“Then Jesus looked up, and asked her, Woman, where are thy accusers? Has no one condemned thee? No one, Lord, she said. And Jesus said to her, I will not condemn thee either. Go, and do not sin again henceforward.” (John 8: 10-11)
With mercy, Jesus forgives the adulterous woman — but in the interest of justice, commands her to go and sin no more.
We all love God’s mercy, to believe that God is merciful. But are we willing to pay the price? Repentance is crucial if we are to enter into the light. The lines that immediately follow make this clear. Jesus speaks to the hard-hearted men who would have stoned her:
“And now once more Jesus spoke to them, I am the light of the world, he said. He who follows me can never walk in darkness; he will possess the light which is life.” (John 8:12)
To beg forgiveness is to ask for mercy. To repent is to come into the light. In this passage, Jesus is telling these men to repent. Those words are for us as well.
I wonder what the men were thinking as they threw down their stones and walked away. Were they mad? Frustrated? Embarrassed? Bent on getting Jesus out of their way? Repentant? They could have said to Jesus, “You know, you have a point. You have given me something to think about.” That would have been an opening of the mind. Or, as no doubt Jesus would have preferred, they could have thrown themselves at His feet, like the adulterous woman, and beg forgiveness, saying, “You are truly the Son of God.” That would have been an opening of the heart. That would have been their salvation.
In this chapter of John, Jesus continues to warn and instruct and chastise the Pharisees, but their hearts are like stone. God invites us to join him, over and over.
Reflection
- Am I repentant, truly and fully, for the sins I have committed?
- Do I have any reason to think Christ will judge me with mercy?
- Do I fear His justice?
