LOVE (GENUINE) MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND

There she is, a mound of rubbish, a refuse, sprawled on the floor, with dishevelled hair, dirty and smelly clothes, good for nothing, worthless, fit to be thrown into a dung. That is one way of looking at ‘it’, the Pharisaic way; merciless, fit to be burned in hell. Christ looked at ‘her’ differently. He saw a woman who has been accused of adultery, but she is still His daughter, who, for the time being, has lost her dignity. Yet she is to be pitied, forgiven and helped to get up and start on her new way.

Thank God that Jesus is not a Pharisee; who would have been saved? Then follows ‘the calm after the storm’. After a thunder storm with strong winds and pouring rain, the dark clouds move on and we can see streaks of light shining through the last grey clouds. Thank God it’s over. There is stillness in the air. Calm and peace seem to reign everywhere.

That is how the accused adulteress felt when Jesus broke the fearful silence around her, and spoke to her in a gentle, loving voice: “Woman, where are they?” I suppose the woman was squeezing her eyes shut not to see her accusers, and whom she probably knew!! Who knows, they might have been her regular customers!
Her first reaction on hearing that gentle voice addressing her, was that of a great surprise. She was not accustomed to be spoken with such gentleness and ‘love’. For as the Italians say, ‘Il tono fa la musica’. That is, the way you speak shows what character you are, what you treasure in your heart. And Christ had only genuine love and mercy towards His daughter. Yes, the ‘voice’ had spoken. But then followed another surprise for the woman, the realisation that she was all alone, that her accusers had vanished into thin air.

What a Master Psychologist Jesus was, mind you, He still is. HE buildt up a climax, by asking another question: “Has no one condemned you?”. This was evident, but He wanted to drive in the fact by letting the woman declare what was a fact. Then His conclusion followed: “Neither do I condemn you.” He did put a condition: “Go, sin no more.”

As we all realise Christ did not make a fuss over it, and His way of treating with us, sinners, as He did with the woman, is to create a relationship. That is the best way how to get to the sinner’s heart; by being friendly, gentle, prudent and most of all to respect his dignity.

The whole history of the people of Israel is symbolised in the story of the woman who became a ‘harlot’, in the Book of Ezechiel. She was poor and God took her up, covered her and clothred her, cleaned her, gave her life and gave her beauty. BUT, she turned away from Him and used her beauty and all other gifts to attract men. So it is with us.

What a tragedy when we turn away from the Lover, and use His own gifts for our own power and glory. WE all become adulterers, we lack to show our appreciation towards Him, from whom we all depend. Selfishness, egoism, wealth, power and lust seem to be the main ingredients for ‘many’ in drawing up their Magna Carta.