5th Sunday of Lent
Here are a few things to look for in this gospel reading of what this scene has been often called, “the woman caught in adultery.” First, we have the crowd of people who have come to the temple area to see and listen to Jesus. This crowd seems to disappear, at least after Jesus’ challenge, their curiosity satisfied.
Then, we have the Scribes and Pharisees who arrive with one purpose in mind: to test Jesus. If Jesus ruled in favor of the Mosaic Law, then he would be liable before Roman law for supporting a death penalty reserved for Rome. If Jesus decides otherwise, he will show himself against his declared Jewish faith and practice. The Scribes and Pharisees have brought the woman merely as a prop to dramatize their argument. She is being used by them to enhance their agenda. Jesus fully understands the setup and refuses to play their game. Instead, Jesus challenges them: OK, let the Law of Moses prevail, BUT, the first stone must be thrown by the one who is sinless!
We can ask ourselves the usual question for our meditation: “Who do I identify with?” Am I just a spectator who watches from afar, merely looking and listening but unwilling to get engaged? Like the Scribes and Pharisees, do I have my own personal/secret agenda and use people merely to satisfy this unspecified and/or unarticulated motivation?
Finally, Jesus gives us an example of authenticity and courage. He does not judge or condemn anyone, neither the Scribes and Pharisees nor the woman. Jesus is not into gossip. He does not ask: who? when? why? where? how, like so many of us who are ruthlessly curious, eager to judge.
Let Us Pray:
Let us sit/kneel in prayer, meditate on this story in our imaginations, picture ourselves in the gospel scene with a heightened sense of belonging there, and ask ourselves, where am I in this situation? Does this reality transfer into my regular Christian living?
