LONGING FOR GOD’S PEACE, DAY TWO

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
Thursday, April 3rd

At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
“No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
~ John 8:2-11

This passage holds so much tension! There is the tension of the woman who is embarrassed, helpless, and even fearing for her life… the tension of the teachers and Pharisees, who have been seeing their systems of law and justice being undermined… the tension of Jesus, who knows that the group is trying to threaten him–perhaps more than the woman… the tension of the potential rock throwers, who certainly must question what they are about to do.

Jesus then demonstrates several ways he can give peace—for them, and for us.
~ We can experience peace as an absence of judgment—Jesus’ lack of judgment for the adulterer and for our own imperfect selves.
~ We can experience peace when we pause to consider before we react, as Jesus did with his writing in the sand.
~ We can experience peace in knowing that Jesus is by our side, protecting and defending, as he did for the woman.
~ And we can experience peace when we drop our stones of self-righteousness, judgment, condemnation, or short-sightedness, as did the people who walked away.

Where do you most long for peace today…
for the peace of acceptance after being misunderstood or wrongly judged?
for the peace of forgiveness for behaving badly?
for the peace of silent reflection before making a decision?
for the peace of companionship along a difficult journey?
for the peace of surrendering stones of guilt, prejudice, or hypocrisy?
for the peace of trust in times of stressful uncertainty?

May you feel the presence of Christ near to you, revealing exactly what you need for peace.

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways. The Lord be with all of you.
~ 2 Thessalonians 3:16

Bible passage and verse are NRSVUE, found at https://www.biblegateway.com/
(Photo by Karen)