Unvarnished Jesus: A Lenten JourneyEjemplo

Monday, March 25

John 8:1–11

Jesus and the Woman Caught in Adultery

In the Old Testament, stoning was the means of communal execution. Why? Because stoning allows everyone in the community to participate, while allowing everyone to exonerate themselves by saying, “I didn’t kill them; I only threw a stone.” Of course Jesus is going to challenge this. So, when the would-be executioners cited Moses and the sanction of stoning, Jesus refused to allow the mob to act as a mob. (Everyone knows people will do things as a mob they would never do as an individual.) Jesus says, fine, but let the one without sin cast the first stone. And with that the demonic spell of the mob was broken. They left, not as a mob, but one by one. Don’t follow the crowd. As Kierkegaard said, “The crowd is untruth.” Follow Jesus and the way of mercy.