John 8:1-11
This is a story of the teachers of the law and the Pharisees bringing a woman to Jesus who was caught in adultery. Their goal was to trick Jesus so they may accuse him. In the end they fail but what of the woman? I have questions that cannot be answered just by reading the story.
First, where was the man and why only the woman. Leviticus 20:10 states both should be put to death. Deuteronomy 22:24 speaks of a man raping a woman. If the rape happens in town, where the woman can scream for help and she does not, then both should be killed. This is in the case of an engaged woman. Clearly, Old Testament law shows if there is consent proven then both parties should be put to death. So, why only the woman?
Secondly, if the woman was engaged or married to another, was the husband one of the accusers? Or was the man the one who was married? Did he seduce her? Or was she the one who pursued the man? Either way, at the end of this story Jesus tells the woman to go and stop sinning so it appears it was not rape.
Finally, what did Jesus write? Well, no one knows. There are a lot of speculations. I think, for the story’s sake, he was writing the names of the accusers and maybe their sins.
So, the story which follows is in part fiction, but is based on the scripture. The story is written in first person. Scripture is from the NLT version of the Bible and is in italics. I will call her Nina.
The Sudden Engagement
My father brought a young man to supper on evening. His name was Jamiah. He seemed pleasant at first meeting, but there was something about him which made me feel uneasy. It was the look he gave me. It said to me ‘you are mine and there is nothing you can do about it’. It was not until the end of the meal that I learned this was the man who was to be my husband.
Arranged marriages were normal in my time. I was sixteen and my father was being was in a hurry to marry me off. I was the oldest and my little sister wanted to marry her boyfriend. My father would not let her marry until I was married. I walked with a limp all my life from a mule kicking when I was little. I was looked down upon by all of the single men in my town. I felt unwanted but never unloved. My mother made sure of that. My father was busy with his farm to pay much attention to us girls.
After the announcement of my engagement was made, I was stunned. Why did my father pick him? I did not know him at all as he came from Jerusalem to buy wheat from my father. I had hoped after our year-long traditional engagement I would be moving to Jerusalem. But, no, I was to move next week into my aunt’s house in Jerusalem. She was a widow. At least that was a blessing. As a family we would stay with her during the Passover feast each year. She was a loving soul. Yet, I knew I would have to spend much of my time with my new fiancé when he was not working. That frightened me a little.
Who was this man and why did he want me in the first place. He was older, approaching his thirties and he already had one wife. Why me? I felt like I was a business deal my father made with the man to get a higher price on his wheat. I wish women had more say about their lives, but in arranged marriages women are often treated a little better than property.
A week later I was headed for Jerusalem with my maid. She was like a sister to me and we shared secrets no one else knew. That was a comfort and going to live with my aunt was a blessing. One of my older brothers took us to Jerusalem. I could tell he was not happy with the idea of my marrying Jamiah. My brother worked closely with our father on the farm and was involved in selling our crops. I tried to get my brother to talk more about the man I was marrying but he just looked at me with sad eyes saying it was what our father wanted and nothing could change it. He hugged me when he said goodbye at our aunt’s house and said, “try to make the best of things.”
I cried myself to sleep. The next day Jamiah came to get me to show me where we would be living after we married. It was near the Temple. He had a warehouse to sell crops from farmers. He was wealthy and had a nice home. I met his other wife. She looked at me with haunting eyes. She did not look well and it seemed like she was not much more than one of the servants in the large house. Is that what I am going to look like in ten years married to this man? I cried out in my heart to God to somehow make it not so.
The Chance Meeting
I adjusted to living with my aunt in the large city of Jerusalem. When our home duties were done, we would often go to the Temple to hear the teachers and pray. One day my aunt was not feeling well and told me to take my servant and go without her. I was standing there listening to the teaching outside of the Temple with a large crowd. There was a man next to me who “accidently” brushed up against my arm. At least I thought it was accidental. I looked at his face and he had the most beautiful eyes. He smiled at me and at once my heart did a flip flop in my chest. He asked me my name and I said my name and even told him I lived with my aunt on Straight Street. My servant looked at me with a shocked expression. Why in the world would I tell a complete stranger who I was and where I lived, I thought to myself. He said he was in Jerusalem for a month. He would be at the Temple nearly every day if I wanted to say hi. My heart wanted to do more than say hi, yet my head told me to stay away.
