A question of mercy not judgment

March 25, 2007 -- Fifth Sunday of Lent

By Fr. Michael Stubbs

	Fr. Mike Stubbs

There is a story told about a famous British judge: Lord Lyndhurst's lips would often be seen to move, but no sound proceeding from them would be heard by those in the courtroom. On the other hand, the court reporter next to him could tell another tale. He could hear his Lordship mutter in the course of an argument, "What a fool that lawyer is!" Then, after a moment, "Eh, not such a fool as I thought," then, after another moment, "Egad, it is I that was the fool!" How quickly our perception of the truth can change.

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Sunday's gospel reading, John 8:1-11, offers us another story set in a courtroom of sorts. A woman taken in adultery is brought before Jesus for his judgment. It is useful to compare this story to another in the Bible about a woman accused of adultery, Susanna. That story is found at the end of the book of Daniel, chapter 13.

In the case of Susanna, she has been falsely accused. The first part of the story describes what really happened to Susanna. The suspense of the story lies in whether the truth will come to light. Providentially, the young boy Daniel is able to uncover the truth. He questions the two witnesses of the alleged crime separately, to reveal their lies. It is both courtroom drama and detective story. Daniel succeeds in turning the tables on the woman's false accusers. He proves her innocence.

In contrast, Jesus does not address the truth of the charges leveled against the woman taken in adultery. The reader also remains in the dark concerning the woman's guilt or innocence. Unlike the story of Susanna, we are never shown what actually happened. We only hear the accusation, that she has been caught in the act of adultery. For all we know, those accusations could be just as false as they are in the story of Susanna.

But Jesus does not pursue that line of thinking. Instead, he directs his attention to the accusers. "Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." Jesus does not bother to uncover the truth about the woman. Rather, Jesus wants to uncover the truth about her accusers, not in the sense that they may have framed her, as in the case of Susanna, but that we are all sinners and stand in need of God's mercy. That is the truth that counts.

By reminding the woman's accusers of their own sinfulness, Jesus puts the whole matter into a different light. The accusers are less willing to judge, since they themselves will fall under God's judgment. It is no longer a question of justice, but one of mercy. It is in this point that the gospel story contrasts most strongly with the story of Susanna. The gospel story asks different questions, it directs our focus elsewhere, so that, instead of making a determination of guilt or innocence, we allow God's mercy to triumph.

Fortunately for the accusers, God's mercy extends not only to the woman caught in adultery, but also to the accusers themselves. Jesus' challenge to the accusers calls them to repent, to accept that mercy. Jesus issues that same call to us. Ultimately, the gospel story is about our need for mercy.

(Fr. Stubbs, a priest of the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas, has a master's degree in theology from Harvard.)