Have you ever been unfaithful to your husband or wife? Hopefully most of us would say we have been faithful. If we are aware of what it really means to be married and are committed and determined to stay faithful, we would not allow our eyes to wander and look longingly at another man or woman. Even people who are not married could also fall into sin when we allow our eyes to wander and look longingly at another man or woman. This is where the danger of lust may creep in and we would have committed adultery in our hearts, even though we may not have actually done anything physically to the other person.
In today’s Gospel, we come across the scribes and Pharisees who brought a woman along who had been caught committing adultery (or so it seems). Being caught committing adultery was already bad enough, but these scribes and Pharisees had malice in their hearts. They did not really care about the woman; to them, she had committed an unforgivable crime and to them, the only solution was to have the woman stoned to death. Not only were they determined to get rid of her, they also tried to make a big display of their so called piousness and holier-than-thou attitude and even humiliated her by making her stand there in full view of everybody. Using her as an example to all, and as a tool to try and trap Jesus, they tried to force Jesus’ hand, because they knew that either way He answered, they were confident that he would be caught and trapped with His own words. It is ironic that the scribes and Pharisees had caught the woman, but as we know, it takes two to tango. What happened to the man? Didn’t he get caught as well, or did he get away so easily? We do not know the full story about how only the woman was caught, but what we do know is Jesus saw through their evil intentions and their hypocrisy, looked up and said, “If there is one of you who has not sinned, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Bang! The scribes and Pharisees were caught. Jesus had turned the tables on them, and “they went away one by one, beginning with the eldest, until Jesus was left alone with the woman, who remained standing there.” Then Jesus assured the woman with these words: “Neither do I condemn you… go away, and do not sin any more.”
Ultimately, we need to ask ourselves: how faithful have I been in my relationship with another person and in my relationship with God? Have I committing adultery in my thoughts or even in my deeds? Have I become like the scribes and Pharisees, self-righteous and so easy to condemn others, but refusing to admit my failings, mistakes and sins? Our God is beckoning us to come back to Him and remain in His love. We choose to remain with Him, or we choose to condemn ourselves by going away from Him, through our attitude and our actions.