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:
A story is told about a woman who was being
suspected by her husband of carrying an adulterous affair. She was repeatedly
being counseled by her husband to stop it if she was doing it. But she would
always strongly deny it until the time came that she was caught by her husband.
She asked forgiveness and she was forgiven subject to a few conditions which
she complied.
Are you quick to forgive or you don’t easily
forgive? When you are quick to forgive you immediately free yourself from any
disastrous situation that could happen caused by unforgiveness. You also free
yourself from many forms of negative emotions caused by unforgiveness.
When the woman in our gospel was caught in the
act of adultery, she was immediately condemned by the Pharisees and scribes.
Their hearts were full of unforgiveness and hatred. Perhaps, they right away
want to lay their punishing hands upon the adulterous woman.
But Jesus was there to save the woman from
that perilous predicament. Jesus said this to those who were condemning the
adulterous woman: "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to
throw a stone at her (John 8:7)."
After hearing this wisdom filled words from
Jesus the Pharisees and scribes all walked away. Why? Because they were all
sinners as well. Then Jesus said something very profound to the woman: “I
will not condemn you, go and do not sin anymore (John 8:11).
What does this gospel about the adulterous
woman teach us? It teaches us not to judge and condemn for we are all sinners.
It teaches us to be forgiving because our God is a forgiving God. – Marino J.
Dasmarinas
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