We went home and I gave myself a good talking to about how I should stay away from the man. I tossed and turned on my bed because of the battle going on inside of me between my heart and my head. My heart said maybe this man was God’s way of saying ‘here is a way to escape’ my upcoming marriage to a man I felt frightened being around. My head said you cannot break the engagement. See in my day’s engagements were a marriage without living together yet. The marriage would be consummated a year after the engagement started. So, for me to break my engagement would be like getting a divorce and that would leave me penniless and alone. It was best for me to forget this other man and make the best of things.
But the next day I saw him again. He came up to us and introduced himself to my aunt. She gave me a curious look but said nothing. Day after day I kept seeing him and often, he would approach us like he was an old friend. Why was I seeing him so often God, I asked Him in my prayers, when I was engaged to someone else?
The Mistake
Several days later I was caught up in shopping at the market. My servant was at a distant stall buying something for the household. Suddenly I turned and was looking up in those beautiful eyes my heart longed for. He said hello. Hi said hi back. He was smiling. He said he would love to sit and talk to me somewhere where we could be heard. The market was noisy. My heart won over common sense and I followed him to a quiet spot. There did not seem to be anyone around. Something did not seem right but I brushed the thought away. We talked awhile and he moved closer to me. Next thing I knew he had his hand on my back. Pleasure started to run through my veins. He leaned over and kissed me lightly. I had never been kissed. It was like eating honey and before my head kicked in and I kissed him back. I was enjoying myself. Somehow, I could not stop myself as my hands went about him. I wanted to know him more. And that is where my fiancé found me.
He came in to the area with four other men. They looked like Pharisees to me. I thought we would immediately be killed. To my shock my fiancé said to the man “Good job seducing her!” “I knew she was no good but her father insisted. Now I will not have to worry about her. She will be taken to the crowd outside the Temple tomorrow a dawn and be stoned.” I felt so ashamed and horrified. It was a trap to legally kill me and I fell for it. Then my fiancé said to the man, “better leave town today. We will not stop you because I have paid the Pharisees to keep quiet. They want her anyway to see if they can trap this new teacher, Jesus.”
I was led away to a house where I was guarded. I was given no food or water that night nor anything to lay down upon the filthy floor. I spent the night crying out to God to forgive me. I knew I was going to die and I did not want to die unforgiven. Everyone I hold dear will be so ashamed of me. I cannot bear to think about how this will hurt my dear mother or my aunt. Somehow, in the early hours towards morning I found a sense of peace and forgiveness.
They came for me soon after that moment. I was taken to the temple courts. There was a large crowd there already. Even my fiance was there. I saw there was a man sitting teaching the crowd. I caught some of the things he was saying. It was amazing! He was talking about the kingdom of heaven like he knew all about it. I was praying the whole time the teachers of the law and Pharisees were leading me to this man who I found out was Jesus. He looked up at me with such a tender look in his eyes. It almost as if he knew what I was praying and I felt God’s love coming from him. How unusual!
However, as I felt the end of my life nearing, I became afraid and started weeping. I saw the pile of stones, rocks actually, piled up just for me. I prayed in my soul God would somehow forgive me. The leader of my accusers, a teacher of the law, said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” Why are they asking this man named Jesus I wondered to myself? I was later told it was to trap Jesus so they religious leaders could accuse him and kill him.
Jesus did not say anything at first. Instead, he bent down and started writing on the ground with his finger. I was amazed at what he was writing. It was a list of my accusers and their sins. Some of them had committed adultery, including my fiance, and had gotten away with it. I was shocked! Then Jesus straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Then Jesus stooped over again and continued to write on the ground.
I watched as one by one started to leave. The older ones first and finally the last to leave was my fiance. Even the crowd had left. Then Jesus straightened up and asked, Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” I replied. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
Suddenly, I realized this Jesus was the Son of God and I was forgiven. I do not know how I knew it, but I did. I stood there a minute in shock. Then it dawned on me. Go, go where? I could not go home either to my aunt or my parent’s house. I know my aunt and probably my mother would forgive me, but I knew my father would not. Having a woman caught in adultery living in my aunt’s home would prevent her from being able to shop or go to the synagogue. So, I asked Jesus if I could stay with him and his group of followers. There were women in his group. Jesus consented and suddenly I was surrounded by a small group of women. I felt home and forgiven.
Years have passed since that day. I became a follower of Jesus through his death, resurrection and ascension to heaven. I am still a follower. I have married one of Jesus’ disciples and we have three children. They are all followers of Jesus and are leaders in their community churches.
Discussion
When I started to write this story, I did not know where the Holy Spirit would lead me in the story line. I love this story of forgiveness. We all need it as none of us is without sin. Jesus came to earth to die for us so we might have forgiveness and live with him forever. We only have to ask him to forgive us.
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