Judgement
Recently I have been confronted again by the story of the woman caught in adultery.
In the past when Ive read the story my sympathies have always been with the woman. I have indignantly wondered where was the man implicated in the adulterous relationship. Why was she dragged out to be stoned and not him? I have imagined that somehow she was an injured party in the whole business, knowing how little value was placed on the lives of women in those days. But that is not what the Bible tells us. She was caught in the act of adultery. Her marriage vows broken, her husband shamed and betrayed and probably heartbroken. Her children about to be bereft of a mother who is going to be stoned. Knowing the consequences were she to be discovered, she has chosen to follow her heart, go with her passions and risk everything. Yes there were two people involved. But the Bible story doesn't tell us what happened to him. It focuses on her and what Jesus decided to do.
This woman broke the rules. These days the notion of rules seems to sit more and more uncomfortably. Our world is shedding the notion of 'right and wrong' at every turn. We are liberal and permissive and pretty much anything goes. But God has instituted rules for a reason, and the reason is that His rules are good for us. He never says anything which doesn't have our good as its end. The ten commandments are not designed to restrict and limit us, they are there to allow us to live our best lives. When we are jealous and angry and greedy we become ill and stressed and dysfunctional. Not just as individuals but as a society. When we follow our lusts and act from selfish motives God is no longer on the throne of our lives and we are not living in His purposes. We can justify and make excuses but the bottom line is that God says don't commit adultery. And this woman had.
She knew the rules, she broke the rules and she was caught in the act.
She now stands before God to receive her judgement. As we are all going to stand before Jesus one day.
Jesus takes His time. Which I think is fascinating. Was He waiting to hear from His Father? Praying for wisdom and discernment? I think so. He has been asked to pronounce judgement and He knows that there is alot at stake. The life of the woman for a start. But also His ministry, His reputation, God's character. What He says next will have implications. So He waits. And then He tells the people that in effect, they are perfectly within their rights to want her stoned - she has committed adultery and the punishment is clear. However, if they want to judge her, they must first judge themselves. If you have never done anything wrong, made an error of judgement, broken the rules, cheated, lied, hidden the truth, been unfaithful, broken promises, betrayed someone...... if you have never done any of that then please do go ahead and stone this woman says Jesus. Judge her if you dare He says. Because with the measure with which you judge, you shall be judged in turn.
Jesus asks the woman ' who condemns you?'. What is He asking? He is asking if there is anyone who has pronounced judgement on her and decided that she deserves punishment. Condemnation is defined in the dictionary as follows : the expression of very strong disapproval, the act of condemning someone to punishment, the act of saying someone or something is unacceptable'. When nobody is left to tell her she deserves punishment Jesus says ' I don't condemn you either'. Jesus, the only person who actually was without sin and the person against whom this woman had actually sinned, says that despite what she has done He doesn't consider her 'unacceptable'. Jesus accepts her. He doesn't condemn her to death.
What has struck me recently is that we are living in a world which cannot wait to condemn people. The recent 'fall from grace' of various TV personalities is a perfect example of this. The moment the press hint at a 'story' regarding anyone in the public eye the social media mill cranks up and the torrent of condemnation starts. As Christians we need to stay so far away from this judgmentalism and finger pointing. If we voice opinions about people (even - dare I say it?- our politicians ) who have been dragged into the marketplace for public stoning we are picking up stones ourselves. When we make judgements about people's lifestyles, habits, actions or words we are doing the same thing. . Jesus did not dispute the fact that the adulterous woman was a sinner. Her sins were evident. We are all aware of people around us all the time who are sinners. But Jesus said ' its not your job to judge. You aren't perfect so you cant judge perfectly. Im perfect, its my job to judge and I choose not to condemn. Nobody is ' unacceptable' to me. I died for everyone. '
I can hear people shouting at me that its our job to point out people's sin so that they can repent. Well, yes perhaps. If people come to us and say 'What must I do to be saved?' or ' how can I have the relationship with Jesus that you have' then yes, we tell them to repent and be saved. But pointing out people's sin is not the place we start. Most people are only too aware of their own faults and failings. We start by bringing people to Jesus. Showing them how good and kind and amazing He is. Telling them the good news that death and sin are defeated and that there is NO condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. In a world that heaps shame on struggling people Jesus is the only one who offers to take that shame and trade it for wholeness, healing, peace and joy. What a gift. What a Saviour.
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