Browsing Deacon Randy Haak articles

It is Not My Job to Judge Others - April 7, 2019

The Gospel reading this Fifth Sunday of Lent is one of my personal favorites for several reasons. First, it reminds me of why Jesus came to walk side-by-side with us in the first place – to save us, to forgive us and most importantly, to teach us to love – not judge – one another. Jesus encounters this woman and her accusers and an interesting dynamic unfolds. The woman is no doubt scared – she undoubtedly knows what the punishment is for her actions. Imagine how she must have felt with that angry crowd around her, anxious to carry out her punishment.

Then Jesus begins to write on the ground, perhaps the only time we know that Jesus himself wrote anything. What did he write? Many people have speculated: perhaps the sins of the people in the crowd, perhaps the names of people who were guilty of the same sin as the woman, perhaps the new commandment to love one another, perhaps a warning not to judge others. Of course we will never know what he wrote, but we do know that whatever it was, Jesus made his point.

The second reason that I like this reading is that it reminds me that I should NEVER judge others. That is not my job! I know at times that I can be judgmental, and this reading helps remind me that I need to work hard to overcome that and take care of my own shortcomings and not worry about others. It is always easy to judge someone else when we are on the outside looking in and don’t know the whole story.

Finally, and most importantly, this Gospel gives me hope. Hope that when I fall short that I, too, will get another chance just like this woman. Jesus doesn’t argue that she was guilty under the law; instead, He says in effect, “despite what happened, despite what you did, I’m going to give you the chance to change, to do better.” As Jesus writes on the ground the crowd, one by one, drops their stones and walks away. Why? Because Jesus got them to look inside themselves, rather than focusing on someone else’s shortcomings. Jesus understands that she is not perfect and that she has made mistakes. Jesus is not looking to judge her for her past but, instead, is looking for how she will be a better person going forward.

That needs to be our focus, not only in Lent, but every day – to reflect personally on what each one  of us needs to change in our own lives, rather than worry about the faults of others. His final advice to her is good advice for all of us today: “Go, and from now on, do not sin any more.”

Deacon Randy Haak

 

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