The Unconditional, Non-Judgmental Love of the Father
During Lent, the call from God is for repentance. However, some of us may avoid repentance for fear that our sin is bigger than God’s mercy. Well, “that is just not true”! The Good News for us in today’s gospel is that “Jesus welcomes sinners”! Jesus insists that anyone and everyone have access to the compassion and forgiveness of God.
And compassion and forgiveness is what Jesus gave the woman charged with adultery. However, we should not misinterpret what Jesus did in this situation. To avoid that, let us look more closely at three things Jesus said and did on that day.
First, Jesus looked on the woman with mercy & compassion! The Scribes and Pharisees were ready to stone this woman to death and were likely anticipating taking much pleasure in doing so. They knew the thrill of exercising the power to condemn. In contrast, Jesus knew the thrill of exercising the power to forgive.
The critical scribes and Pharisees never thought of reclaiming and healing the sinner. They stood over others to watch for every mistake and every deviation from the law, and then to descend on violators with unforgiving punishment.
Again, in contrast, the approach of Jesus is very much like the approach of a physician to illness and disease. When a suffering person is brought to a doctor, the doctor does not despise the person. Any distaste for the disease-plagued person is overcome by the desire to help and to heal. So it is with Jesus and the sickness of sin.
Next, Jesus offered a second chance! It is as if Jesus said to the woman: “I know you have made a mess of things; but your life is not yet finished; I am giving you another chance, a chance to redeem yourself.”
This opportunity for a second chance is an echo of what we heard two weeks ago in the parable of the fig tree, and again last week, when we heard the story of the second chance given to the Prodigal Son.
In all three of these instances, Jesus is interested not only in what a person has been, but also in what a person can be. He does not say our past mistakes do not matter; broken laws, broken hearts, and wasted lives always matter. What he does say is that each one of us has a promising future as well as a less-than-perfect past.
So, Jesus said to the woman: “Go and sin no more!” Jesus has this amazing belief in the innate goodness of people. When He is confronted with someone who has done wrong, he does not say: “You are a wretched and hopeless creature.” No! He believes that with his help the sinner has it in him to become the saint.
Third and finally, Jesus gave the woman a challenge! Jesus confronted her with the challenge of the sinless life. He did not say: “It’s all right; don’t worry; just go on as you were doing.” He said: “It’s all wrong; go out and fight; change your life from top to bottom; go and sin no more.” Here was no easy forgiveness; here was a stiff challenge. Jesus confronts the bad life with the challenge of the good life.
In essence, Jesus’ answer to the woman was, in one word, forgiveness. Forgiveness neither condemns nor condones. But, being forgiven doesn’t mean that sin doesn’t matter. On the contrary, ‘forgiveness’ means that sin does matter, but that God is choosing to set it aside – with, and this is a very important caveat, with our acceptance of his offer to amend our lives.
The message of this gospel is one of healing and forgiveness instead of judgment and punishment. We are continually re-energized by a God who demands much, yet accepts us in all our weaknesses; a God who is forgiving and encouraging about a better future, without a need to drag us through our less-than-perfect past.
It was recently reinforced to me just how powerful and how cherished it is not to be judged? Just three months ago, Linda’s uncle in Kansas died. A few weeks ago, one daughter expressed her profound sense of loss over her father’s death. She summed up her feelings in just five words. Those words were: “But, he never judged me!” Her words were said with such deep longing and such deep affection and such deep loss.
That is what she missed most – the unconditional, non-judgmental love of her father. I think that is what we all want most – and the wonderful news from today’s gospel is: that is just what Jesus Christ has to offer us.
The Lord’s mercy towards us is hard to believe. We sin many times and we often commit the same sins over and over. Yet, His words and His example keep reminding us that there is nothing we do that can ever put us outside His love.
In today’s gospel, Christ was faced with a dilemma. He was asked, should the adulteress be stoned or not? If Christ said to stone her, he was cruel; if he said not to stone her, he was indulgent.
Christ chose neither course. Rather than judge, he took the path of forgiveness. It is the path of loving others so much that reaction to their mistakes is “how can I help” not “how do I punish”.
For those of us who need forgiveness, the message here is “do not despair”; there is nothing you have done or can do that can put you outside the compassion and forgiveness of God. When we sin it upsets and frustrates us, but God does not abandon or condemn us. He stands near-by, waiting, ready to forgive and embrace us. We can be healed, forgiven, and accepted, but first we must ask and second we must express true interest in reform!
There is still time in Lent to access God and ask him for forgiveness. He is ever patient, ever kind, and ever available. Reach out to him! And he will reach out to you! There is nothing we do that will irreparably alienate us from the grace and mercy of our loving God!