March 10: Neither Do I Condemn You
♫ Music:
Day 17 - Friday, March 10
Title: JESUS DEFLATES THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS
Scripture: John 8:1–11
. . . while Jesus went off to the Mount of Olives. Early next morning he returned to the Temple and the entire crowd came to him. So he sat down and began to teach them. But the scribes and Pharisees brought in to him a woman who had been caught in adultery. They made her stand in front, and then said to him, “Now, master, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. According to the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women to death. Now, what do you say about her?”
They said this to test him, so that they might have some good grounds for an accusation. But Jesus stooped down and began to write with his finger in the dust on the ground. But as they persisted in their questioning, he straightened himself up and said to them, “Let the one among you who has never sinned throw the first stone at her.” Then he stooped down again and continued writing with his finger on the ground. And when they heard what he said, they were convicted by their own consciences and went out, one by one, beginning with the eldest until they had all gone.
Jesus was left alone, with the woman still standing where they had put her. So he stood up and said to her, “Where are they all—did no one condemn you?”
And she said, “No one, sir.” “Neither do I condemn you,” said Jesus to her. “Go home and do not sin again.”
Poetry & Poet:
“All Who Seek You”
by Rainer Maria Rilke
Trans. by Anita Barrows and Joanna Macy
All who seek you
test you.
And those who find you
bind you to image and gesture.
I would rather sense you
as the earth senses you.
In my ripening
ripens
what you are.
I need from you no tricks
to prove you exist.
Time, I know,
is other than you.
No miracles, please.
Just let your laws
become clearer
from generation to generation.
NEITHER DO I CONDEMN YOU
A moment in which Jesus teaches a crowd at the Temple is disrupted by scribes and Pharisees, who drag a woman they seized in an act of adultery through the crowd and deposit her before Jesus. They loudly challenge him to deny their right to stone her on the spot. (The man who was with her is conspicuously absent.)
In this cruel attempt to divest Jesus of power, the scribes and Pharisees sin greatly by treating this woman as less than a person. They define her by her transgression and want to kill her to make a point. In their rabid legalism they have lost touch with reality, and they try to manipulate others into losing touch with it too.
Jesus, being Truth, never loses touch with reality, which means he never loses sight of the woman’s personhood. Neither does he lose sight of the personhood of the scribes, Pharisees, or crowd. He created them in his image, and no one can hide from him. His response––“Let the one among you who has never sinned throw the first stone at her”––restores them to themselves. Upon realizing they too could belong where the woman stands, they relent and leave.
We know little about the woman. We do not know her age, or if the religious leaders took time to clothe her before shoving her into the public eye, or if she wanted to commit adultery. Maybe she did. Maybe she was manipulated into it.
In today’s painting, she maintains an astonishing dignity. She stands tall. She clutches a crimson robe around herself. Nothing about her is defeated or small. She does not try to run from the rabbi who kneels before her. She waits for him, by her silence accepting him as her judge.
Jesus gives her a moment of privacy. He keeps writing on the earth. The crowd recedes.
Given its noisome, public opening, the story concludes with a surprisingly intimate moment. Left alone before the Temple “with the woman still standing where they had put her,” Jesus turns to her and asks her to confirm that no one has condemned her. She does so. In response, Jesus gives her the freedom of forgiveness.
When the “I” speaks in the second stanza of Rilke’s poem, he or she utters an odd prayer: “I would rather sense you / as the earth senses you.” In today’s Scripture the earth literally senses Jesus. It is entirely receptive to words written by the Word’s hand. We do not know what he wrote. But we can ask ourselves how adopting the humility of Rilke’s prayer might change us. We can practice sensing Christ “as the earth senses [him].” In this the woman, who waits for Christ to speak before attempting to define herself, becomes a model of wisdom to us.
No one could care more about sin’s significance than the One who died to free us from it, but this story reminds us that, unlike the men and women in the crowd, Christ does not wish to trap or name us by our inability to maintain his law. Only we want to do that.
In Lent, we seek out and confess our sins, and it is oddly difficult to receive the gentleness God offers in response. When we finally rouse ourselves to face our transgressions, we find Jesus quietly waiting, ready to forgive and free us.
Whether we relate most to the woman caught in adultery, used and publicly shamed by others, or to the leaders and crowd who do this to her, Jesus lets us reveal ourselves to him. He makes himself known to us. When our sin and shame become so apparent that we cannot avoid them, and we just want to stay silent or leave, he draws out our beauty. He reminds us who we are. He invites us into his life and makes us new again.
“Did no one condemn you?” he asks. “Neither do I . . . Go home and do not sin again.”
Prayer:
O Lord, who hast taught us that all our doings without charity are nothing worth; Send thy Holy Ghost and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of charity, the very bond of peace and of all virtues, without which whosoever liveth is counted dead before thee. Grant this for thine only Son Jesus Christ’s sake.
Amen.
— Collect for The Sunday Next Before Lent, 1928 Book of Common Prayer
Almighty and everlasting God, who hatest nothing that thou hast made, and dost forgive the sins of all those who are penitent; Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission, and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
— Collect for Ash Wednesday, 1928 Book of Common Prayer
Alea Peister
Copywriter for Deloitte Digital
Alumna, Biola University
For more information about the artwork, music, and poetry selected for this day, we have provided resources under the “About” tab located next to the “Devotional” tab.
