See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you

 

Healing of the Paralytic at the Sheep Gate Pool, 12th/13th century, mosaic, Cathedral of the Assumption, Monreale, Sicily 

 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches.  In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water.  For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.  

 

Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years.  When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?"  The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up but while I am coming, another steps down before me."  Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk."  And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.  And that day was the Sabbath.  

 

The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, "It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed."  He answered them, "He who made me well said to me, 'Take up your bed and walk.'"  Then they asked him, "Who is the Man who said to you, 'Take up your bed and walk'?"  But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place.  

 

Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you have been made well.  Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you."  The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.  

 

For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him,  because He had done these things on the Sabbath.  But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working."  Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was his Father, making Himself equal with God.

 

- John 5:1-18 

 

Yesterday we read that after two days staying with the Samaritans Jesus departed from there and went to Galilee.  For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.  So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast.  So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made water wine.  And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.  When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.  Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."  The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"  Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives."  So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.  And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!"  Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better.  And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."  So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives."  And he himself believed, and his whole household.  This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.

 

  After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches.  In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water.  For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.  My study Bible informs us that this is a double-basin pool that was believed to have curative powers, and that it has been discovered about 100 yards north of the temple area, near the Sheep Gate, as the text says.  The water for this high-ground pool came from underground springs and it was used to wash down the sacrificial lambs before they were slain.  In the understanding of the Church, the pool functions as a "type" of Christian baptism.  Under the old covenant, my study Bible explains, a great multitude waited to enter the water for physical healing after an angel touched it.  These waters were special in that they were a way of indirectly participating in the animal sacrifices of the temple, as the animals were washed in the same water.  But that grace was limited to the first person to enter.  Under the new covenant, on the other hand, baptism is given to all nations as a direct participation in the sacrificial death of Christ (Romans 6:3-6) without the mediation of angels.  Therefore, Holy Baptism grants healing of the soul and the promise of eternal resurrection of the body, and its grace is inexhaustible.  

 

 Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years.  When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?"  The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up but while I am coming, another steps down before me."  Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk."  And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.  And that day was the Sabbath.  My study Bible cites the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, Jesus singled out this man who had waited for thirty-eight years in order to teach us to have perseverance, and as a judgment against those who lose hope or patience in much lesser troubles lasting a much shorter time.  Christ's question to this man is relevant for several reasons, which are given by my study Bible.  First, He made public the fact that this sick man had kept his faith even in a seemingly hopeless circumstance -- for how could a paralytic ever be the first in the water?  Second, Christ draws attention away from the water and toward the need we have for a man to help us.  Of course, this is fulfilled in Christ Himself, who became Man to heal all.  Third, not everybody who is ill truly desires healing.  Very sadly, some may prefer to remain unwell in order to freely complain, to avoid responsibility, or to continue to evoke the pity of others.  This miraculous healing of the paralytic is the third sign of seven given in St. John's Gospel.  According to my study Bible, it exemplifies the divine power to restore a person to wholeness.  In patristic commentary, this feast is understood to be the Old Testament Pentecost (also called the "Feast of Weeks").  It celebrates the giving of the Law on Mt. Sinai.  Later on in the chapter there are references to the Law which confirm this understanding.  

 

The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, "It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed."  He answered them, "He who made me well said to me, 'Take up your bed and walk.'"  Then they asked him, "Who is the Man who said to you, 'Take up your bed and walk'?"  But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place.   The Law itself does not specifically forbid the carrying of burdens on the Sabbath, my study Bible tells us, but this is prohibited in Jeremiah 17:21-22, and explicitly forbidden in rabbinical teachings.  Christ makes clear, however, that He is Lord over the Sabbath, first by His command ("Take up your bed and walk") and also by the man's obedience.  As is frequently true in St. John's Gospel, the term Jews here refers to the leaders, and not to the people in general (it may also be translated "Judeans" meaning those who ruled in the Jerusalem Council).  My study Bible asks us to notice the malice of these leaders, in that they focus only on the Sabbath violation when they ask, "Who is the Man who said to you, 'Take up your bed'?"  But they ignore completely this man's miraculous healing.  

