I encourage you to read scriptures at a reverent, sacred pace, such as in the ancient spiritual discipline of Lectio Divina. Read slowly, four times, pausing for silence with God between each reading.
For today, read John 8:1–11. I have used the New Revised Standard Version here.
The beginning verse of this well-known story can hardly be read without the last verse of the previous chapter: “Then each went to his own home, while Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.” He apparently stayed until dawn, no doubt in deep communion with God the Father. We can imagine that He needed to retreat into His Father’s Loving Presence after the confrontations with His detractors.
Beginning in verse 2, we read….
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Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him and he sat down and began to teach them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them, they said to him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery.”
“Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground.
When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground.
When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him.
Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, sir.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.”
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the
National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
May the Holy Spirit enable us to hear and respond to His Word as it applies to us today. Let us pray….
Dear Heavenly Father, this story is a gift of your Spirit to your family of faith. Without it, we who seek to follow You together, as your Living Body in the world, would be poorer in spirit. With it, we are inspired, enriched and challenged.
We are inspired to trust God’s nature as One who forgives and deals with us in kindness—and in unconditional love.
We are enriched in our understanding of Jesus as God Incarnate, exemplifying Divine wisdom, gentle Love and the authority to forgive sin.
We are challenged to drop our stones of judgment for others, to face ourselves as sinners and to seek and find personal forgiveness in Christ Jesus.
Lord Jesus, perhaps we love this story because it touches a nerve for us. Our world is obsessed with judging. We grow up knowing the judgment of family, teachers, classmates, work associates, team mates, even members of the family of faith. We are judged rightly and wrongly, unfairly and fairly, but we are judged— and we judge.
We live our lives under the scrutiny of others from birth to death; yet You to whom God has given all authority in heaven and earth, the only True authority of righteous judgment—You choose to withhold judgment and forgive and call and send us to follow your will in like manner. Time and time again, you forgive us, cleanse us, renew us and re-send us to love others.
Yet, the world at large knows so little of your Love. The newspaper abounds every day with stories of people who seem to know nothing of your call to “Go and sin no more.” Indeed, those words confront each of us with a sense of discomfort as we face our sinful repetitions and seeming inability to change ourselves.
And so, we tend to slip away into other thoughts after reading this story, for we don’t want to dwell too long where it hurts. We would rather not recall words and actions that were sinful; but like the woman, we stand before you unable to hide from You or ourselves.
Speak those marvelous words to us today, too, O Lord. Let us hear them personally, deeply and really, as your words of love to us: “Neither do I condemn you—go and sin no more.” Send us forth, Lord, with renewed faith that you will walk with us, guiding and forgiving, every step of our lives, renewing and restoring us in faith, hope and love—and enabling us to be people who say, “Neither do I condemn you.”
Empower your children all over the world to share this good news with others and to uphold this good news in acts of compassion and forgiveness—that there may come a day when wars will cease, families unite, enemies forgive and peace reigns.
For this we pray, in the Name of the only Wise Savior, Jesus our Incarnate and Resurrected Lord, Amen.
