Jealousy, Shame, Judgement and Mercy...

Jesus was quite the phenomenon. Between the healings, the feeding of thousands, the preaching and all the other miracles, Jesus had attracted quite a following, and the Pharisees took notice. They were used to holding the attention of the crowds, used to having the authority, and used to being followed and honored. Now this Jesus, a carpenter from Nazareth, was healing on the Sabbath, allowing his disciples to pick grain on the Sabbath and worst of all…claiming to be the Messiah. Something must be done, so the plan was to force Jesus into an awkward position. It took some planning and surveillance, but two people were doing the wrong thing at the wrong time and were caught in the very act. The woman was easier to catch and subdue, and since Jesus seemed to have a special place for women in his ministry, it would also make it tougher on Jesus to carry out the law.

You should have seen the look on her face when the Pharisees burst through the door. Then, when she realized that we were dragging her outside, into the daylight, past her neighbors, friends, family and parents…well, it was probably her worst nightmare ever. It didn’t take a detective to know what was going on. The Pharisees were the morality police, and it was obvious what she had been caught doing. She will never forget the looks of disgust, judgment and disdain. Even with her head lowered, she could not avoid the whispers, the taunts and the rude comments. Shame, shame, shame. She had never felt more ashamed in her life…until she realized they were dragging her to the temple. Then, she started to think about how much she had dishonored God, how far she had strayed from him. God must be very angry with her. She feels like she deserves whatever punishment she is going to get.

 

What are the Pharisees up to now? They seem quite worked up for this time of the morning, and they have brought a woman to me who looks like she has been snatched right out of bed. The look on her face is complete and utter sadness, shame and humility. She is so broken, my heart breaks for her. I suppose they are trying to trick me into saying or doing the wrong thing. Perhaps I should turn things around a little bit. Proper perspective is always enlightening. This will also help illustrate that speck and plank in the eye idea I shared recently. Let me start with a posture of humility as I write some things in the dirt.

 

His face was the first face I had seen that day that was not full of condemnation; his eyes were the first eyes that did not have the fire of judgment in them. There was something about the way he talked and came down to my level that gave me peace and gave me hope that I might survive the day. I was too preoccupied with my own blatant sin to think about the sins of my accusers, but Jesus must have convinced them that they did not belong on the high moral ground they had trespassed upon. One by one, I heard the stones hit the ground. It was the most beautiful music to my ears. When I finally looked up, Jesus was the only one left. I will never forget what he said to me, as I will certainly never forget what He did for me when He saved me from death and gave me new life.