 

 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you have been made well.  Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you."   According to my study Bible, the fact that this man was found in the temple shows his great faith, as he had gone there directly to thank God for his cure rather than departing to someone's home or to the marketplace.  Jesus tells him, "Sin no more . . . "  My study Bible comments that while there is a general connection between sin and suffering (Romans 6:23), this connection is not always one-to-one, as the innocent often suffer, and the guilty frequently are spared earthly sufferings (see also John 9:1-3).  But nevertheless, sometimes our sins lead directly to our own suffering in this world.  St. John Chrysostom suggests that this was the case with the paralytic.  But Christ's warning here is that the sins that destroy the soul lead to a far worse result than an affliction of the body.  The only hope is to flee from sin altogether. 

 

The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.  My study Bible claims that the man does not report Jesus to the leaders of the Jews in a malicious way, but rather as a witness to Christ's goodness.  Although the leaders are surely only interested in the violation of the Sabbath, this healed man emphasizes that it was Jesus who had made him well -- and says nothing about carrying his bed.  

 

For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him,  because He had done these things on the Sabbath.  But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working."  Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was his Father, making Himself equal with God.   Here Jesus' declaration regarding "My Father" is clearly understood by the Jewish religious leaders to imply absolute equality.  Jesus' discourse and response to the religious leaders will continue in the following reading.

 

 In patristic and traditional understanding paralysis has often been linked to sin.  Habitual sin keeps us stuck someplace; it doesn't allow us to go forward toward our hopeful goal of union with Christ.  So, when Jesus tells the healed paralytic "sin no more," there is a lot we can learn from this.  Jesus doesn't simply say this with the intention of telling him not to become paralyzed again, either physically or spiritually,  rather, He tells the man, ". . . lest a worse thing come upon you."  This is telling us about repentance, and the trajectory of our faith as we seek a deeper union with, and dependency upon Christ.  Repentance for sins is a good thing, of course.  But to then persist in something for which we've repented may likely leave us in a worse state than we were before.  Jesus seems to clearly indicate this to the healed man.  So, as we observed in yesterday's commentary, remarking on both the Samaritan woman and the nobleman whose son was healed, persistence is a great key to our faith and its development.  So much so, that backsliding can give us a "worse thing come upon us."  This is the nature of spiritual problems, for once we have experienced a kind of transition in Christ, we are no longer ignorant of what we are doing.  So, in fact, going back on our repentance has the effect of taking us backwards, not simply in a static paralyzed state, but into a worse one than we knew previously.  This is linked to Jesus' teaching about exorcism, found in the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Luke.  In St. Matthew's text, Jesus teaches, "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation" (Matthew 12:43-45).  That state of being "worse than the first" comes about when a person makes no effort to sustain the healing or exorcism, to live a life dedicated to pursuing the holiness of God.  So this is consistent with Christ's warning to the paralytic about continuing to sin, and not responding properly to the grace he's been shown.  This is not a question of punishment, but rather the way that evil works in our world, and our need for persistence in pursuing our own part of loving obedience to God, filling ourselves by receiving the grace offered to us in whatever ways we can, and cooperating with that grace in the ways that we are called.  So, yet again, as my study Bible indicated, in this man we find an example of a person with a character of persistence, so necessary to the process of our own spiritual growth, and the growth of faith Christ asks of us, the cooperative response to grace we offer in response.  Let us take heed to Christ's warning, and consider the extraordinary blessing with which it has been given.

 

 

Do you want to be made well?

 

 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches.  In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water.  For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.  Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years.  When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?"  The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me."  Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk."  And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.  And that day was the Sabbath.  

The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, "It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed."  He answered them, "He who made me well said to me, 'Take up your bed and walk.'"  Then they asked him, "Who is the Man who said to you, 'Take up your bed and walk'?"  But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place.  

Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you have been made well.  Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you."  The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.  For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath.  But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working."  Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.

 

- John 5:1-18 

 

 Now after two days following Christ's reception of the townspeople in Samaria, He departed from there and went to Galilee.  For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.  So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast.  So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine.  And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.  When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.  Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."  The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"  Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives."  So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.  And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!"  Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better.  And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."   So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives."  And he himself believed, and his whole household.  This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.  