About the Translation of the Bible for the 2023 Lent Project:
J.B. Phillips New Testament Translation of the Bible
J.B. Phillips (1906-1982) was well-known within the Church of England for his commitment to making the message of truth relevant to today's world. Phillips' translation of the New Testament brings home the full force of the original message. The New Testament in Modern English was originally written for the benefit of Phillips' youth group; it was later published more widely in response to popular demand. The language is up-to-date and forceful, involving the reader in the dramatic events and powerful teaching of the New Testament. It brings home the message of Good News as it was first heard two thousand years ago.
https://www.biblegateway.com/
About the Artwork:
Where Are All Thy Accusers
Rose Datoc Dall
Oil on canvas
Arist Rose Datoc Dall creates a narrow depth of field in her painting that focuses our attention on the two main characters of this story—Jesus and the woman accused of adultery. One feels Jesus’ act of forgiveness and mercy that he extends to the accused woman as her accusers slowly turn and walk away convicted in their hearts of their own sinful transgressions.
About the Artist:
Filipina American artist Rose Datoc Dall was born in Washington, D.C., and raised in northern Virginia. She received her B.F.A. from Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in 1990. Dall works predominantly as a contemporary figurative painter. Mrs. Dall’s figurative work is distinctive for her graphic compositions, her unconventional use of color, and her linear graphic sensibility. Dall is also known for her body of religious artwork, in addition to her figurative work. She has received several awards and honors for her work and several of her works are a part of permanent collections in public and private institutions. Mrs. Dall’s art has appeared on book covers, in books, and is featured in several publications online and in print. Currently, in addition to exhibiting, Mrs. Dall enjoys teaching private figure drawing and painting workshops and lectures on occasion as a way of giving back to her community. https://www.rosedatocdall.com/about
About the Music: “Scribbling in the Sand” from the album John: The Misunderstood Messiah
Lyrics:
Amidst a mob of madmen
She stood frightened and alone
As hate filled voices hissed at Him
That she should now be stoned
But in the air around Him
Hung a vast and wordless love
Who knows what luminous lesson
He was in the middle of
At first, He faced the fury
Of their self-righteous scorn
But then He stooped and at once became
The calm eye of the storm
It was His wordless answer
To their dark and cruel demand
A lifetime in a moment
As He scribbled in the sand
It was silence, it was music
It was art, it was absurd
He stooped and shouted volumes
Without saying a single word
The same finger of the strong hand
That had written ten commands
For now was simply scribbling in the sand
Within the space of space and time
He scribbled in the sand
They came to hear and see as much
As they could understand
Now bound by cords of kindness
They couldn't cast a single stone
And Jesus and the women found
That they were all alone
It was silence, it was music
It was art, it was absurd
He stooped and shouted volumes
Without saying a single word
The same finger of the strong hand
That had written ten commands
For now was simply scribbling in the sand
Could that same finger come
And trace my soul's sacred sand?
And make some unexpected space
Where I could understand?
That my own condemnation pierced
And broke that gentle hand
That scratched the words I'll never know, written in the sand
It was silence, it was music
It was art, it was absurd
He stooped and shouted volumes
Without saying a single word
The same finger of the strong hand
That had written ten commands
For now was simply scribbling in the sand
The same finger of the strong hand
That had written ten commands
For now was simply scribbling in the sand
About the Composers: Michael Card and Philip L. Naish
Philip L. Naish is an American producer, songwriter, and studio musician. Having begun keyboard instruction at the age of five under the tutelage of his musician mother, Naish quickly became an adept pianist. From piano he transitioned to the cello, and his cello playing earned him a scholarship to Belmont University. However, an injured finger ended his cello career and he returned to the piano. For three years he was a keyboard player and guitarist for the Belmont Reasons, a public relations touring group. Phil earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in the music business. Naish began his career as a studio keyboard player for the likes of Sandy Patti, Steve Green, Boz Scaggs, Dolly Parton, Beth Nielson Chapman—invaluable training which ultimately led to his successful music production career. It was at this time that he began a seven-album relationship with Steven Curtis Chapman, during which Naish won three Grammy Awards. During his career he also produced Point of Grace, Carman, Jaci Valesquez, Steve Green, Michael Card, David Phelps, The Martins, and Geoff Moore.
http://www.philnaish.com/
About the Performer:
In a career that spans over thirty years, Michael Card (b. 1957) has recorded over thirty-one music albums, authored or co-authored over twenty-four books, hosted a radio program, and written for a wide range of magazines. He has penned such favorite songs as “El Shaddai,” “Love Crucified Arose,” and “Immanuel.” He has sold over four million albums and written over nineteen number-one hits. Card’s original goal in life was to simply and quietly teach the Bible and proclaim Christ. Although music provided him the opportunity to share insight gained through his extensive scholarly research, he felt limited by having to condense the vast depth and richness of Scripture into three-minute songs. This prompted him to begin to write articles and books on topics that captured his imagination through conversations with Bible teachers, friends, and contemporaries in both Christian music and the academic community. Card travels frequently each year, teaching and sharing his music at Biblical Imagination Conferences, and facilitating the annual Life of Christ Tours to Israel.
https://www.michaelcard.com/
About the Poetry and Poet:
Rainer Maria Rilke (1875–1926) was a Bohemian Austrian poet and novelist, "widely recognized as one of the most lyrically intense German-language poets," writing in both verse and highly lyrical prose. Several critics have described Rilke's work as inherently "mystical.” His writings include one novel, several collections of poetry, and several volumes of correspondence in which he invokes haunting images that focus on the difficulty of communion with the ineffable in an age of disbelief, solitude, and profound anxiety.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainer_Maria_Rilke
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/rainer-maria-rilke
About Devotion Author:
Alea Peister
Copywriter for Deloitte Digital
Alumna, Biola University
Alea is a prose writer and poet who is passionate about the ways creativity can aid prayer. She likes hiking, Parks and Rec, good coffee, visiting monasteries, reading, and art museums. She daylights as a copywriter at Deloitte Digital, and is an alumna of Biola’s English Department and the Torrey Honors College. You can follow her writerly escapades on Instagram at @alea_peister and on Substack at aleapeister.substack.com.