A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. – Prov. 15:1
While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, the teachers of the law appeared and brought a woman before him. “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery,” they said to him. “In the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” (They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.)
While the Pharisees continued questioning him, he bent down and began writing something in the dirt with his finger. He then 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 he stooped down again and continued scribbling on the ground.
One by one the accusers left, until it was only Jesus and the woman. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” (John 8:2-11)
John doesn’t tell us what Jesus had written in the dirt. And as much as we’d like to entertain some thoughts of what he possibly wrote with his finger, it’s best that we recognize that God found that information written in the dirt to be immaterial to the story. Obviously we see a woman caught redhanded in a private sin matter that was brought out into public view, and whether Jesus appreciated that or not – who knows. But he clearly didn’t approve of the self-righteous nature of her accusers, reminding them that they too were not above the law. And obviously we see Jesus forgiving the woman, offering a foretaste of the true forgiveness of all sins that he would account for through his death on the cross later on.
And while obviously those are the main things, we can’t help but notice how Jesus handled this entire situation. He wasn’t angry or bitter, neither at the Pharisees nor the sinful woman. In fact, he was very calm. He completely understood what was happening. He knew what the Pharisees were really up to. They didn’t care about this woman’s sin. They were interested in getting Jesus to say something that they could use against him. And even then, he didn’t overreact.
With one sentence, Jesus sent them away without a fuss. He had no desire to give them a lecture. He simply spoke with truth and also with love.
It’s a great lesson for us. When we’re confronted to speak truthfully to someone, let us underpin our words with love. Let us be gentle and self-controlled. We should make every effort to avoid turning people away with sarcastic remarks and harsh words. Yes, this is hard sometimes. But Jesus loves others just as much as he loves us.
What we say matters, but how we say it matters just as much.
Former Blackout Artist 