| April 1, 2001 Isaiah 43:16-21 + Philippians 3:8-14 + John 8:1-11 |
| She was between 12 and 14 years old. The law said if you were married and committed adultery you were to be strangled. If you were betrothed, you were to be stoned. So we know even more about her Before that day, she had no rights. According to their law, adultery consisted of intercourse with a woman betrothed or married to another man.On the other hand, men could freely have intercourse with any woman except the wife of another man. Moreover, a husband could accuse his wife of adultery, but a wife could accuse a husband of nothing.Adultery was a crime against the rights of a man, not against those of the woman who was subject to the husband. |
| In this story, there is no escaping the fact that the man has not been caught, or at least not brought to trial. He’s not there, which reveals the intent of those who bring the girl before Jesus. The missing man is guilty too. He has committed adultery with a betrothed woman. If this were a serious trial, he would be there too.Jesus is trapped. Ifhe says. “Fulfill the law” He’s in trouble with the Romans who do not allow the Jews to put anyone to death. Ifhe says: “Let her go.” he’s violating the Mosaic law, but this was not a matter of dealing with the consequences of the law It was an effort to trap Jesus, and so, it’s not about the woman nor is it about Jesus. It’s about them. It’s as though they are attempting to put Jesus on trial, but the truth is, they are the ones on trial here.They are the ones about whom judgement is to be made. In the end however, this is a story about rights. |
| It has always struck me that what is not said in this story is more important than what is said. She comes empty handed. They stand there with fists full of stones. Righteous and all very proper, they contrast themselves to one filled with shame. We are left to chose where we shall stand. with the righteous, or with the shameful. In our hearts, we know where we belong, and the season has been about that very recognition.All of us are caught in the act, and the act is not adultery It is a refusal of mercy which in behavior becomes judgmental righteousness. |
| The question asked by Jesus reaches to each ofus who would hide behind the law to condemn another while confirming ourselves in the blindness of our hearts.The one who had no rights, gets them in the new creation begun with Jesus, and her right is the right to mercy. Like the parable of last week’s assembly, it’s easy for us to identify with the sinners seeking forgiveness while the story is really an invitation to identify with the Father who gives it. We are a people always claiming and insisting on our rights, probably never more than in this age.The story today is about rights, specifically, a right those so quick to condemn are always quick to deny. The good news today is that when judgemental righteousness are finally driven away, we can stand empty handed before one another in trust and sincerity, and all that remains is misery and mercy, face to face. |