Sunday 13 March 2016

Lent 5, 2016 14th March - an excuse to condemn

14th March



(C)Br Luke 2010
Scripture John 8: 1-11

1 but Yeshua went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Now very early in the morning, he came again into the temple, and all the people came to him. He sat down and taught them. 3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman taken in adultery. Having set her in the middle, 4 they told him, “Rabbi, we found this woman in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now in our Torah, Moses commanded us to stone such women. What then do you say about her?” 6 They said this testing him, that they might have something to accuse him of.
But Yeshua stooped down and wrote on the ground with his finger. 7 But when they continued asking him, he looked up and said to them, “He who is without sin amongst you, let him throw the first stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground with his finger.
9 They, when they heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning from the oldest, even to the last. Yeshua was left alone with the woman where she was, in the middle. 10 Yeshua, standing up, saw her and said, “Woman, where are your accusers? Did no one condemn you?”
11 She said, “No one, Lord.”
Yeshua said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way. From now on, sin no more.”


Reflection:

Those gathered were looking for an excuse to condemn, both the woman and Jesus. Have you ever wondered what Jesus wrote with his finger? Could it have been the sins that the people standing around had committed? We are not comfortable when confronted by the reality of our sins? We often try to avoid taking the blame, always finding some excuse or reason why it happened? Jesus asks us to admit, face them, and then, filled with grace and forgiveness start again. The crowd dispersed when faced with their own sins. Jesus forgave the woman and us - if we let him! Will you?

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