Gospel Reflection For The 18th day of March in the year of Our Lord, 2024
Gospel
John 8:1-11
1 And Jesus went unto mount Olivet. 2 And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came to him, and sitting down he taught them. 3 And the scribes and the Pharisees bring unto him a woman taken in adultery: and they set her in the midst, 4 And said to him: Master, this woman was even now taken in adultery. 5 Now Moses in the law commanded us to stone such a one. But what sayest thou?
6 And this they said tempting him, that they might accuse him. But Jesus bowing himself down, wrote with his finger on the ground. 7 When therefore they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said to them: He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. 8 And again stooping down, he wrote on the ground. 9 But they hearing this, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest. And Jesus alone remained, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 Then Jesus lifting up himself, said to her: Woman, where are they that accused thee? Hath no man condemned thee?
11 Who said: No man, Lord. And Jesus said: Neither will I condemn thee. Go, and now sin no more.
Much of the meaning of today’s Gospel is lost on modern readers… in more ways than one. First we may wonder why, if it was the Law of Moses, that the woman be executed for adultery that the Pharisees asked Jesus about it at all. Certainly, they did not respect His judgment. We are told that they did this to test Him. Jesus was forgiving people’s sins. To the Pharisees, this was blasphemy. Had He forgiven the woman’s sin before them, they would have documented evidence by several witnesses that He was guilty under their Law and must also be executed.
But, there was more to it than that. Israel was under Roman occupation. The Jews were under Roman law. They could not exercise their law, especially in executing those who violated it anymore than could a religious group in America today that had its own strict law. They had to have some charge under the secular law that they could take to Roman officials. Had Jesus stated that she must be executed according to Jewish Law, He would have been guilty of violating Roman Law. Had He stated that she was not to be executed, He would have violated Jewish Law.
This was a rather brilliant plan. The Pharisees brought a woman who was clearly guilty of adultery and put the matter in Jesus’ hands so that they may find fault in Him. It seemed they had given Him no way out. But, Our Lord knew their hearts. He knew the sins each man had committed. Very likely, each man present knew that others may be likely aware of a serious sin he had committed. If any man answered that he was free from sin, the risk was too great that either Jesus or one of his fellow Pharisees would have contradicted him. Not only would he be embarrassed before his peers but, depending on the gravity of the sin, he might have risked the same fate under the Law. Whether a man’s sin was great or minor, none could answer before God because as the Bible states, “all have sinned.”
After they leave, Jesus – the One without sin – forgives the woman and tells her to go and sin no more. This is the same compassionate act of forgiveness performed by Jesus, through His priests, in the Sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession as it is commonly called. Only He, as both God and the one who took upon Himself all punishment due our sins, has the authority to forgive and absolve our sins. In the Gospel of John, He authorized His priests of the Catholic Church to act in His stead until He comes again. This is truly wonderful!
But, one thing that our modern culture misses in this story is that He did not minimize her sin. Our culture says there is no such thing as sin – “do as thou wilt.” Sin is very real and will destroy the unrepentant. Had this unfolded in our times, perhaps all of the Pharisees would so rationalize their own sins that they would self righteously condemn the woman. Perhaps a “feminist” would rush up and condemn them for the “patriarchy” and say that the woman was fully justified to do as she pleased regardless their Law or her vows to her husband. Who knows what may have happened, but one thing is clear - In the eyes of God, the woman was guilty of a mortal sin. Jesus forgave her and instructed her to reform her life, saving her soul. In terms of eternity, the salvation of the immortal soul is far more important than mortal life. The trickery of the devil in modern culture is far more clever and more dangerous than the trap laid by the Pharisees!
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Gospel passages are taken from the Douay Rheims Bible.