Every single one of us can relate to the feeling of being judged.
And if we are honest,
We also know that countless times we have judged others.
When we are the ones receiving judgment,
Whether or not we are at fault,
Accusations sear our hearts and give birth to humiliation and shame.
I invite you to step into the narrative of a woman who faced public accusation.
You can find her account in chapter 8 of the book of John.
Where are they taking you?
You haven't slept much and they have made you wait for hours.
The group of highfalutin teachers surrounds you and you have no choice but to keep pace.
For being religious leaders,
These men sure are angry and upset.
Some of them mumble insults under their breath,
But they wouldn't dare to look you in the eye.
You see the temple up ahead and your heart sinks.
So this is it,
You think to yourself.
Your only hope is that it is over as soon as possible.
The dust cloud left in your wake is like the train of a wedding dress.
And yet it is just a rust colored mirage and it leaves your mouth dry.
This is no celebration day.
You swallow hard.
Then you see the crowd gathered.
It is a large group for so early in the morning.
You hear his voice first.
Jesus is teaching.
Oh,
How you would hope to hear him again after that day on the hillside,
But not under these conditions.
You would give anything to sprout wings and fly away.
The men do everything they can not to touch you,
But their presence commands your obedience.
And they insist that you stand in front of those gathered.
They wait for an opening.
Jesus pauses.
The crowd is silent and one of the men clears his throat.
Teacher,
He says,
This woman was caught in the act of adultery.
In the law,
Moses commanded us to stone such women.
Now,
What do you say?
Everyone stares.
Wow.
You think this is why they made you wait until morning.
You are being used again.
It's your humiliation in exchange for their agenda.
You shut your eyes tight,
Willing yourself to endure.
There is nothing you can say.
You made a bad choice and you got caught.
End of story.
You open your eyes and see Jesus crouch down,
Fingers in the dirt.
You steal a glance at the faces of the religious leaders.
Some are angry.
Others look confused.
You strain your eyes to see what Jesus is trying,
But it looks like writing and you never learn to read.
The silence becomes awkward as the leaders agitation increases.
They begin to prod Jesus and poke at him with their words.
And you note the stark contrast between his composure and the leaders turmoil.
You wonder if he is even listening.
But then he stands up and says to them,
Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.
Then he stoops back down,
Fingers in the dirt,
Writing intently.
You brace yourself for an impact cringing inside.
Let the humiliation end soon is the only thought you can fabricate.
But the blows never come.
Certainly one of those holy leaders will heave a stone.
Surely there is at least one.
You wonder what it would be like to be perfectly good.
But the thought turns to resentment before you have an answer.
You can't understand them.
And they will never try to understand you.
I even entertain the idea.
So you wait.
Jesus waits.
The crowd waits.
The Pharisees wait.
No one moves.
A tiny flicker flutters across your heart.
You have no idea what is going to happen.
And that opens the door for just a little bit of hope.
You give yourself permission to breathe.
Then,
To your amazement,
The oldest religious leader slowly turns and begins to walk away.
You can see his gray hair thinning on top and the stoop of his shoulders.
Wow,
You think,
What did he do?
Well,
At least you're not the only one who messed up.
Two others defeated turn to leave.
Then another and another.
Surprise spreads across your heart.
All of them have sinned?
Eventually the very last man walks away.
Jesus is still tracing dirt.
You shift from one foot to the other.
The crowd is still captivated and you do not want to be on stage.
He stands up and asks,
Woman,
Where are they?
Has no one condemned you?
And,
Sir,
You say,
Then neither do I condemn you,
Jesus declares.
Go now and leave your life of sin.
You are bewildered.
Jesus defended you.
You let it sink in.
Another chance.
Undeserved pardon.
Love and forgiveness.
You turn to walk away from the crowd and from your past.
Your new life awaits.
Do you need another chance?
Have you been misunderstood,
Mistreated?
Is there an area where you have messed up and need forgiveness?
I invite you to read John 8 verses 1 through 11.
When you do take a moment to climb into the woman's story.
And imagine Jesus standing up for you.
He offers compassion and grace.
Not only to the individuals in the Bible.
But to those living today.
Including you.
