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Sunday, July 13, 2008
Neither Do I Condemn You
6th in a series on The Uniqueness of the Gospel of John
By Rev. Cindy Bates
John 8:2-11
Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him and he sat down and began to teach them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them, they said to him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" They said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus straightened up and said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" She said, "No one, sir." And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again."
What is it about a stone that makes you want to throw it? Today's scripture is about throwing stones. It is one of the most familiar stories in the New Testament and there are several really interesting dynamics about this story. I know we are doing a series on the Gospel of John, but ironically, this passage was not found in any of the ancient manuscripts of the Gospel of John. Scholars believe this account of the woman who was going to be stoned, because she was believed to be guilty of adultery, was not added to New Testament manuscripts until the third century. Even many scholars, coming from a more literal interpretation of the Bible, agree this story was "written in" at a later date after it had circulated in the early Christian community as part of the oral tradition. Given that background, the story becomes even more fascinating in that this was a story that the early church could not quit telling. There was something about this story that spoke to people. Someone finally wrote it down but they could not decide where the story should go. It was found written in six different places in later manuscripts of the New Testament including the Gospel of Luke. Finally, someone inserted it here in the Gospel of John where it remains even though study of this passage in the original language tells us it is very different in vocabulary, style and form from the rest of John's Gospel.
There is also an unfortunate side to the popularity of this story in that many preachers down through the centuries have used this passage to talk about the immoral ramifications of sex and sexuality. For some reason it has always been easier for the church to talk about sex as a sin rather than as a good gift from God.
One of the most famous graphic depictions of this story comes from Rembrandt who in the 1600's painted this familiar passage. (Show painting.) Note the smallness of the individuals in the crowd compared to the stature of Jesus. He also has the woman dressed quite nicely for the occasion. I have a little trouble seeing the stones and I wonder where Jesus would have written in the dirt. I think Rembrandt was doing some of his own interpretation about what was going on in this story.
So, what is this scripture really about and what relevance does it have for us today? Here I think we can see our human nature clearly demonstrated, and through the words and actions of Jesus, we can begin to understand the nature of God.
What is one of the first, rather strange, things you notice about this story? Here is a whole crowd of men interrupting Jesus' teaching in the temple by saying, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of adultery." Now either this "act" was happening in a very public place or these men were looking in places they should not have been looking. And, if she was caught in the "very act" where is her accomplice? Even the Biblical definition of adultery requires more than one person! Do you think this passage speaks to Biblical sexism perhaps? Why was just the woman dragged in before Jesus? And what about this crowd? They seemed pretty excited and proud of themselves for not only publically disgracing this woman but using this occasion to trap Jesus. They knew the nature of Jesus and that he would have compassion on this woman but the law, according to Moses, said she should be stoned to death. So now what was he going to do? He bent down and wrote something in the sand. This is the only time it is recorded in the scriptures that Jesus writes something and I am sure he never realized there would be so much mystery and speculation about what he wrote, not just once, but twice. Was it the name of the man who was missing? Was he naming some other sins that might have been recognized by individuals in the crowd? Was it the names of other women who were intimately known by some of the men? Or was his writing merely a way to diffuse the situation and let them wonder what he was going to do? In the Mediterranean culture of the time an act of diverting the eyes and bending down to write would have been recognized as an act of refusal or disengagement. He does not stand up and answer their question or try to defend himself, but he addresses their culpability, their sin.
The cleverness of Jesus never ceases to amaze me. Before you know it the self-righteous, hypocritical crowd has gone and Jesus is left with the woman. He knows who she is and what she has done and he sees her and allows her to see herself. He sees her with his heart not just with his eyes. He does not condemn her...nor does he leave her where she is. He believes in the transforming power of forgiveness and says, "Go and sin no more."
