Fifth Sunday of Lent-C
Anyone who has seriously followed the teachings of Jesus knows his teaching about adultery is strict. He reiterated his father’s command that what God has joined, no one must separate. He further clarified his statement by saying, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.” Moreover, Jesus teaches a person who looks at a woman with lust in his heart has committed adultery in his heart.
The Scribes and Pharisees were aware of the seventh commandment, which prohibited the Israelites from engaging in that behavior, and Jesus’ reaffirmation left no doubt that it should never be done under any circumstances. From this backdrop, we are asked to fall into the classic story of the woman caught in adultery. According to the law of Moses, those guilty would receive the punishment of death by stoning or burning.
The woman in question was caught in the act, meaning there was no uncertainty she was guilty of the sin. According to the law, she deserves death, and it was this fact that the Pharisees used to test Jesus. When they asked Jesus, they were looking for something he would say to indict him for speaking against God’s law. Before speaking, Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger. No one knows what he wrote or why he did it. Some speculate he wrote the sins of the accusers, while others may think his writings were more about God’s mercy and forgiveness.
When he stood up, Jesus responded by saying, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” He then bent down again and resumed writing. Twice, he wrote in the dust before addressing the guilty woman. We can’t ignore what Jesus did; if he did it once, maybe it wasn’t just a nonconsequential act. By writing twice on the ground, we need to add some substance to help us better understand what Jesus intended.
Although no one knows for sure, a possible theory here suggests that Jesus, in a subtle way, was connecting the old covenant with the new one that he ushered in through his death and resurrection. Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.”
Those versed in scripture will recall God’s metaphorical finger writing out the Ten Commandments on stone. As the Son of God, Jesus has every right to mimic this action, this time not metaphorically but physically. Writing out the prohibition of adultery on the ground establishes this type of sin is as grave in the present as it was in the past. All of Jesus’ past teachings about the subject affirm this proposition. When he addresses the crowd generally about sin, he challenges them to acknowledge that any sin is displeasing to God, and as sinners, no one has the right to take the moral high ground.
When he wrote a second time, perhaps he was demonstrating to those present that the law must be combined with mercy. After all, this was the mission of Jesus. All people, because of their unfaithfulness to God, deserved death (the law), but through the obedience and love of God, all had the possibility of being saved from their sentence of death (mercy). Only God can show mercy by forgiving sin. It was only after those accusers were demonstrated the fulfillment of the law was infused with mercy through Jesus that they drifted away one by one.
Jesus was then face to face with the adulterous woman, to which he said, “Has anyone condemned you?” To which she responded, “No one, sir.” Jesus responded by saying, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.”
Jesus’ mission is to save his people, not to condemn them. St. John makes God’s intention known, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but have eternal life.” Although there is no condemnation, there is a requirement that goes beyond simply believing in Him. We must try not to sin again. Every time we recite the Act of Contrition, we promise, to the best of our ability, to abstain from the sin we have confessed and for which we have asked forgiveness.
The story of the woman caught in adultery is the moment when the law of God has been infused with mercy through the person of Jesus Christ. He is the only one who can unite the old and new covenant by reconciling the world to himself. The reality of experiencing mercy and forgiveness is what we focus on during Lent.
Don’t let the opportunity to be forgiven, reconciled, and feel the peace of mercy go unheeded.