“Adulteress!” they spat as they grabbed her by the arm.
“Adulteress,” they announced as they dragged her through the streets, “Come, and see the great sinner!”
A crowd formed. Mocking, jeering, even shocked faces surrounded her. People pointed and whispered,
“Could it be her?”
“Is she the one?”
“Did you know?”
Shame filled her as she closed her eyes.
Suddenly all fell silent. She knew death was imminent. But, the blows never came.
Where were her accusers? The crowd?
She looked up. There. One man. Who was he?
She gasped- the Teacher. Surely he would condemn her. Sinking to her knees she covered her face in shame. How could she look at Him?
But, oh wonder of wonder, He picked her up from the ground. He touched her! A touch of love- not anger or hate, love. Then He spoke, “Woman, where are your accusers? Hasn’t anyone condemned you?”
Wonder filling her face she whispered, “No one, Lord.”
“And neither do I. Go, leave your life of sin, and sin no more.”
Tears streaming down her face she just nodded. There were no words to speak. She watched as He turned back to the crowd and began to teach once more. This man loved her and proclaimed it.
No, she would never be the same; this day Life began.
Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
The woman caught in adultery, I have often wondered what happened to her after Jesus forgave her. Part of that being because of curiosity and partly because I identify with her so much. Maybe I thought that if I knew the rest of her story I would know how mine would turn out. This morning Jesus gave me a realization. Yes, we share the same story, but I get to decide what happens next. It’s like those choose your own ending books (except I always read those every single way possible). Our story may start out the same, but this, right now, is my story. I am the one that chooses what will happen next (in a sense).