I don't know about you but I can find myself several places in this story. I mean, not "literally", but what is it about our human nature that makes it so easy for us to condemn another? The crowd was not only condemning the woman but they were also trying to condemn Jesus. Does it take the focus away from our own guilt? French social commentator and philosopher Rene Girard has made it his life's work to study and understand the psychology and even spirituality of the violent mob. He says in the course of human history there has evolved the "scapegoating mechanism". From individual families and clans, to races and nations it is almost like we have to have someone to blame, we have to have someone to hate. We certainly have seen it in our own time and place. Blacks, Poles, Catholics, Jews, Italians, Asians, Hispanics, women, young people...you can fill in the blank. It's like we are all apart of some group someone else doesn't like.
I went to the Irish Festival in Littleton yesterday. It's always fun to see people relating together and having fun because of forming a community around a common culture or background. It's a way of belonging. But what is the dynamic, in some communities, that has to be superior or be oppressive over and against others? Why do we have to have someone to blame and yet we are so resistant to looking inward to see our own sinfulness or own need for understanding and forgiveness? How critical is our judgment? Did you see the news this week that after 12 years, because of recent DNA testing, the Ramsey family of Boulder was declared not guilty of killing their daughter? How many years have some of us been sure they were culpable?
I am reminded of a very clear, contemporary, example of how we can turn on others to divert or minimize our own guilt or sinfulness. When I was in college I admired and listened to the words of a very famous preacher in our denomination. I thought he pretty much walked on water. As he got older he became the leader of one of the most theologically conservative groups within Methodism whose agenda became the preaching and teaching against gays and lesbians. For many General Conferences he was the spokesperson as to why these people were sexually incompatible with Christian teaching and considered immoral. This person is no longer that spokesperson because it was discovered that while maintaining the image of being a righteous, happily married man, he was having an adulterous relationship with his secretary for 20 years. I admit to feeling a little pleased that he got caught. But then, I find myself in danger of finding it so easy to pick up a stone and heave it at someone. What stone can someone heave at me or you?
Writer Bob Goddard, talking about our need for understanding of one another, once said, "Resolve to be tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant with the weak and wrong. Sometime in your life you have been one of these."
What is Jesus asking us to do? The story tells us that we need to look inward and see our human nature, our tendency to condemn and blame others for what we are capable of and maybe even doing ourselves. But there is more...Jesus is asking us to look inside for our ability to act out of compassion and kindness. He is asking us to look at whatever stone we are carrying around, ready to sling at someone else and he is asking us to drop it! Drop it, so we can change our focus and see a kinder, more compassionate way. If we can do that, we will do a much better job at being followers of Jesus and we will have a much greater understanding of the nature of God. Think of it as changing the world one stone at a time. It is a way of relating to others that God requires, not just as Christians, but as we all relate to one another.
Every major religion has a way of saying it. Judaism says, “What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow human beings. This is the entire law, all the rest is commentary." Hinduism says, "This is the sum of duty: do not do to others which if done to you would cause you pain." Buddhism says: "Hurt not others with that which pains yourself." Islam says: "No one of you is a believer until he desires for his brother that which he desires for himself." And I could go on. Could God be any more clear?
What stone are you carrying around today? Is it anger or resentment? Is it guilt or fear? Is it cynicism or bigotry? God wants to replace that stone upon your heart , and sometimes in your hand, with something much easier to carry. God does not want to condemn us but wants to free us to live fully and compassionately with kindness toward one another.
I purposely put these stones here today so we could see them and even have to walk around them as we participate in receiving Holy Communion. I think they represent our humanness and our tendency to be less than compassionate and forgiving toward one another. And it is here, in the midst of our hardness and condemnation toward others and ourselves, God invites us to receive whatever understanding, forgiveness and compassion we need. Perhaps to fully receive what God desires for us we might need to let go of something. If you received a stone coming in here today think about what that might represent in your life. I invite you to do whatever you need to do with that rock. Maybe you want to put it on your desk to be reminded of this story and what Jesus is asking you to do. Maybe you need to bring it here to the pile of stones and let it go. Or maybe you need to take it from here and really let it fly. Whatever you do with it, may it be a reminder of how God wants us to see one another, not just with our eyes, but with our hearts. May it be so.