The one without sin, cast your stone
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.”
I am Samuel.
I have spent the last couple of nights so differently. I haven’t seen Myrna and
I have been trying to find Jesus. They
tell me a few nights ago when she and I were caught in adultery she was taken
to the temple and held in the courtyard until morning. Then they brought her
before my friends to be stoned. I hear
that Jesus, the one who claims to be the Messiah, intervened and spared her
life. She has not been seen by anyone
since and I have been seeking Jesus to thank him.
I am an
official in the temple, I spend my life judging others and I was spared the
humiliation that Myrna endured. It was
no secret in the temple that she and I were lovers. I just never thought we would be subject to
the law this way. Not that I feel we are
above the law, but I never imagined anyone would seek us out and find us like
they did. I know they are diligently trying to trick Jesus into making a
mistake with the law, but I can’t imagine anyone thinking this would do
it. Clearly Myrna and I have sinned, and
the law about adultery is not debatable.
At least once a month we stone a couple caught in this grievous act.
I
don’t know what to do. I guess that is what sin always does, it steals our
peace, and we are left in fear and confusion. My humiliation is private,
Mryna’s was public, but now I live in terror every minute that someone will say
something to me. I walk through the
square, realizing everyone knows and no one dare speak to me. Hippocrates!
I am sorry for her; I am sorry for me.
If I were an honest man, I would leave my job and start over somewhere
else. Maybe leave the council all together.
I am still shocked at how far I have fallen. Imagine me a leader in the
council, coming so close to being stoned.
I
need to find Jesus, not only to thank him, but to help me with my fear. But I need to make it a secret meeting. I do
not want anyone to know I am going to him. Will he be as kind to me as he was
to Myrna?
………………………………..
Lord Jesus, my fears reveal my sins, have mercy on me.
Grant me the grace of honesty before your mercy. Amen
Comments
Post a Comment