Day 33: Who Are You in this Story?

In today’s Gospel (Jn 8:1-11), we find the familiar story of when Jesus is tested again by the righteous religious of the time. They bring an adulterous woman before Jesus, reminding him that the law says she should be stoned to death.

Jesus famously falls to his knee, writes in the sand, and says, “Let the one among you who is without sin
be the first to throw a stone at her.”

Of course, they one-by-one, drop their stones and walk away.

I always wonder what Jesus writes in the sand. Theologians have taken their guesses over the years, but I tend to lean toward the image of Jesus writing the sins of the righteous in the sand, reminding them of when they, by their actions, distanced themselves from God.

Just picture these men, with stone in hand, seeing their sins presented to the community. Talk about holding up the mirror?

For us, all these years later, we must ask ourselves- who are we in this story?

Are we the sinner who feels as if the whole community is watching with judgment for our own errors, insecurities, and faults? Do the condemning voices of the past fill our minds and hearts? Do we cast the stone at ourselves, causing self-pain and harm as a punishment that we have been told is deserved? Do we forget that our God is a forgiving God, who loves us unconditionally?

Are we the religious in this scene who cannot see God in their midst, and instead use their status and intellect, in the name of religion, to hurt others by gossip and judgment? Do we point the finger at others, rather than ourselves? Do we know of others who are the so-called-religious, who condemn and judge. Are we one of them?

Or, are we Jesus, never forgetting that we are God’s beloved?That we are made in God’s image and likeness. Like the Prodigal Son parable that we heard last week, do we run to those who harmed us and seek reconciliation or do we cast judgment and lift ourselves up in comparison to the suffering of another.

Let us acknowledge today that we are likely all three of these characters at times- the self-inflicted sinner, the righteous and so-called-religious, and the Christ figure who loves without condition.

On this journey of life, let us accept that we are a work in progress, slowly transforming to resemble the God we love instead of loving all that is of this world that keeps us from being who God called us to be.