The Nazareth Page - A gospel meditation for your home

April 6, 2025 – Fifth Sunday of Lent, John 11:1-45

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
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Do we fully know the mind of God? Does anyone? And do we make judgments about the behavior of others as if we did? Apparently certain religious officials (scribes and pharisees) thought they did. Afterall, they thought of themselves as experts in making judgments about what others did. And apparently, they felt that they could use their assumed knowledge and judgments to trick Jesus.  

They likely knew enough about Jesus to know him as being kind and generous. But they also felt that they had God on their side. They knew the law. They knew what was considered lawful and what was surely unlawful.

Now to the scene depicted in today’s gospel. They brought a woman who was caught in the act of committing adultery. The punishment of such acts was brutal. They were to be stoned to death in public. If Jesus said that she should be freed, they could use this against Jesus as one who did not follow the law. He would be thought of as soft on the law. They wanted to build a case against him. We are getting close to the end of his life and we know how that ended.

Before answering them, Jesus does something that seems a little out of place. With his finger he writes something in the soft sand. Biblical scholars tell us that this was to connect his act with another time when a finger was used to write on stone. In other words, when God gave the Ten Commandment to Moses. So, Jesus was amending the old law of Moses with the new law of God, revealed through him. In general, he was revealing to us that forgiveness is an essential part of the new order.

But also, he was pointing out that many of the accusers of the woman were also sinners. Thus, his statement that whoever is without sin, let them throw the first stone.  One by one they departed the scene. Perhaps if you or I were there, we would do the same.

This is a remarkable incident in the life of Jesus that can bring us to a deeper understanding of our relationship with God. Through Jesus we are shown the merciful love of God. Through him we are also invited to think of our own sinfulness and our need for God’s mercy. And the importance of our forgiving others who we believe hurt us in any way. We cannot know others as God does. But we can imitate God’s forgiving attitude.   

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David M. Thomas, PhD