John 8:1-11 (NRSV)
Read John 8:1-11 on biblegateway.com
Chapter 8while Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Verse 2Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him and he sat down and began to teach them. Verse 3The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them, Verse 4they said to him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Verse 5Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" Verse 6They said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. Verse 7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." Verse 8And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground. Verse 9When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Verse 10Jesus straightened up and said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" Verse 11She said, "No one, sir." And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again."
Devotion
Have you ever said something to an individual or a group, and immediately thought of the one thing that you should have said but didn’t? I sure have. Sometimes, in the rush to say something right away, we forget to say the right thing. What was Jesus writing in the dust? Does it matter? I’m struck by his patience in this story, his thoughtful reflection. Rather than being quick to respond and quick to judge, Jesus models contemplation, and formulates a compassionate response.
Prayer
Patient God, help us to stop, listen, and think, being as patient and loving as Jesus. Amen.