 

  After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.   So far in John's Gospel, Jesus has attended one festival, and that was the Passover (see this reading).  According to patristic teaching, this feast is the Old Testament Pentecost, which is also called the Feast of Weeks.  It celebrates the giving of the Law on Mt. Sinai.  The references to the Law of Moses later in this chapter, my study Bible comments, confirm this interpretation.  

 

 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches.  In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water.  For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.  This double-basin pool, my study Bible explains, was believed to have curative powers.  It has been discovered about 100 yards north of the temple area, near the Sheep Gate.   The water for this high-ground pool flowed from underground springs.  It was used to wash down the sacrificial lambs before they were slain.  My study Bible comments that this pool functions as a type of Christian baptism.  Under the old covenant, a great multitude waited to enter the water for physical healing after an angel touched it [stirred up the water].  These waters were special in that they were a way of participating indirectly in the animal sacrifices of the temple, as the animals were washed in the same water.  But, my study Bible notes, the grace was limited to the first person to enter.  But under the new covenant, baptism is given to all nations as a direct participation in Christ's own sacrificial death (Romans 6:3-6), without the mediation of angels.  Baptism thus grants healing of the soul and the promise of eternal resurrection of the body -- and its grace is inexhaustible.

 

 Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years.  My study Bible cites St. John Chrysostom, who teaches that Jesus singled out this man who had waited for thirty-eight years in order to teach us to have perseverance; it's also a judgment against those who lose hope or patience in far lesser troubles lasting a far shorter time.  

When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?"  The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me."  Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk."  And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.  And that day was the Sabbath.   My study Bible comments that Christ's question to this man is relevant for several reasons.  First, it makes public the fact that the sick man kept his faith even in a situation that was seemingly hopeless -- for how could a paralytic ever be first into the water?  Second, Christ draws attention away from the water and focuses it toward the need we have for a man to help us.  He is that Man; and fulfills this human need, as He became Man to heal all.  Finally, not everyone who is ill actually desires healing.  My study Bible notes that sadly, there are some who may prefer to remain infirm in order to have license to complain, to avoid responsibility for their lives, or to continue to provoke the pity of others.  

The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, "It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed."  He answered them, "He who made me well said to me, 'Take up your bed and walk.'"  Then they asked him, "Who is the Man who said to you, 'Take up your bed and walk'?"  But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place.     John, the author of the Gospel was himself a Jew, as were all of Christ's disciples and Jesus as well.  My study Bible comments on this passage that although the Law itself does not specifically forbid the carrying of burdens on the Sabbath, this is prohibited in Jeremiah 17:21-22, and it is explicitly forbidden in rabbinical teachings.  That Christ is Lord over the Sabbath is made clear by is command ("Take up your bed and walk") and also by the man's obedience as he immediately did so (see also Matthew 12:1-8).  We should note once again that the term the Jews is most often used in John's Gospel to designate the religious leaders in the temple, and not the people.  My study Bible asks us to notice the malice of these leaders.  They focus only on the violation of the Sabbath, asking the man, "Who is the Man who said to you, Take up your bed'?"  -- at the same time, they completely ignore the miraculous healing.  

Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you have been made well.  Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you."  My study Bible remarks upon the fact that this man was found in the temple.  It shows his great faith, it notes, because this man had gone there directly to thank God for his cure, rather than departing to someone's home or to the marketplace.  Jesus tells the man to "sin no more."  My study Bible comments upon this that while there is a general connection between sin and suffering (Romans 6:23), the connection is not always one-to-one.  The innocent frequently suffer, and often the guilty are spared earthly sufferings (see also John 9:1-3).  Nonetheless, sometimes our sins lead directly to our own suffering in this world.  According to St. John Chrysostom, the latter was the case with this paralytic.  But Christ's warning is that the sins that destroy the soul lead to a far worse result than an affliction of the body, my study Bible says.  The only hope is to flee from sin altogether.  

The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.    This man does not report Jesus to the leaders of the Jews in a malicious way, my study Bible comments, but rather he is a witness to Christ's goodness.  Even though the religious leaders were only interested in the violation of the Sabbath, this healed man give emphasis to the fact that it was Jesus who had made him well, and says nothing to them about carrying his bed. 

For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath.  But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working."  Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.  Jesus declares God to be My Father, and these religious leaders clearly understand the implication of absolute equality.  As our readings continue, Jesus will give a discourse in the following verses regarding this relationship of Father and Son.  But let us note for now the emphasis on working, and Christ's particular mission in working the work of the Father as well.  

