[Friday Follow-up]
As we continue to look at “the woman caught in adultery” (it was no less shameful for the men who were part of it…) – let’s pay attention to Jesus’ perfectly balanced and brilliantly insightful handling of the situation.
Which raises the question – how do we cultivate that?
Of course, there is the fact that He is God and we … aren’t. But we show a lot of promise. After all, we’re made in His image and likeness.
So how do we get “what would Jesus do?” to become a more natural part of our day-to-day life.
Well, for starters, there are three particular qualities of Christ on display in this episode – and not just by coincidence.
They are three specific qualities that are singled out repeatedly in scripture.
They are: justice, mercy and humility.
The Church Fathers key in on these when commenting on this scripture. Alcuin notes that Jesus bending down “represents the humility of His incarnation.” And St. Augustine continues, “we heard above the voice of justice, let us hear now that of mercy.”
This trinity of virtue appears in the Old Testament. Let’s dig deep with Micah, “You have been told, O mortal, what is good, and what the LORD requires of you: Only to do justice and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8)
And from Zechariah, “Thus says the LORD of hosts: Judge with true justice, and show mercy and compassion toward each other.” (Zechariah, 7:9)
And Christ himself instructs on the importance of this spiritual three-fer, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier things of the law: judgment and mercy and fidelity. But these you should have done, without neglecting the others.” (Mathew 23:23) Fidelity, as used here, is to humble oneself before God.
So, mercy, justice and humility. If we’re always checking ourselves against those three – “Am I being merciful? Am I being just? Am I being humble?” – we’re doing some of the best things we can.
We’ll look deeper at these next week.
And this weekend we’ll see all three on display in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
Sabbath blessings to you –
Steve and Karen Smith
Interior Life
Postscript: The Woman Caught in Adultery (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.”