I'm inspired this weekend by the story of the adulteress. Caught in the act, she was taken to the public arena to be humiliated and stoned by those who were leaders and militant members of a local church. Everything about these local members were religious. She was to be stoned to death, not uncommon, the church members had made their judgement. They were seen as perfect. She was seen as a threat to their perfect world.
This story reflects what some, if not most, people would see as one of the lowest things you could do and how Jesus responds to that. And what Jesus does in the process is that he highlights the hyprocrisy on religious leadership.
He focussed on moving the adulteress on from where she was at. He didn't care about her past but cared about her future and moving her forward.
It doesn't have to be an adulterer, it maybe a theif, a liar, murderer. It's how we can move them forward so that they no longer want to do hurtful things anymore that is modelled in this story.
My unchurched sister once said to me, 'the church may as well put her up on a stake and burnt her alive'. She wasn't talking about this story in the bible but about a real-life present day adulterer story that had happened in a local church in her vicinity and how the church responded to the situation. It didn't sit well with her who was sitting on the outside looking in. It's these outside observers that really matter the most.
I often wonder what ever happened to the adulteress. I do know that when you've been touched by Jesus, nothing ever is the same again.
I'd like to think that she got married and they became members in the local church and helped religious militant leaders who were once going to kill her become leaders who moved people forward rather than condemn them to their past.
