A Reflection for the 5th Sunday of Lent (Year C).
Isaiah 43:16-21 – Philippians 3:8-14 – John 8:1-11.
Dear brothers and sisters, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom8:1). Today we celebrate the forgiveness, cleansing and renewal of those who make their way back to God after having gone astray. Last Sunday’s reflection concerned the repentant Prodigal Son whose merciful father didn’t condemn him for his sins and mistakes but welcomed him back into the fold, into the life of grace and love and service. Today, we hear Jesus say to the adulteress neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more. The word of God today reinforces the message that God does not condemn people who repent and who are determined to give up behaviours that hurt themselves and others. Rather, the Father gives us a clean slate and a fresh start, provided that we turn away from sin.
The adulterous woman in the story was condemned by the scribes and Pharisees who brought her to Jesus. They were testing Jesus. What they were looking for Him to do was to back them up and declare that she should be sentenced to death by stoning in accordance with the Mosaic Law (Deut 22:21). We might well ask where her partner was, and why he wasn’t being dragged before Jesus as well. In any case, the scenario makes a vital point that is applicable to each and every person down the ages. That vital point is that when she was brought before Jesus, everything changed, both for her and for everyone immediately around her. Jesus opened the eyes of each person present to see and acknowledge their own sinfulness! Moreover, He saved each one of them from committing yet another occasion of sin in their lives. In the end, all of them – including the woman – were handed the opportunity for spiritual renewal. They all grasped it. When the woman found herself alone with Jesus, He told he (a) to Go [free] and (b) to sin no more (v.11). This is what Jesus tells us too when He wipes away all our sins in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Jesus restores us to wholeness and to relationship with Him and we are restored to the life of grace and joy and freedom in God.
Each one of us has the supreme advantage of knowing Jesus, whose very presence cleanses and renews the soul. Life is changed forever from the moment that we encounter Jesus. When you genuinely know Jesus, you begin to see life from a totally different perspective. Look how Jesus reacted when the adulterous woman was brought before him. The crowd condemned her, but He didn’t, because His divine understanding was not the same as theirs: my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts above your thoughts (Is 55:9). What then did He do? He bent down and started writing on the ground. He kept them waiting, which is what teachers do when they want the class to be quiet. Scholars have differing opinions about what Jesus was writing, but His action gave everyone time and space to consider what they were doing. When He declared if there is one of you who has not sinned, let him be the first one to throw a stone at her (v.7), He gave them time to calm down and reflect on their own behaviour. If you are not calm, if you don’t have some quiet time, if you are agitated and anxious, you won’t be able to hear your inner voice – the still small voice (1Ki 19:12) of God – and to act in accordance with your educated conscience. When we are anxious, He tells us to be calm: Be still and know that I am God (Ps46:10). He teaches us not to be hasty in judging or condemning anyone other than ourselves. Heal so teaches us to stand our ground for what is right, even when the earthly odds are against us, because He is with us (Ps46:7ff). This is what living in Christ is all about, as outlined by St Paul in the 2nd reading.
In Lent, we are on a journey towards spiritual renewal through repentance, because not only are our sins forgiven when we repent of them, but we are also transformed into new life by the power of Christ. Christ’s willing self-offering, suffering and sacrifice of Himself washed away our sins, and Christ’s Resurrection from the dead gives us eternal life to enjoy both now in the present moment, and after our physical death. The prophet Isaiah assures us that there is no need to dwell on the past or to think about what was done before (v.18) because God Himself is doing a new thing (v.19). God is creating you and me anew! He is telling us that it is time to put our sinful past behind us and strain ahead for what is still to come (2R v.13) as we race toward the prize which God in Christ Jesus calls us upwards to receive (v.14).
I’ve got some questions for you to ponder as you go forward into the depths of Lent. How far do you feel you have moved on from the mistakes you made in your past? To what extent are you still guilty of judging people? Do you still tend to act spontaneously before thinking things through? Do you give yourself enough time to take stock of your life and make necessary adjustments? Right, it’s high time for you to be rid of your sin and guilt and to be renewed in Jesus Christ. Renew us now, Lord Jesus! Amen. God bless you.