Today's reading gives us the third sign of seven in John's Gospel.  My study Bible states that it exemplifies the divine power to restore a person to wholeness.  It is interesting to consider this in light of Christ's attitude toward healing which is expressed in today's reading.  Let us note that it gives us pause to think about what wholeness means exactly.  In a modern context we often think of healing in purely material terms.  When we come down with a certain malady, we take the prescribed medicine for it and expect to be cured.  But the truth is that even modern science must recognize there is more to healing than simply physical ailments healed by material medicine.  The level of stress a person is under, for example, is widely understood to influence all kinds of physical ailments, their degree of intensity, and our ability to heal.  This emotional core as one pillar of well-being certainly affects everything else.  Add to that the spiritual element of healing and we start to take in a recipe for wholeness, for surely spiritual well-being is part of the key to emotional health as well.  We cannot really separate any of these components one from the other, when it comes to the wholeness and health of a human being.  Environment plays a role too, as beauty and our capacity to enjoy it certainly plays a role in overall health and healing, and so does our attitude, particularly one that encompasses an active power of gratitude deliberately sought and cultivated.  There are endless ways in which these components of health can influence and be augmented in order to help healing within another dimension of our whole being:  we're not divided into separate pieces, but rather each has some influence upon the other.  But Jesus today ties in healing with the spiritual state of the soul, and in particular our relationship to or participation in sin.  It makes sense if we think of our participation in the life of Christ as participation in God's energies, which is another term for grace.  At the same time, we might consider what kind of energies we participate in when we engage in sinful behavior that cultivates bad habits, addictions, practices that are harmful, isolating, self-destructive, or socially harmful.  This subject is tied to today's reading, for Jesus suggests that this healed paralytic's future well-being is dependent upon his attitude toward sin and his own participation in it.  In many ways, sin is likened in theological or spiritual terms to paralysis.  We're said to be "stuck" in our spiritual path when sin becomes a habit we can't break, similar to addiction.  It becomes an inhibition to spiritual growth and maturity; we cannot progress in terms of our participation in the life Christ desires for us.  Without our own repentance of some kind and on some level, we don't go forward into the well-being Christ has for us, and the next step we might move onto in the journey of our faith.  In this sense of journey, sin sets us back.  An indulgence in a bad habit, such as gossip, can inhibit a better life, a better outlook, progress in terms of spiritual well-being.  Self-destruction is a long, long road with a lot of detours and possible outcomes, none of them taking us to real wholeness, and each a part of that "wide way" Christ warns about in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7:13-14.  Let's note that part of the positive signs of healing of this man in today's reading is his practice of gratitude, that he was found in the temple to thank God for his healing.  It is in this context that Jesus also warns him not to go backward or invite trouble back into his life, by telling him, "Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you."  Perhaps we should also take into account the notion that by forgetting about God, by indulging again in some sin in that forgetfulness, he will in fact be practicing ingratitude, and losing his spiritual ground he's gained.  If it's true that we reap what we sow, perhaps we all might consider what we sow and how we sow, and what outcomes we want in this spiritual sense that does indeed touch upon all other things in our lives.  Consider also how common it is that we encounter those who face their own ailments with faith and the practice of that faith.  It's not so much about a physical outcome as it is about our spiritual place in which we find ourselves.  Illness can also be a metaphor for spiritual struggle, and a very real place to struggle for faith regardless of material outcome.  If we in the Church recognize the martyrs of periods of persecution for our faith, perhaps we should come to terms also with modern martyrdoms in the often heroic struggle for faith midst the difficulties of illness and suffering of a physical sort.  Spiritual struggle around illness, and even death, in my experience, is a very real and powerful thing.  There is no time in which we forget about God, and how we are to go through the moments of our lives, and the best choices we can make for spiritual well-being through it all -- and even how such choices affect others.  Let us strengthen our spiritual lives at all times, and help others who may be struggling to do so as well.  Perhaps our most important choice is to continue the spiritual struggle midst the setbacks, hurts, and difficulties of life in an imperfect world -- and maybe this is the real crux of our faith.  In this context, the question, "Do you want to be made well?" takes on all kinds of meanings and possible responses.  Let us consider all the ways it might be answered, at all times. 

