He Knows My Shame
Scripture Reading: John 8:1-11
Meditation
She’s looking for “Mr. Right” in the wrong bed.
It’s dawn. As the rest of the women in the village are getting dressed and going out the front door to do the morning chores, she’s sneaking through the back door of her neighbor’s house, getting undressed, taking off her wedding ring, and sliding under the covers into her forbidden lover’s embrace.
The adulterous act feels all so right. And because it feels all so right, she wonders why it’s said to be all so wrong. Even if it is wrong, no one knows about it. Neither spouse suspects. Friends don’t have a clue. And as long as they keep the affair under the covers, no one will get hurt. After all, secret sins, if kept a secret, bring with them no public shame.
But on this morning, the secret affair is about to become public knowledge. The lovers aren’t the only ones sneaking around in the shadows. In the closet, Pharisaical peeping eyes are watching. Somehow the religious leaders have found out about the affair.
Unbeknownst to the woman, her lover has decided to cut a deal with the religion scholars: his skin for her neck. For dubious reasons, the religious leaders need to catch the woman in the act of adultery.
In exchange for her lover’s cooperation, they agree that, when the time comes, they’ll let him sneak out the back door a free man but they’ll drag her into the temple courts to stand judgment before Jesus.
As the woman slips into her lover’s bed, the religious leaders watch. They wait. When they’ve seen enough of her skin and sin to make their case, they jump out of their hiding place and pull the woman out of the bed. They push her, half clothed, through the streets toward the temple courts, and bring her before Jesus.
The religion scholars and Pharisees led in a woman who had been caught in an act of adultery. They stood her in plain sight of everyone and said, “Teacher, this woman was caught red-handed in the act of adultery. Moses, in the Law, gives orders to stone such persons. What do you say?” They were trying to trap him into saying something incriminating so they could bring charges against him.1
She’s been caught in the act. No hearsay. No suspicion. There are eyewitnesses. The same religious leaders who witnessed her sin in private are the ones who now put her sin on public display. As she stands before Jesus, she’s physically and spiritually exposed. She feels more than guilt; she feels shame.
Guilt exposes her actions.
Shame exposes her.
With such shame come the taunts from the crowd:
“Home wrecker. Adulteress. Whore.”
The Pharisees and the religion scholars don’t care about her. Truth be told, they’re not even concerned about her act of adultery because hidden beneath their condemnation is a barbed hook. She’s only the bait; Jesus is the real prize. Her sin is just the scent they need to lure him into the open. They’ll cast their questions in front of Jesus and when he opens his mouth, they’re hoping that he’ll say something incriminating. Then they’ll set the hook deep and reel him in.
The religious leaders put her in the middle of the temple courts. As they encircle her with a ring of judgment, they throw questions toward Jesus.
“What do you say, Jesus? Keep the Law or save the woman?
Come on now! Which will it be?”
Their questions pose a spiritual dilemma.
Either Jesus has to swing the hammer of justice or extend the hand of grace. They’re hoping that their questions will force him to choose between the Law of Moses and his love for sinners. They know that Jesus can’t have it both ways. Like the promoters of a dogfight, they’re pitting righteous condemnation and undeserved compassion against one another.
When Jesus picks one, he’ll have to kill the other. Either way, the religious leaders will be there to collect the winnings.
As the woman’s accusers badger Jesus for an answer, he bends down and scratches something in the ground. The Pharisees and religion scholars are more than willing to play the parts of plaintiff, judge, and jury. But when they begin to pick up the stones and raise their hands to play the role of executioner, Jesus questions their qualifications.
After a prolonged silence, he stands up and gives his answer. It’s direct and, in its directness, it presents the religious leaders with their own dilemma.
“The sinless one among you, go first: Throw the stone.”2
Only the sinless are invited to throw stones. Beginning with the oldest, the religious leaders lower their hands, drop their stones, walk away from the woman, and leave the circle of judgment.
No one is innocent. No one is left except Jesus.
Hearing that, they walked away, one after another, beginning with the oldest. The woman was left alone. Jesus stood up and spoke to her. “Woman, where are they? Does no one condemn you?”
“No one, Master.”
“Neither do I,” said Jesus. “Go on your way. From now on, don’t sin.”3
Her Messiah is the only one qualified to condemn her and yet he holds no stones. Instead, as he speaks to her, he removes the scarlet robe of her shame and covers her with a new wedding gown, pure and white, laced with his grace. He forgives her and tells her to go on her way. But as she leaves, he tells her to stop her old way of living and invites her to a new life.
Where sin is exposed and grace is given, the circle of judgment is dissolved and there’s no longer any shame.
Reflection
What does it feel like to get caught in the act of your sin and have it exposed to all of those around you?
Are you holding any stones? Who are you ready to throw them at?
Jesus said to the woman caught in adultery, “Go on your way. From now on, don’t sin.”
What way of life is Jesus asking you to stop?
What life is he inviting you to begin?
Prayer
Father,
I have looked for love in all the wrong places. All too many times you have caught me in the act of my sin. You see the adultery. You know about the betrayal. You’ve exposed my love affair with the things of this world and laid bare my infidelity. I am full of shame and deserve to stand in the center of the circle of judgment and have rocks of condemnation thrown at me.
During this day, show me once again that your Son stands in the circle of judgment next to me. When others condemn me, he shields me. His grace doesn’t excuse my sin. He doesn’t justify it but he does forgive it. Remind me that, when he tells me to leave my old life, he’s inviting me to begin anew. Forgiven, may I no longer live in shame.
It’s in Jesus’ name that I pray. Amen.
1John 8:3-6 2John 8:7 3John 8:9-11
All Scripture references in the meditation are marked by italics and are taken from the Gospel reading for the day. Those verses quoted outside of the chosen reading for the day are noted. All Scripture quoted in this post is taken from THE MESSAGE: Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 2000, 2001 & 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved.