Beloved!
Was reading the story of the woman caught in adultery who was brought to Jesus to be stoned and I penned down a few thoughts on the story!
The woman caught in adultery was one lonely and scared woman who had nowhere to turn to, nowhere to hide, she was out in the open forced to look at her sin as it was and have the whole world make mockery of her.
What was running through her mind?, Did she remember her childhood, her parents, her siblings if any? Or was she thinking about the man she had just lain with and the foolishness of such an action? Or did her mind blank out every memory and did she await only the blows to her head from the large rocks she had seen the men pick out from the corner of her eye? Was her mind tuned to only what lay ahead of her D E A T H as sure and as certain as the night and day exchanged time periods?
Did she ever think that maybe just maybe she could be delivered from the fate awaiting her, instead of stoning her immediately they were taking her to J E S U S the carpenter turned preacher! She knew him, she had heard of how a few of her neighbours had become disciples whatever that meant, she knew that the old man who lived several leagues away, Bartimaeus they called him had received his sight after J E S U S healed him. But she had no sickness of the body so why should she have any hope in Him, would He deliver her from the angry mob or would he cast the first stone? For wasn't He a righteous man? But Matthew the tax collector was his disciple, like a drowning man grasping at straw, she grasped at this H O P E unlikely but the only lifeline she had left.
They got to J E S U S and she barely heard the words they spoke, each angrily spouting how they had caught her in the act, bitterly she saw amongst them men who had cast longing glances at her when no one looked, now their eyes shined only with hatred! They asked Him 'Rabbi what must be done, she has sinned she deserves to die'
She must strain to hear what J E S U S was saying, she dare not lift her head up but at least she could try and hear His words. Above the thunderings of her heart she heard His words, 'He who is without sin let him cast the first stone'. Was it just her imagination or was it real, the murmurings of the crowd grew less as the seconds ticked and all the noise she heard was of stones thudding to the ground. Was it real or was she dreaming, she dared to look up after it had been a while since the last thud shook the earth beneath her and no one was left, no one. For her an earthquake had just happened which shook her to the very foundations, all her life was laid bare before him who now looked at her and asked her with love filled eyes.
'Woman where are those thine accusers? Hath no man condemned thee? She had the courage to reply 'No man'. His life changing words came next, "Neither do I condemn thee, Go and sin no more". In a few minutes her life was transformed forever. You can be sure that till her day of death she never forgot that moment when J E S U S changed her death sentence to one filled with L I F E.
The woman caught in adultery was one lonely and scared woman who had nowhere to turn to, nowhere to hide, she was out in the open forced to look at her sin as it was and have the whole world make mockery of her.
What was running through her mind?, Did she remember her childhood, her parents, her siblings if any? Or was she thinking about the man she had just lain with and the foolishness of such an action? Or did her mind blank out every memory and did she await only the blows to her head from the large rocks she had seen the men pick out from the corner of her eye? Was her mind tuned to only what lay ahead of her D E A T H as sure and as certain as the night and day exchanged time periods?
Did she ever think that maybe just maybe she could be delivered from the fate awaiting her, instead of stoning her immediately they were taking her to J E S U S the carpenter turned preacher! She knew him, she had heard of how a few of her neighbours had become disciples whatever that meant, she knew that the old man who lived several leagues away, Bartimaeus they called him had received his sight after J E S U S healed him. But she had no sickness of the body so why should she have any hope in Him, would He deliver her from the angry mob or would he cast the first stone? For wasn't He a righteous man? But Matthew the tax collector was his disciple, like a drowning man grasping at straw, she grasped at this H O P E unlikely but the only lifeline she had left.
They got to J E S U S and she barely heard the words they spoke, each angrily spouting how they had caught her in the act, bitterly she saw amongst them men who had cast longing glances at her when no one looked, now their eyes shined only with hatred! They asked Him 'Rabbi what must be done, she has sinned she deserves to die'
She must strain to hear what J E S U S was saying, she dare not lift her head up but at least she could try and hear His words. Above the thunderings of her heart she heard His words, 'He who is without sin let him cast the first stone'. Was it just her imagination or was it real, the murmurings of the crowd grew less as the seconds ticked and all the noise she heard was of stones thudding to the ground. Was it real or was she dreaming, she dared to look up after it had been a while since the last thud shook the earth beneath her and no one was left, no one. For her an earthquake had just happened which shook her to the very foundations, all her life was laid bare before him who now looked at her and asked her with love filled eyes.
'Woman where are those thine accusers? Hath no man condemned thee? She had the courage to reply 'No man'. His life changing words came next, "Neither do I condemn thee, Go and sin no more". In a few minutes her life was transformed forever. You can be sure that till her day of death she never forgot that moment when J E S U S changed her death sentence to one filled with L I F E.
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