 

 

 

 

 

He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first

 

 And everyone went to his own house.  But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.  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." 

 

- John 7:53—8:11 

 

Yesterday we read that, on the last day, that great eighth day of the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."  But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.  Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, "Truly this is the Prophet."  Others said, "This is the Christ."  But some said, "Will the Christ come out of Galilee?   Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?"  So there was a division among the people because of Him.  Now some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him.  Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, "Why have you not brought Him?"  The officers answered, "No man ever spoke like this Man!"  Then the Pharisees answered them, "Are you also deceived?  Have any of the rulers of the Pharisees believed in Him?  But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed."  Nicodemus (he who came to Jesus by night, being one of them) said to them, "Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?"  They answered and said to him, "Are you also from Galilee?  Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee."

 

And everyone went to his own house.  But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.  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."  My study Bible explains that today's story of the woman caught in adultery is not found in several ancient manuscripts.  In addition, it isn't fond in the commentaries of St. John Chrysostom and certain other patristic figures.  But it is still sealed by the Church and understood as inspired, authentic, canonical Scripture.  It bears the same authority as all other Scripture.  In the Orthodox Church, this passage is read on one of the two days when St. Mary of Egypt, a reformed prostitute, is commemorated.  

"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.  My study Bible says that the law dictated the death penalty for adulterers (Leviticus 20:10).  But this ordinance, however, was not observed to the letter in the time period of Christ's life.  The Pharisees have brought this particular woman because there is an opportunity to test Christ.  If He object to the punishment, He cold be accused of opposing the Law; if He upheld the punishment, Jesus could be accused of showing no mercy to sinners.   Additionally, this is the only place in the New Testament where we're told that Jesus wrote something.  There are several theories regarding what Jesus wrote, which my study Bible sames as follows:  Some say that He wrote out the Ten Commandments, which all of these accusers had violated at least once.  Others suggest Jesus wrote the names of the accusers who had themselves committed adultery. 

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."    My study Bible comments here that Christ's answer confounds the Pharisees, because He upholds a great principle of the Law -- that the wages of sin is death (Genesis 2:17; Romans 6:23) -- but does not neglect its greater aspect of mercy (Deuteronomy 13:17; Psalms 117:2 - 118:4; Hosea 6:6).  Christ's mercy is offered freely to all repentant sinners, my study Bible says; but in order for us to receive this gift, we must in turn flee from sin, as Christ says to this woman.  

 

Christ's compassion for women transcends the mores of His place and time.  There are numerous references to His relationships to women throughout the Gospels that express this.  One example is His friendship with Martha and Mary, the sisters of Lazarus.  There is this particular episode told in St. Luke's Gospel, of the time Jesus visited.  His sympathy with Mary, who wanted to learn from Him (as His male disciples were no doubt listening as well) is profound when we consider that it is she who is not doing what is expected of her as female in the household -- at least according to her sister (See Luke 10:38-42).  In St. John's 11th chapter, we will read about the raising of Lazarus.  In verse 5, we read that He loved Martha and Mary and their brother Lazarus.  It also contains the shortest verse in the English version of the Bible, "Jesus wept," and we're asked to observe just how deep His sympathy and compassion is with these women who mourn their brother.   In Matthew 27:55-56, we read about the many women who followed Him from Galilee and served in His ministry.  Luke 8:2-3 mentions several women whom Jesus had healed, and who supported His ministry out of their own substance.  Lest we forget, it was to a woman (and a Samaritan at that) that Jesus first openly revealed Himself as the Christ (see John 4:1-43; esp. verse 26).  At His Resurrection, it is to a woman that He will first be revealed as well John 20:11-18.   So what we find altogether in the Gospels is a well-rounded picture of Christ's sympathy with women, His willingness to trust and to reveal Himself to them, to teach them, to accept them in key roles in His ministry, and to include them as His beloved friends.   In today's reading He reveals Himself to be entirely just, standing up to the men that accuse the woman taken in adultery, but also warning her about the state of her own relationship to God and sin:  "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more."   Ultimately, we we can observe about Christ is just that, that He is perfectly true to His Father in the sense that His judgment is just and true.  In this story of the woman taken in adultery, He exemplifies what He has just taught in the temple to the religious leaders, that "He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him."  Moreover He sets the example of His own teaching to them, "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment" (see both statements in Saturday's reading).  Jesus' sympathy and relations with women are not merely a kind of inverse prejudice, nor a special indulgence; they are instead manifestations of His righteousness and just judgment.  He counsels compassion and recognition of one's own capacity for sin, and at the same time enforces the need for communion with God.  Let us endeavor, all of us, to follow His example.

Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more

 And everyone went to his own house.  But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

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 stopped 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." 

- John 7:53-8:11

Yesterday we read that, on the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."  But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.  Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, "Truly this is the Prophet."  Others said, "This is the Christ."  But some said, "Will the Christ come out of Galilee?  Has not Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?"  So there was a division among the people because of Him.  Now some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him.  Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, "Why have you not brought Him?"  The officers answered, "No man ever spoke like this Man!"  Then the Pharisees answered them, "Are you also deceived?  Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him?  But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed."  Nicodemus (he who came to Jesus by night, being one of them) said to them, "Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?"  They answered and said to him, "Are you also from Galilee?  Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee."

 And everyone went to his own house.  But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.  After the tumultuous events in the temple, all depart for the evening, and Jesus spends the night with the pilgrims, on the Mount of Olives.

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."   Today's entire reading, from 7:53 (above) to the story of the woman caught in adultery, is not found in several ancient manuscripts.  Neither is it covered in the commentaries of St. John Chrysostom and certain other Patristic writers.  But, my study bible says, it is still sealed by the Church as inspired, authentic, canonical Scripture, and therefore bears the same authority as all other Scripture.  This story is found in over 900 manuscripts.

"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.  My study bible tells us that the law dictated the death penalty for adulterers (Leviticus 20:10).  If we read the law carefully, we note it stipulates the death penalty for both parties, not just the woman.   My study bible adds that this ordinance was not observed to the letter at the time of Jesus.  The Pharisees bring this woman to Him simply because it was an opportunity to test Him.  If Jesus objects to the punishment, He can be accused of opposing the Law.  If He upholds the punishment, He can be accused of showing no mercy to sinners.  Interestingly, this is the single place in the New Testament in which we're told that Jesus wrote something.  There are several theories regarding what He wrote.  Some say that He wrote the Ten Commandments, which each of the accusers have violated at least once.  Others say that He wrote the names of the accusers who had committed adultery themselves.

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 stopped 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."  My study bible says that Jesus' answer confounds the Pharisees, as He upholds a great principle of the Law -- that the wages of sin is death (Genesis 2:17, Romans 6:23) -- but without neglecting its greater aspect of mercy (Deuteronomy 13:17, Psalms 116:2-117:4, Hosea 6:6).  This mercy, my study bible tells us, is offered freely to all repentant sinners.  But in order to receive that gift, we must make the effort to flee from sin, as Christ commands in the final verse.

