to the woman who has broken the law. It is easy to see ourselves holding the stone and ready to cast judgment on someone. But when Jesus calls on us to look inward and reflect, we are quickly confronted with the harsh reality that we are far from sinless. We are just as deserving of judgment as the woman caught in adultery.
Which brings us to the second person we identify with. Once we see that we stand judged ourselves, our association shifts to the woman. When we are honest and pause to reflect, we no longer identify with the angry mob, but instead begin to think - I am the woman! I have no hope except in Christ’s mercy, grace and forgiveness. Ultimately as we finish the story we see that our true and only identity that matters is in Jesus. Praise God I am identified with Christ who willingly stood in front of another angry mob, took their judgment and died in my place.
“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:6-8, NIV)
Big Picture Questions for Today:
Not only should honest introspection make us acknowledge that we are sinners just as much as any other human being, but in fact we are worse sinners, in that through Christ we have received God’s mercy and forgiveness for crimes against Him. How much more should we be willing to show grace to those who offend us and forgiveness to those who sin against us?
Pray, for eyes to see our sin rightly as well as God’s great mercy through Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf.
