Neither Do I Condemn You
First published April 8, 2019 by Philip Cheung.
In the Gospel we are presented with the incident where a woman was caught in the very act of adultery, and the Pharisees have seized the woman and is about to carry out the consequence that such an act warranted: stoning. In an attempt to test Jesus, they asked Him what they should should do for the Law of Moses said to stone her. Jesus' initial response was silence.
I love this silence. Oftentimes it is the silence that speaks the loudest. Think about it. What could the Pharisees have been thinking: "why isn't He saying anything...?" Then Jesus bends down and begins to write something with his finger on the ground. Scripture doesn't tell us what He writes. The people couldn't deal with the silence so they asked the question again and Jesus said, "Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." What a statement. The people began to gradually disappear one after another. Soon, it was just Jesus and the woman. Jesus asked the woman where the people were and if anyone threw a stone at her in condemnation of her. She said "No one, sir." Then Jesus said these words of love and invitation to her: "Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin anymore."
In loving her, Jesus does not condemn her but affirms her belovedness. In challenging her, Jesus invites the woman to a new way of life. Every encounter with God is similar: we are always reminded of and affirmed in our belovedness - the Father says to us: "You are my beloved son/daughter" - and we are also challenged to be better, to live radically, to embrace the Truth, and to share this with others. When we feel shameful and guilty and embarrassed by our sinfulness and mistakes, God does not look at us in condemnation. Rather, he lowers Himself to us, meeting us where we are, telling us that He loves us, and then raises us up with Him. Today, God is saying the very same thing to you: "Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin anymore."
Let us ask the Father for the grace of trust in God's love for us and the courage to live an authentic life of freedom.
