A story of fools

A reflection on the daily readings, for Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent, by Father Perry.

By Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor

Two stories of women. Two stories of lust. Two stories of digging deep and deeper into truth and into trust and into divining God’s guidance, or as the psalmist says, the “shepherding of his people.”

In Deuteronomy, we see the degradation of two men who ought to have been honest and models of good living and deep faith.

These were respected elders and respected judges.

This was a case of, “from those to whom much had been given, much was expected.”

But they let everyone down; they caused all to judge an honest, sincere, and faith-filled woman to have sinned in such a way that she was deserving of death.

They caused all to question her goodness and her honesty. And in the end, they paid with the price of their own lives.

A simple story, and a story in which elders who should have been wise were fools.

A boy, who should have been “just a kid,” turned out to be quite wise way beyond his years.

+ Jesus dealt with a woman, and a question of lust or necessity to make a living — well, a prostitute.

She, too, was being condemned.

And people looking for revenge or punishment — or who were just not very concerned with things like mercy and healing — dragged her before Jesus and used her to try to get to Jesus.

They quoted the law of Moses. They demanded that she should be put to death. They dragged out of Jesus — or at least attempted to do so — a response to their statement about her, saying —

“Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?”

Ah! Another story of fools. They thought they had outsmarted Jesus. They thought they had him trapped.

They had no idea what this teacher had within him to teach them.

They were about to learn a lesson of mercy, a lesson of love, a lesson of forgiveness, and the opportunity to have lifted off their minds and mouths the necessity to condemn and judge.

As Jesus bent down and wrote on the ground, something extraordinary happened.

After the first dirt scribble, Jesus straightened up before them all and confronted them directly as he spoke —

“Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”

Yikes! What?

But then he bent down again to scribble something more.

What was it? Was he drawing something or writing words? What could it have been?

Well, this Gospel doesn’t help us; this Gospel doesn’t reveal the full story.

And so we must imagine. Perhaps he began to write their sins. It would seem something like that was happening as they all went away, one by one, beginning with the eldest and ending with the youngest. Every one of the accusers were accused themselves by the Lord.

The condemners were themselves condemned. And what a moment that must have been for all, but especially for this woman who had been caught and thrust into a moment of horror.

Then Jesus offered her his hand — his healing hand — as he spoke again so directly to her —

“Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

And she said —

“No one, sir.”

And Jesus so lovingly gave her an invitation to become something more than her life and her circumstances had been as he said —

“Neither do I condemn you. Go, [and] from now on do not sin any more.”

Two stories involving women. Two stories involving lust. Two stories of lies and condemnation and attempts at trapping and ruining others.

Two stories of sin and grace. And the deepest part of all is for us to learn something, too.

As Jesus quoted God, saying —

“It is mercy I desire, not sacrifice.”

We, too, are led to discover the power of mercy and forgiveness, and the desire to lead ourselves and others to true goodness.