Mercy, and Maybe Conversion
In John 8:1-11, the situation of the woman taken in adultery quickly escalates among all the characters present: Jesus, the crowd, the scribes and Pharisees, and the woman. In less than three seconds, she is accused and placed on trial. The strategy of the scribes and Pharisees is to use the Law of Moses to condemn the woman for the purpose of trapping Jesus, who perhaps they perceive to be too weak on crime. (See John 8:15)
Almost as quickly, however, Jesus succeeds in emptying the “courtroom” of loud and condemning voices. He focuses instead on the woman, who is silent and denied a voice. His strategy: ignore the scribal / Pharisaic question focused on the woman’s guilt and reply instead with a stone-casting question focused on their guilt. The strategy works. And what remains is a soft, intimate conversation between two people which opens the possibility of a conversion.
In John 8:10-11, Jesus breaks the silence of the woman, asking her: “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, Sir,” she says. Then Jesus replies, “Nor do I condemn you. Go, and from now on, do not sin anymore.”
Today on our Lenten journey, we are reminded that this is not a time for agendas that use Scripture to humiliate or condemn. Rather, it is a time for softer voices, for giving voice to the voiceless, and for private intimacy in our caring and understanding of others. And most importantly, today’s Scripture asks us for words and actions of mercy, which will, one would hope, lead to conversions in others, and in us.