(Paraphrased from John 8: 1-11)
There she stands. Cowers. Trembles. She's one amongst the crowd. The hoity-toity scribes, Pharisees, and economically prosperous all thumb their noses at her, this woman covered in dirt. As they cast their judgmental glances upon her, she feels helpless, forsaken, tormented. They are inches away, hurling their insults, accusations, and spittle. Pointing fingers like hair-triggered pistols aimed to kill, not maim. Their fists white-knuckled around stones they are eager to throw. Her heart is their bull's-eye.
She's the adulteress...
The one judged guilty as sin.
Another joins the angry mob. On her knees with back bent low, she watches His sandals stir up dust. Through strands of hair possibly streaked with tears, sweat and others' saliva, she sees Him in the sunrise.
The only One who stands in her defense.
The crowd demands stoning as her atoning; they ask Jesus if He agrees. He kneels in the dirt beside her. His fingertip traces in the sand. They demand His response. They want to know if Jesus agrees with them, this crowd of finger pointers.
He does.
The woman's heart sinks, like her shoulders, in despair. She's outnumbered. All hope is lost. She's doomed. Not one is on her side. She braces herself for stones to bruise, cut and silence her heartbeat once and for all. She waits for blood to spill. Her own.
She feels their hateful glares sear her alabaster skin like a torch. She watches stone filled fists rise and swing like bows bent to hurl sharpened arrows... She holds her breath...she tightens her jaw...she winces and shuts her eyes. Maybe the end will come quickly. One blow to her brow and the deafening crowd will be hushed forever.
Wait! Not so fast.
Jesus no longer kneels. He stands upright in front of her, facing the crowd. He stands for one who cannot. He becomes her only ally, her friend, her Savior. They pause to let Him speak. He tells them they can stone her, but there is ONE condition:
"He who is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone."
The clamorous crowd is silenced. He kneels again beside the woman. His finger paints in sand. The crowd is perplexed. What do they see? Is He writing their names and listing their sins, one-by-one, as if turning pages in private diaries? (I like to speculate He was, although Scripture isn’t clear.) Are they thinking, "How does He know what I did last night, last week, last year?" Are they ashamed and embarrassed by their own hypocrisy? The logs in their eye? Their Scarlet Letters being exposed for all to read? Their sins hanging like soiled laundry in the light of day? You betcha. (At least I like to picture it this way!)
The adulteress raises her head slowly and peers into their eyes. Young and old cringe as their sins reflect in her tears.
Their raised hands fall.
Their pointing fingers bend.
Their heads held high bow.
Their self-righteous indignation blows like dust in the wind under Jesus’ finger.
The woman listens to the most beautiful sound she's ever heard: stones dropping and shifting sands. As each accuser turns and slithers away like snakes into grass. Only Jesus remains. He stands beside her and asks, "Woman, where are your accusers? Has anyone condemned you?" I picture Him smiling and gazing at her lovingly.
She answers, "No man, Lord." Then Jesus says to her, "Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more."
Grace. Amazing Grace. How sweet the sound.
I wonder where the adulteress woman went after this encounter with Jesus... Do you think she hotfooted back into her lover's arms?
Yes, you betcha, all the way.
And He never let her go.
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." - Matthew 7:1
"You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye. Then you will see clearly to remove the piece of sawdust from another believer's eye." - Matthew 7:5
"Not everyone who calls out to me, 'Lord! Lord!' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter." - Matthew 7:21
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