John 8:1-11 That Woman

Go your way and from now on do not sin again.

There are days when I am delighted that this story of the woman caught in adultery is written in brackets in my bible (NRSV). On those days, I find it comforting that the authenticity of this story is suspect enough that translators have separated it from the rest of the text. Because on those days I don't much like this story.

I hate the premise of the story, the fact that this woman was caught in the "very act" of committing adultery. I have visions of a bunch of peeping Toms sneaking around outside her window waiting for the clothes to come off. Yuck. The fact that Jesus gives this nonsense a minute of his time is beyond distasteful. 

Then, there's the small matter that unless this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery all by herself, there's someone missing here. I want to know where the woman's partner is and I keep waiting for Jesus to want to know that, too.

And then, of course, there's the whole mercy thing. I hate that this might be what unconditional grace looks like, because there are days when what Jesus does here feels pretty darned conditional to me. "I do not judge you...but don't do it again." Which, some days, sounds like a not terribly subtle threat—you better watch out, you better not sin, 'cause mercy may not come this way again any time soon.

There are days when I am delighted that this story of the woman caught in adultery is cordoned off with brackets in my bible. Because it is, and because its authenticity is therefore questionable, I can disregard this piece of John’s good news as no good news at all, and I can ignore the claim it makes on my life. If it's not really a Jesus story, then it doesn't really apply...to me...right?

I attended a Baptist seminary. Conversion stories, personal salvation narratives, were big there, the coin of the realm. Being a Presbyterian, I didn't have one. Presbys tend to answer the "When were you saved?" question, with "2000 years ago on Calvary." Yes, it's a snotty answer, but, hey, any port in a storm, right?

This time the question that came was a little different. Not so much when, but why. Why were you saved? Having the whole "2000 years ago on Calvary" thing ready to go, the question threw me for a loop. "Why?" I asked, playing for time. "Ummmm, because...Jesus...loves me, this I know???"

Well, yes. Jesus does love us. Enough to save our sorry selves from the mess we sinners make of our lives, over and over again. And that is grace. 

But my seminary questioner was right, too. Mercy, grace, salvation ought to make a difference. Paul says that anyone who is in Christ is a new creation. To be given mercy, to receive grace, to be saved, is a second chance to be a new creation.....or a third, or a fourth, or a fifth...to be different, to live free, to go and sin no more. 

Grace upon grace, mercy upon mercy, never-ending, new every morning; great is thy faithfulness. It changes you, if you'll let it.

 Go your way, and from now on do not sin.

Mercy, grace, a second chance. Here's hoping that, someplace down the line, the woman's partner had the sense to take the same deal.