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"See, I am doing something
new!" Isaiah proclaims to his people and to us that the Lord our God
sets us free. We are forgiven. We are no longer a people condemned
to carry the weight of our past with us. Paul reminds us we have not yet
finished the race, instead we push on to what is ahead. We are running
toward the prize, life on high in Jesus Christ. It becomes all the more
clear to us in the words of today's gospel.
A woman caught in adultery is brought before the Lord. Her
accusers, the scribes and Pharisees, are more interested in Jesus'
verdict in the case than they are in the fate of the woman. She is just
their tool in a game to trap Jesus. Will he follow the law of Moses and
condemn the woman or will he reject the law in order to set her free? We
may not recognize the importance of this incident for the woman and
especially for Jesus. This is a life and death situation. For the woman
caught in adultery the punishment is death by stoning.
The accusers of Jesus are
seeking an opportunity to have him arrested. Jesus' response to
this dilemma is to move it to another level. Instead of making a quick
statement to resolve the conflict, Jesus bends down and begins writing
in the sand. What was he doing? Perhaps he needed the moment to pray, to
bring the enormity of the confrontation to the Father. Perhaps his
moment of silence turned the hearts of the accusers inward. Some say he
wrote the sins of the accusers in the dust. Finally, Jesus stands tall
and says to them, "Let the one among you with no sin be the first to
cast a stone!" Who would that be? Would it be you or me? Is there anyone
who qualifies? What is it that God wants for a sinner? Punishment
or a change of heart? Here Jesus' parables of forgiveness are
acted out in real life. The crowd dispersed from the oldest to the
youngest. Jesus would not condemn the woman either. Instead he
reminds her that she has been freed from this sin.
Being forgiven is important because it frees us to become what God calls
us to be. But we must never forget that we are to bring that same
forgiveness to others. We have been set free from the burden of sin in
order to help lift the burden of others. As we race toward the finish
line the only burden we carry is our concern that the brothers and
sisters will finish with us.
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