Some men are bringing a woman in this direction.  I can’t tell who they are.  I’m here just to see what this Jesus is all about.  People have been talking about him, and I thought I should see for myself.  Who is this woman they are pulling by the arm?  It looks like she’s crying, and really scared too.  Oh, I know who they are.  I’ve seen them before.  I sort of know one of them personally.  He lives not too far from me.  Maybe they’re just going to pass by.  I hope so.  Oh, no.  They’re heading straight for Jesus.  I’ve heard they confront him from time to time, but I’ve never seen it personally.  I really hope there’s no trouble.  She seems to have done something wrong.  By the looks on their faces it must be seriously wrong.

Oh, THAT.  That’s a big one. No wonder she’s crying so hard.  I’d like to say I don’t know what is supposed to happen, but that would be a lie.  We all know what’s supposed to happen.  And they are going to want us to join in.  It’s sort of an obligation.  And I must admit, I have joined in on one occasion.  I had felt so much pressure to go along that time.  I was so nervous and couldn’t believe what I was participating in.  It didn’t feel right, and I certainly didn’t feel right as I picked up that rock.  What was I doing?  Why was I doing it?  For whom was I doing it?  Something about it had felt terribly wrong.  I actually cried when I got home.  And here I am again, in a similar situation. 

How do I get out of this?  Should I get out of this?  Wait --- one of the men is talking to Jesus in a loud voice.  It seems like he’s trying to discredit Jesus, trying to get Jesus to disparage the law of Moses.  He’s probably hoping to punish both the woman and Jesus at the same time.  The silencing of two people in two different ways. Jesus is taking a long time to respond.  Some in the crowd look angry, like the men who brought her here.  But some don’t.  Some look more like I’m feeling inside, wondering if what we’re about to do is just and right and what God wants.  And so, some of us are anxious to hear what Jesus says not because we want to trip him up, but because we are hoping to hear something that can put our hearts and minds at ease, hear something that will stop this whole thing from happening. What could he possibly say to achieve that?  Or will he condemn her too?  C’mon, Jesus, say something. 

I’m looking at his face.  I’ve never seen that look before.  Calm.  Thoughtful.  Serious.  And those eyes.  They seem to look right through individuals as he scans the crowd, or rather, right INTO each person --- as if he knows something the rest of us don’t know.  I look down to avert my gaze, but something tugs at me, on the inside, and I look up only to see him looking right at me.  Does he know what I’m thinking? 

Does he know my confusion?  My conflicted soul?  My doubts?  Is that even possible?  Now he’s writing something on the ground.  I can’t read it from here.  What could it possibly be?  A couple of men are looking at the writing and look a little puzzled.  Maybe I’ll never know what it says.  He’s walking into the center now, right up to the woman.  She’s kneeling, and doesn’t even know he’s approaching. Now he stops, and turns around.  Finally, he’s going to speak.

I can’t believe it.  People were right.  This man is different.  And he just said the perfect thing.  It was as if he was speaking directly to me.  What makes me better than the woman kneeling before me?  Nothing.  Why do her failings demand violence and mine get barely anything?  Why do we presume she is bad and we are good? Does that make any sense?  I’m looking around, and I can tell you, we’ve all done some bad stuff. 

We’re all looking at each other with looks of shame, knowing that Jesus is absolutely right --- that we all need mercy and forgiveness, that we are all broken and sinful.  And where’s the guy she was with? None of it seems fair anymore.  None of it seems right.  None of it seems what God would want, at least not the God who has rescued us as a people over and over again.  I don’t want to be here anymore.  I’m not picking up a stone.  If I did, I think I’d be bringing condemnation and judgment down upon myself.

Just the THOUGHT of hurting this woman seems much worse than what she has done.  And Jesus knows it.  And he was willing to say it. 

I want to get out of here.  But I don’t want to be the first to walk away.  I’m a little bit scared to do that.  But maybe I should.  Maybe I need to be the example.  Maybe I will encourage others to do the same.  Jesus is looking at me again.  I can almost hear him telling me to be first, to lead the way.  So that’s what I’ll do.  It’s not easy, but I take the first step.  And then another and another.  I can hear a bunch of other footsteps, so others must be doing the same.  It’s deathly quiet out here.  Jesus has gotten all of us thinking, all of us reconsidering the way we see each other, and even the way we see sin.  I want to see Jesus one more time, so I stop and turn around.  He’s not looking at me anymore.  He’s helping the woman up, and whispering something in her ear.  He seems so gentle with her, so loving, so understanding, so compassionate.  Actually, he’s acting the opposite way some of us were acting just a few minutes ago. 

I hope this isn’t the last time I see him.  Maybe I’ll get to speak with him someday, or listen to him tell stories, and be present when he heals someone.  That would be incredible.  But if I don’t, if this is the first and last time, it will all have been worth it.  I came here today to find out what this Jesus was all about.  And I’m leaving having discovered the person God wants me to be.  I’ll never be the same.