5th Sunday of Lent (Judging the Adulteress Woman)

There is an alternative version of this powerful account of Jesus and the woman accused of adultery that is probably unfamiliar to most of us. Like the actual Gospel account, an accused woman was brought before Jesus, and he was asked to render judgment. He likewise bent low and traced his finger in the dirt, before at last, standing and declaring, “Let whoever is without sin cast the first stone”. His words left the crowd in silence, until a large stone suddenly flew past him and squarely struck the accused woman. Stunned with surprise, Jesus turned to see who had thrown it, and exclaimed in resigned disbelief, “Mom!”.

Today’s Gospel presents us with an accused woman, who we know nothing about. Like you, I suspect, I’ve often wondered why it’s only the woman, and not also the man with whom she engaged in adultery, undergoing this public trial. While that troubling question remains unanswered, there’s no uncertainty about the wisdom in Jesus’ response.

This account brings to mind two things for me. First, is the notion of judging. We don't like to be judged. I remember an occasion, with a group of people that are dear to me in my life, in which one of the people made what I regarded as an inappropriate joke, given the fact that there was a young person in the room. I indicated my disapproval, and it was not well received. I was accused of being judgmental. And it caused me to wonder if I had done the right thing or if I had overreacted.

          For sure we must be careful in our exercising of judgment of others. Jesus himself said, “Stop judging, that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so will you be judged…” (Matthew 7:1-2). But don’t we all judge in some ways? Even Jesus judged at times, and so did his followers in the Bible (Peter, Paul). Here's an important distinction: We judge actions or behaviors, not people. We must never judge whether or not somebody is worthy of Heaven nor judge them to be anything other than a beloved child of God. Again, we judge actions or behaviors. That's why we can pretty much all agree, for example, that incfliting unnecessary harm to another person is wrong.

          What I believe Jesus is warning against is our going overboard with being judgmental about things and judging others unnecessarily. For sure, we can be overly preoccupied with judging what others are doing and saying, just as we can turn a blind eye to our faults or of those we care about. But for sure, the woman in today’s Gospel was judged—by the scribes and Pharisees, but also by Jesus. Let us remember, there are two parts to Jesus' words to the accused woman: first, he told her that he did not condemn her, but he also instructed her to go and sin no more.

That leads me to the second thing that I considered in this Gospel: the notion of being freed from our sins. Like the accused woman, we can take comfort, knowing that our Lord does not condemn us. But maybe the mercy that he would extend to us, can only be received if we have the intention and desire to leave our sins behind, what we call the firm purpose of amendment. Again, it's not a question of whether God’s mercy is offered, but instead whether we are able to receive it by moving beyond what must be left behind.

          Some of us have difficulty leaving behind the transgressions of our past, perhaps not convinced that God is merciful. Again, for some, even having sought forgiveness and having resolved to change, they still are unable to forgive themselves.

So perhaps it’s worth saying that while we may never completely forget the most regrettable sins of our past, let us trust that they no longer attached to our soul, but remain only in our memory. And let us take some comfort knowing that way we amend our past is by choosing to live more like Jesus today, speaking his truth, and always with love.