Jesus gives us a lesson in compassion

JESUS GIVES US A LESSON IN COMPASSION

Jn. 8:1-11

A woman was caught committing adultery and was dragged before Jesus by the Scribes and Pharisees.  They wanted to see how He would treat her.  Their intention was to embarrass Him before the people.  If He condemned her, the law laid down she should be stoned.  What would Jesus do?  What about the man who had committed adultery with her?  Surely, he deserved the same punishment.  He was just as guilty.  There was no mention of how he should be treated.

Time and time again Jesus had challenged the Scribes and the Pharisees to change their ways - and they did not like it.  He had been honest with them and not afraid to brand them as hypocrites, and now here they were with their chance to get their revenge.  

If in our dealings with people we act through revenge, or try to get one over another person, or to get even, or make them appear small in other person’s eyes, or belittle and embarrass them, then we are acting no differently from the way the Pharisees behaved on this occasion towards Jesus and the woman.  If we want to please God and do the right thing, we should constantly check our motives.

Someone has wisely said that when we accuse a person of sin with one finger there are three fingers on the same hand accusing us.  That was the lesson the Pharisees had to learn.  That is why Jesus said, “If there is one of you who has not sinned, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”  When we accuse others of sins, we should never lose sight of the fact that we, too, are sinners.  If we are conscious of this fact, we will be more compassionate towards a fellow sinner.

St. Paul once wrote to St Timothy, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.  Of these I myself am the worst.”  When he wrote that sentence, he was not being superficially modest, nor was he wallowing in morbid guilt.  He was simply facing the truth about himself.  He was a sinner, sharing the Gospel with other sinners.

Even though the Pharisees’ motive was wrong in trying to trick Jesus, with no genuine feeling for the woman, Jesus’ treatment of them on this occasion could be described as gentle.  When they accused the woman, we are told that Jesus bent down and started writing on the ground with His finger.  Preachers have asked why did He do that and what did He write?

My guess is that Jesus was just doodling.  He was not going to be hurried, but they persisted with their accusation.  They were impatient to see what He had to say.  It is then that Jesus looked up and said, “If there is one of you who has not sinned, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”  At this point Jesus could have stared at them and made them feel very uncomfortable.  Instead He cast His eyes down and continued doodling on the ground and gave them the opportunity to slink away quietly.

In this matter all Jesus' concern was for the woman.  He really felt for her.  He knew what she was feeling, embarrassed and guilty.  He wanted her to reform her life.  When they had all left, Jesus said to her, "Woman, where are they?  Has no one condemned you?"  With what relief she said, "No one, Sir."  Jesus replied. "Neither do I condemn you, go away and don't sin anymore." Jesus could not have treated her more compassionately.

The Pharisee wanted to act according to the book.  To Jesus people are more important than rules.  On several occasions Jesus told His critics that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.  If someone could be healed on the Sabbath what, He asked, was wrong with that?  Would they not, on a Sabbath, come to the aid of an animal that was in trouble.  And people are more important than animals.  Rules and regulations are important.  No society can function without them, but they should always be interpreted, revised and enforced to the highest benefit of people.  That is why they were written in the first place.  We must always remember that people are more important than rules.  This is not to say that the rules should be thrown away but they need to be applied for the good of people.

Lord Jesus, in our dealings with people we must always check our motives.  We must remember that we too are sinners who expect compassion, so we should be compassionate to others.  May we remember that people who are sorry for what they have done are more important to God than the rules themselves.

 MY WEBSITE IS AT https://fatherfrancismaple.co.uk for more Christian homilies.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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