Caught in the Very Act

They said to Him, "Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act." (John 8:4)

Indeed, she was caught in the very act of sinning. How interesting. The imagination begins to wonder just how the men involved here accomplished this feat. How were they able to 'discover' her in the very act of having sex with someone without having inside information on when and where it was going to take place. And why the glaring absence of the man involved in that act? The punishments in the laws of Moses equally applied to the man in adultery, but there seemed to be no interest in carrying out the punishment against the man involved in this case.

But wait! That was not the only sin going on in this story. It just happens to be one of the sins that has been most popular to point out throughout history. Somehow the sexual sins of women and sometimes the men they involve seems to be the most titillating topics of discussion, particularly among religious people. But is our prioritization of sins really the right way to evaluate the guilt induced by sin in the life? As I look at how the Bible lists sins that will keep people from living in heaven, I find some other sins listed that seem in our way of thinking to be very slight by comparison. But are they really less sinful or are they just so acceptable and common that we don't feel guilty about them?

Take for instance, what does the word ungodliness mean? I suppose the obvious meaning is that it refers to anything that is unlike God. Ungodliness is a word commonly used in the Bible to refer to sin. And I think that may possibly be the very best definition of sin that might be found. God is the perfect example of how to live in total harmony, love and selfless service to others. Jesus came to reveal that way of living more clearly, both to us and to all the watching universe. To harbor attitudes other than what God has revealed in the example of Jesus is to live in sin.

Along this line my attention is drawn to John 3:16, 17 where I catch a glimpse into the very heart of the Father and how He feels toward sinners. God so loves the world that He gave. But not only that, the very next verse declares that He does not condemn. This second part comes as quite a shock to many religious people who claim to worship and believe in God while depending heavily on condemnation to control and intimidate others into compliance with their rules and social standards. But if God's word clearly states that God does not condemn while at the same time religious people use condemnation as a primary tool for enforcing what they believe to be God's will, then condemning people would certainly seem to qualify as ungodliness, something unlike what God is like. And remember, all ungodliness is sin.

These men who were so intent on heaping condemnation on this woman, and by extension on Jesus Himself, were undoubtedly desiring to use this situation as a means of furthering their idea of serving God. But in doing so they were openly and publicly acting ungodly, for God does not use condemnation to get His way. Therefore, it seems to me that this woman was not the only one being caught in the very act of sinning. These men by their very words, actions and attitudes were sinning far more blatantly and openly than this woman had probably ever dreamed of doing in her sexual encounters. In reality these men too were being caught in the very act of sinning while they were accusing this woman of being guilty of what they considered a more offensive sin in the sight of God.

Now here is the real kicker. Jesus came to reveal to the onlooking universe as well as to men how God treats sinners and feels about them. It is amazing enough to consider the compassionate way in which He dealt with this woman. But even more amazing is the kindness and dignity He displayed in dealing with the blatant, harsh, public sins which these accusers were committing right there in front of everyone. They were being caught in the very act themselves while oblivious to the fact they were even sinning at all, yet Jesus treated them with the very same delicate politeness and compassion that He used in protecting this woman from further shame and humiliation.

This is a lesson I am very slow to learn. It is one thing to avoid falling into the supposedly gross kinds of sins that society tends to view with disgust, shame or condemnation. But it is a very different thing to relate to the more acceptable forms of sin like condemnation, hypocrisy, pride and selfishness with the same compassion and kindness that is consistent with the character of God. Because many of these sins are ones that I get caught up in myself but are not so reprehensible to those around me, it is much harder for me to treat people who attack and accuse me with the compassion of Jesus instead of reacting with defensiveness. It is always the sins that reflect our own weaknesses that arouses the most intense reactions inside of us when we encounter them in others. Thus it sometimes seems hard to accept that God will deal with those sins with equal compassion and dignity as He does with some of the more 'obvious' sins like we see in this story.

The more honest I become about what lurks in my own heart, the more appalled I am at the wickedness that lies latent inside of me and my own potential for evil. But at the same time, as I come to know the real truth about the God of kindness, compassion, love and tenderness, I realize that my only hope is in coming directly to Him openly and honestly with all of these horrible revelations of what is inside of me instead of trying to deny their existence or repress them deeper. I will never clean myself up enough to impress God with my godliness. I can only keep coming to Him to get more and more acquainted with the beauty of His perfection even though it may make me very uncomfortable, and then allow those revelations of purity to have their effect at the deepest levels of my soul.

Transformation only comes about by continued exposure. What I dwell on in my mind and thoughts has a powerful effect to transform me deep in my subconsciousness where I have no direct access. Sin is much deeper than the actions and words I might be able to manage on the outside. It has to do with the deep roots of alienation deep inside that only God can address and repair. And I am learning that the only hope I have of being delivered from sin is to learn and focus more on the truth about God, the goodness of God, the compassion and love and perfection of God until that exposure permeates all throughout my thinking and feelings and affects all of my relationships. This is the method that heaven uses to transform sinners into saints. And this is the only method that will work if I am to cooperate with heaven in attracting others to respond to the grace and love of God for their salvation too.