It's interesting to observe that Jesus is, in some sense, the God of second chances.  He is our Lord of mercy, but He does not cease to preach "go and sin no more."  He does not say that what she did is fine, He simply refuses to condemn, and teaches her that she must change her conduct.  These things form a delicate balance, which some people frequently find difficult to grasp.  "Mercy" is construed as something the opposite of "justice."  But this simply isn't the case.  One doesn't leave the other out.  Rather, they are part and parcel of one another.  What Christ does here is illustrate our lives as a continuum, in which we are called to learn and to grow, in which we are constantly called back to God, to the place where we need to be, the road we need to be on.  These are our "second chances," and they don't neglect the weighty matters of spiritual law.  Instead, they give us a kind of roadmap, a place to find our way, the GPS of God, if you will.  Our Lord always calls us back, but neither does He make excuses -- instead He holds us accountable for the things of which we are capable, for the "better behavior" that He knows we must accept to live and to make a part of our lives in this world.  Over the course of the past three readings, we have observed how John's Gospel concerns itself with matters of justice, of good judgment, of righteous judgment.  Here, Jesus shows righteous judgment not only by not condemning this woman and giving her a second chance, but through some mysterious factor sending those away who are also not without sin.  Modern ears such as ours may view this law which gives a death penalty for adultery as extreme and bad on its face.  But let us not forget that my study bible tells us that even in Christ's time it wasn't enforced.  And certainly it included the same penalty for both parties engaged in adultery -- and where is the man with whom this woman is accused of committing the crime?  Noticeably absent, and perhaps one of the men in the crowd at that.  Quite possibly the entire episode is one which is deliberately "set up" in order to trap Jesus in the first place.  As Jesus does not pronounce the woman entirely innocent of committing adultery, we might presume she was someone rather notorious or known for such -- and in such a case, Jesus' giving her a second chance adds an even deeper meaning to His notion of justice.  For if this woman indeed is an adulterer (which Jesus certainly seems to acknowledge as true), He is giving to her a road out of the habitual pattern of her life.  He's offering to her a way to set her own life straight and out of the grip of sin.  Thus, His refusal to condemn is also a refusal to pigeon-hole, to set her in a place where she has a permanent label of adulteress.  He gives her new life, exactly as He has promised in His sermons that He has come to bestow on all, if we but grasp it and take hold of His way.  And that is the real story here about righteous judgment, that we each have a way out of our habitual patterns, the labels we put upon ourselves or which others put upon us.  Our Lord is the God of second chances, the One who does not turn away, who offers us a way out, if we will but grasp the mission, the effort, the life and commands He places before us.  Let us note, in keeping with modern phrases regarding justice and judgment, that this is not a "Get Out of Jail Free" card.  Jesus doesn't give easy excuses or free passes.  Instead, He gives new life, a second chance, a new way to go forward.  He offers us a map for salvation, a plan, because we are not capable of designing such roads and maps ourselves.  He gives us what we need most, a "way," as in "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (14:6), in which way is translated from the Greek word which also means road or path.  Christ's justice does not bypass the law nor sin, but neither does it neglect mercy.  It offers us second chances, and His call or command to "Follow Me" must be understood as always calling us back to His way, which He has described as straight and narrow (Matthew 7:14).  This is the path we seek and follow, calling us back to Him -- the One who is both the path and the door (10:7).  Let us find and seek His way to righteous judgment, and the life He offers which is always new (Revelation 21:5), and through which we are always called forward.

Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more

 And everyone went to his own house.  But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.  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."

- John 7:53-8:11

 Yesterday we read that on the last day, that great day of the Feast of Tabernacles (which Jesus is attending in Jerusalem), He stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."  But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.   Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, "Truly this is the Prophet."  Others said, "This is the Christ."  But some said, "Will the Christ come out of Galilee?  Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?"  So there was a division among the people because of them.  Now some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him.  Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, "Why have you not brought Him?"  The officers answered, "No man ever spoke like this Man!"  Then the Pharisees answered them, "Are you also deceived?  Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him?  But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed."  Nicodemus (he who came to Jesus by night, being one of them) said to them, "Does our law judge a man  before it hears him and knows what he is doing?"  They answered and said to him, "Are you also from Galilee?  Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee."

 And everyone went to his own house.  But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 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.  Jesus remains in Jerusalem as a pilgrim, staying with other pilgrims to the Festival on the Mount of Olives.  It is a poetic complement to the Feast of Tabernacles (or tents), which commemorates the time that Israel wandered in the wilderness of Sinai without permanent structures, that Jesus has no house to go to.  It reminds us that God dwelt in the tabernacle that went with the people and led them wherever they were going, by day and by night (Exodus 40:38).

Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery.  Today's reading is not found in several ancient manuscripts.  It also is not covered in the commentaries of St. John Chrysostom (c. 349-407) and certain other Church Fathers.  But it is still "sealed by the Church" (as my study bible says) as authentic, inspired, and canonical Scripture.  Therefore it bears the same authority as all other Scripture.  In the Eastern Church, it is read on one of the two days when St. Mary of Egypt, a reformed prostitute, is commemorated. 

