Sunday Reflections

John’s gospel about the woman who was caught in adultery has always stopped me in my tracks. It is frequently included among the gospels that show God’s forgiveness, and it definitely shows that Jesus prioritizes forgiveness rather than judgement, mercy rather than punishment.

There seems to be so much more beneath the surface, though. The first question that comes to my mind is “Where is the man?” If this woman was caught in the act of adultery, where is the man who must have been also committing adultery? There seems to be a large group of men accusing her, so surely they could have dragged the man along with her. If these scribes and pharisees were so concerned about implementing the punishments prescribed in the law, why did they not bring the man?

I grew up in an era when women who were sexually assaulted were often blamed for their actions or the way they dressed. The sin of the man was turned around into the sin of the woman. This attitude is decreasing but still exists. In the patriarchal society that existed in the time of Jesus, that attitude must have been even more dominant. These social attitudes and structures affect the way I view this gospel.

That is not to say that the woman here has not sinned. Jesus tells her “Go and sin no more.” She is forgiven, but forgiveness requires a change of heart and a change of behaviour. Both the woman and her accusers are called to change.

Now let’s look at these accusers. This act of public humiliation must have been intentional on the part of these men. Clearly, they were exerting their dominance over this woman. For her, the experience must have been terrifying. Her life depends on one man, Jesus. Did she know who he was? Had she heard about his works, or was he an unknown preacher who would decide her fate?

The gospel tells us that the scribes and Pharisees did this to test Jesus, hoping to entrap him. Should the woman be stoned? If he said “No,” he’d be going against the law of Moses. If he said “Yes,” he’d be breaking Roman law. This was a no-win situation for Jesus.

Instead of answering, he writes on the ground. What did he write? A list of sins committed by the accusers? The name of the man who was part of this adulterous act? Or was it his spoken words that changed their hearts, making them aware of their own sinfulness? Making them walk away, one by one?

My next question is “What happened to the woman and her accusers? Did they change? Did they go and sin no more?”

I hope so. The woman was clearly offered a new chance at life, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I believe her life-giving encounter with Jesus must have transformed her. Whenever Jesus encounters a woman in the gospels, something miraculous happens.

We are also offered this same opportunity. Through daily practice of the examen, through mass and the sacraments, through other people who help us see the face of Jesus, we too are offered life-changing encounters. Every day we face the challenge: Go and sin no more. Every day we can spread the Gospel message of loving kindness and forgiveness.