Gospel: John 8:1-11
Jesus went to the
Mount of Olives. But early in the morning he arrived again in the temple area, and all the people
started coming to him, and he sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and
the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and made her
stand in the middle. 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. So what do you say? They said this to test him, so that they could
have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and began to write on
the ground with his finger. But when they continued asking him, he straightened
up and said to them, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to
throw a stone at her. Again he bent down and wrote on the ground. And in response,
they went away one by one beginning with the elders. So he was left alone with
the woman before him. Then Jesus straightened up and said to her “Woman, where
are they? Has no one condemned you? She replied, “No one, sir. Then Jesus said,
“Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.
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Reflection:
Are you sometimes quick
to judge those whom you perceived to be sinners? In the gospel the Pharisees and scribes were
very quick to draw judgement from the woman caught committing adultery. They
brought this woman to Jesus with the expectation that Jesus Himself would pronounce
judgment upon her.
Yet Jesus never
judged her for what she did, Jesus choose to highlight God’s mercy and compassion
upon her. At the end of the gospel Jesus told her, “I do not condemn you, go
and do not sin anymore (John 8:11). As if Jesus was telling her, go and start a
new life forget the past for I have already forgiven you. This gospel episode
is perhaps one of the best showcase of Jesus’ mercy and compassion.
Perhaps through this
gospel Jesus is also inviting us to look at ourselves and have a self-reflection
on how we relate with sinners. Do we also judge them quickly just like the
Pharisees and scribes did? When we judge we also invite judgment on ourselves,
when we judge we further push this person to commit more sins. And when we judge
we only highlight the arrogance of the devil instead of the mercy and
compassion of Jesus.
But who are we to condemn
or judge when we are to be judge also. Who are we to judge when we are sinners
also. Instead of judging let us always show the mercy and compassion of Jesus.
In doing so we show the sinner that there’s a God who cares, a God who listens
and surely a God who is always merciful and forgiving. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
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