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.   My study bible tells us that the law dictated the death penalty for adulterers (Leviticus 20:10; let us note that the statute explicitly applies particularly to a man committing adultery with another man's wife, but both to the man and the woman).  In the days of Jesus, my study bible says, this ordinance was not observed to the letter.  The Pharisees have brought this particular woman because it was an opportunity to test Jesus.  If He objected to the punishment, He could be accused of opposing the Law.  If He upheld the punishment, then it would be possible to accuse Him of showing no mercy to sinners.  This is the single occasion in all of the New Testament in which Jesus wrote something.  There are many theories about what specifically He wrote.  Some have commented that He wrote the Ten Commandments, which each accuser had violated at least one time.  Others suggest that He wrote the names of the accusers who had themselves committed adultery.   Even if we look specifically at the statute itself, above, then we can see the flaws in the accusation (e.g. why is the man with whom she is caught committing adultery -- in the very act, we're told -- not brought to Him also?).

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."  Jesus upholds a great principle of the Law here:  that the wages of sin is death (Genesis 2:17, Romans 6:23).  However, He confounds the Pharisees, because He does not neglect the greater aspect of the Law:  mercy (Deuteronomy 13:17, Psalm 117:2-118:4; Hosea 6:6).  This mercy, my study bible says, is offered freely to all repentant sinners.  In order for us to receive this gift, we must in turn flee from sin.  Jesus' admonition to the woman, sin no more, is the same given to the paralytic He healed on the Sabbath at the previous festival in Jerusalem (5:14), for which He now faces the wrath of the religious leaders.

Mercy and the Law seemingly conflict, in our own limited perception of God's grace in giving both the Law and the concepts of mercy and love (Psalm 136).  Often translated as "steadfast love," this understanding of mercy also includes faithfulness and loyalty, even that which is unbreakable.  It is an integral part of the covenant with God.  As my study bible points out here, even in Jesus' time, the statute used to accuse the woman was not upheld to the letter of the Law.  It's also important that another possible accusation they could have made against Jesus, had He judged in favor of stoning the woman, would be that He was unmerciful.  (While one suspects that it was to the advantage of men that the letter of the Law was not upheld, there is still the element of mercy present in its relaxation -- that is what is missing from the accusation against the woman alone.)  Clearly, throughout the Old Testament and in Jesus' culture of the time, mercy was an essential and understood quality of God the Lord.  In that sense, Jesus also fulfills the "type" of the Lord of the Old Testament.  While mercy is not a new concept to introduce here, its use in practice of good judgment seems constantly to arise in Jesus' response to the dilemmas presented to Him by the leadership in order to trip Him up, in order to trap Him in an answer for which they may bring an accusation against Him.  The central charge currently made against Him, that He healed the paralytic in violation of the Sabbath (see this reading), remains an issue of mercy for which Jesus is aggrieved with these religious leaders for their hardness of heart.  It is not that He does not uphold the Law.  He has said that He is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 5:17-20).  But as Lord, the author of the Law, He points to the purposes of the Law.  They must express God's steadfast love and mercy.  In teaching us not to sin, in encouraging us to grow closer to God in communion -- even in participation which is offered through the Eucharist -- Jesus simply expresses more fully the love of God than was possible before the Incarnation.  All of this instruction is for our good.  That is, for ourselves, for our communities, for our world.  Even today, we can take the single element which is the most slender of all in today's reading, and easily missed, that of Jesus' participation in this Feast of Tabernacles as pilgrim, and we can apply it to our world and its present problems.  To be a pilgrim is to be a voyager, a traveler, one who lives light upon the land.  It is not to be an owner.  If we had more a sense of ourselves as pilgrims in this world, perhaps then such an understanding would teach us better how to be stewards as opposed to owners or exploiters of the world around us and all that is in it, including our fellow creatures.  There is nothing in the Gospels -- especially and including Jesus' admonition to sin no more -- which does not speak to God's love and mercy for human beings.  Sin takes us away from God; it is not merely a violation of a law or statute.  That sort of legalistic thinking is precisely what will enable the crucifixion of Jesus.  But if we understand sin as that which separates us further from God, that whatever instruction we are given is through God's love and steadfast, even infinite mercy, then we may be on the road to true healing and better communion ourselves.  Pure rationality and legalism may not get us to the place where we understand that mercy and the law come from the same place, the same Source.  It will not teach us how to see these two things as anything but dilemma and contradiction.  But love will.  It is the one way to see Christ and to understand God's work in us and among us.  To sin no more is not the advocacy of legalism, but of love.  Let us try to understand our Lord and the communion He wants with us.