Put down your stones (continued)

Put down your stones, continued. Please read previous post.

She made a thousand choices that led, inevitably, inexorably to a moment like this.

Let's pause for a moment.

The point that the author(John)of the biblical text where this story was written is actually not about the adulterous woman, but more about the 'righteous men' trying to ensnare Jesus in a sort of inescapable situation. Frankly, they were looking for something to accuse him of.

The Law says she should be stoned. The Roman authorities had forbidden the Jewish authorities from executing anyone. It's a Catch-22 situation. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

So the Jewish leaders, much like the church leaders of today, just stand there, all looking smartly dressed in their black suits and expensive ties and shoes, just formal enough to be recognized as 'leaders'. They don't make a decision. They just stand there, with the awful words they have just spoken, ringing in the woman's head. "This woman... was caught in the act..."

Let's pause for a moment before you judge them too quickly. Are you holding a stone in your hand right now? We are most 'scandalized' by sins of the flesh. Jesus was most scandalized by sins of the spirit. It's not possible to love God and to despise people. A heart enslaved by coldness does not even notice how insidious the sins of the spirit can be. You just walk through life with a stone in your hand. Judgemental thoughts. A superior attitude. Impatient words. Bitter resentments. One thing the community of stone-throwers enjoyed: passing judgement on the spiritual inferiority of others. They looked forward to it. A woman is caught in adultery. Other people/leaders in the church talk about it. "Did you hear? What a shame. The poor children. How could she?" They shake their heads, disapprovingly. The stones will kill. What might our community look like if nobody in it were to pick up a stone?

So there they stand. Imagine with me. A woman, shivering, waiting to die. Her judges, with stones in their hands; and Jesus. The stone throwers ask him: "What do you say?"

Jesus does a curious thing. He bends down and starts writing on the sand. It bothers them, this act. He doesn't seem to be paying any attention to them. He writes, on and on. The Bible doesn't say what he was writing, so we have to guess. Maybe Jesus was a 'doodler', scribbling on the sand. Maybe he was writing the Ten Commandments.

Jesus stands up and speaks:"Go ahead and stone her. That's what the Law says. Just one rule: Let the man without sin go first."

One intruguing idea (dating back to the fifth century) was that Jesus was writing down the names of the sins of the leaders in the group. For instance: "Standing at the window watching adultery take place a lot longer than was necessary to gather evidence..." Whatever he is writing, he confronts these men with a decision. Throw stones if you want. It's your call. Condemn her. Pass judgement. But make sure you are sinless yourself. Just remember that sinful people are in no position to throw stones.

Then an amazing thing happens. Somebody lets go of his stone. Then another. And yet another. Maybe their hearts melt a little and they become more human. Maybe they remember when they first started out as leaders, young, and passionate, and in the life-saving business. Maybe they remember how it is like to stand in the need for forgiveness. None of the stones get thrown in anger. There is no room in Jesus' community for throwing stones. All of us are too broken.

You know the end of the story. No stones get thrown. It's a happy ending for the woman, whose sins lead to other inevitable sins. Deceit. Betrayal. Finally, despair.

Go and sin no more. Said Jesus. He was the only one who had the right to throw a stone. But he did not. Instead, he accepted her. Acceptance is not the same as tolerance. He did not fail to confront and to speak the truth in love. He helped her, by showing her how to heal. For the woman to fully examine her acceptance will require entering into a new way of life. The same grace that liberates her from past sin calls her to walk FREE of them in the future.

Radical acceptance.
Imagine being known as one who will never pick up a stone.

==
For me, it was a happy ending too. I learnt that there was truly no condemnation in The Church. After a six month period of healing, I still became a leader. Just that I was a very different one. Sometimes I wonder why do I have to go through these experiences. I guess it makes me a better leader. More importantly, I won't pick up any stones to throw at anyone.

Though my story is different, in essence it is the same.

Will my future husband throw a stone at me? I learnt how to be faithful to my husband, before even meeting him, in anticipation of the 'forever' we must learn to cherish.

No matter what.

Gratefully taken from the chapter "Put down your stones: Acceptance" from John Ortberg's "Everybody's normal until you get to know them." I've used lots of liberties and added my own personal touch so it's not my thoughts, but I'm just deeply inspired to share these chapters in my life right now. There is no better time, anyway.