Lent: V--C:  Is. 43:16-21; Phil. 3:8-14; Jn. 8:1-11

 

Imagine you’re in a tunnel, standing on a train track, and a train is hurtling towards you. There’s no time to run back, and the walls of the tunnel are pressed up against the track. You can’t get out, and the train is coming. --Something similar was happening to the woman we just heard about in this gospel.

In Jewish law, the three gravest sins were murder, idolatry, and adultery. All 3 were punishable by death. This woman is caught in the act of adultery. And the Pharisees, the religious leaders of the time, know it. She can’t escape. The penalty is death by stoning. She is expecting death. Maybe she’s wishing she had a second chance.

The cruelty of the Pharisees must be terrible for her. They really don’t care about her at all; they just want to use her to trap Jesus.

In Leviticus 20:10 we read, ‘the man that commits adultery with another man’s wife, even he that commits adultery with his neighbour’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress, both shall surely be put to death.’ So where is this woman’s accomplice? Why the enthusiasm of these men to condemn only the woman?

It would seem that the principal intention of these scribes and Pharisees is to place the Lord in a legal and moral conundrum. Should he say that the woman should not be condemned, they will be able to accuse him of opposition to the Law of God, and therefore seriously undermine his influence over his followers. Should he uphold the Law, then his message of mercy is shown to be shallow and without substance, thereby assaulting his outreach. Their intent to devastate the ministry of the Lord has become so preoccupying that they have ceased to view the Law as a living and life-giving gift of God to his chosen people.

They were totally unconcerned. Their only aim was to establish their authority. There is no room for mercy in their attitude. When we expect mercy from God we cannot deny it to others.

In forgiving her of her sin Jesus clearly condemns the sin.  He tells the adulterous woman: "Go, and from now on do not sin anymore."  He didn't ignore the sin. But it is also wrong to condemn the sinner along with the sin. He said, "Neither do I condemn you."

 

John Paul II once said: “We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures; we are the sum of the Father's love for us and our real capacity to become the image of his Son.”

When we meet that love, in Jesus, it moves us to change in response. This is why Jesus says to the woman, “Go, and sin no more.”

We are called to a new relationship with God. We come as sinners, and we leave forgiven. God is with us. Christ heals us, fills us with joy, and challenges us to be saints.

 

Louie Zamperini was a record-setting runner when World War II broke out. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps and served in the Pacific. In 1943 his plane crash-landed in the Pacific Ocean, and he was captured by the Japanese.  He was a prisoner of war until 1945, and suffered severe physical and emotional trauma from the brutal guards. When he returned to the US, he got married and tried to settle down to a normal life. But he had flashbacks, and began drinking heavily. He was violent towards his wife. Basically his life was in a downward spiral. In 1949 his wife told him that the marriage was over unless he went to listen to the Christian preacher Billy Graham speak. He describes what happened next:

Billy said that God tells us: "Cast all your cares on me for I care for you."  I said, "Well, if I can get that kind of help, there might be a chance for me." 

So I went forward to the prayer room and I acknowledged to God that I was a sinner and then invited Christ into my life. And then the most remarkable thing that ever happened took place.  True to His promise, He came into my heart and into my life. Zamperini’s life changed. He stopped drinking, and dedicated his life to helping at-risk youth. He was finally able to forgive the guards who had tortured him. His story was published in the book Unbroken, which was later made into a movie. Just like the woman we read about today, he encountered Christ and it changed his life. He was forgiven, and told “Go and sin no more.”

 

When Christ says “Go and sin no more,” what does that mean for our own lives?  It’s an invitation to a new way of life. Lent is a time the Church gives us to enter into that new way of life. Let’s make the most of the remainder of Lent to do exactly that. When our sins are forgiven, it brings us to want to live differently. It brings us to want to be saints. One very practical result is that it brings us to forgive others.

It’s very easy to hold rancor in our hearts when someone hurts us. It can be in little ways, like when someone cuts us off in traffic or fails to invite us to a party. It can be in major ways, like a betrayal or a rejection. But when Christ says “Go, and sin no more,” he’s saying that with his power we can truly forgive others.

When we receive Christ in the Eucharist today, let’s ask him to help us to forgive. And we begin to experience the peace that goes beyond what we can imagine. Christ forgives us, he lifts us up, and he tells us “Go and sin no more.”