Go and do not sin again

 Then they all went home, 8 ¹ but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

² At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. ³ The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group ⁴ and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. ⁵ In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” ⁶ They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. ⁷ When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” ⁸ Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

⁹ At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. ¹⁰ Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

¹¹ “No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

 

My name is Myrna, and I am so exhausted, it has been quite a night.  I have been in an unlawful relationship with Samuel for the last few years; I know it is wrong.  He has a wife from whom he is not legally divorced, and he is not free.  We met each other a long time ago and he was the only man to ever show me kindness. But now, I know that he really doesn’t care for me, because we got caught last night and I have seen no sign of him since. I came awfully close to losing my life for him, and he isn’t anywhere to be found.  I am so sad for this, but I have also been given a new view of myself.

We were near the village center in a grove and all of a sudden this pack of men came and started yelling and screaming. At first we thought they were robbers, but then Sam realized he knew them, a couple of them are the elders of the village, a Pharisee among them and a couple of court officers. They took me, bound my hands and left Sam.  I spent the night tied to a tree, alone and very afraid, I couldn’t imagine what they were going to do, I thought they just wanted to have their way with me, because they kept calling me a whore, so I stayed awake and on guard.

This morning they walked me to the temple courts where Jesus was teaching. They stood me in front of everyone and told Jesus and the people how they found me.  I was so frightened and so humiliated. I put on a good act though, pretending I didn’t really care, and all the while I was thinking, where’s Sam and why didn’t they drag him in front of all these people, although I knew in my heart why.

But the men seemed to be accusing Jesus of something though, not me. They were trying to get him to condemn me and cast the first stone.  They were debating the law as if my life was some token.  I felt the same old feeling I always do around men; they are just using me.   Nothing has changed.  I wonder what they would be saying if Sam were here.

But then Jesus said something strange. He said, “Let the first stone be cast by the person here who has not sinned.”  Then he bent over and wrote in the dirt.  I couldn’t see what he was writing, and no one said, I was crying as I waited for that first crushing blow.  At this, the mood changed.  The people looking on were absolutely silent as the men walked away one by one, beginning with the old guy.  After a few minutes, it was only me, Jesus, and the group he had been teaching.  This is the moment my life changed. This is when I learned the difference between something being unlawful and sinful.   

Jesus had looked into my eyes with such love; he showed me such mercy, just by looking lovingly at me.  He then asked me; imagine he asked a woman, - “Is there no one left to condemn you?”  I almost said, “yes, sir there is, You.”  For I knew that Jesus was without sin, just by experiencing the fullness of his gaze.  But I didn’t say that, I couldn’t say it, so I simply said, “No sir,” because at that moment I knew Jesus wouldn’t condemn me, he was pure love.

Jesus then told me I could go and not to sin again.  He didn’t tell me to keep the law; he said,” do not sin again.”  The Pharisees and officers were concerned only about the law; Jesus was worried about the impact of my sin upon me.  Recently I heard a Samaritan woman say, “Come and see the one who knows everything I have ever done.” I feel the same way, Jesus knows everything I have ever done and despite it, loves me, not in the way Sam does, but as God does. 

Jesus made me see that my relationship was not just unlawful, it was sinful, and that is different.  To break a law is a bad thing, to break God’s heart is another.  Jesus defended me, I know, because God loves me and is heartbroken that I hurt so much.  It isn’t easy to change your life, but I am committed to doing it. 

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Loving God, your mercy is above all your works.  Have mercy on me, a sinner and move me from humiliation to love.  Amen.