Tag Archives: woman

Caught In The Act!

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CAUGHT IN THE ACT 

“But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 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 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?’  John 8:2-5 (NIV).

How convenient! Just when they needed some way of catching Jesus out on some (perceived) breach of the Law, one (or some) of them “happened” to come across this woman in a little liaison. Would these guys stop at nothing to nail Him? Makes you wonder, doesn’t it! Was this woman part of their trap? Were they willing to sacrifice her to get their way? And what of the male member of the conspiracy? Where was he? It takes two to tango.

In this whole debacle, what kind of a god were the religious leaders representing? Was this the God who rescued them from slavery in Egypt; the God who led them; cared for them; protected them; fed them and entered into a marriage covenant with them in the wilderness and gave them the Promised Land? Is this the God who taught them about loving Him and loving their neighbour as themselves? Was God’s Law intended to turn them into monsters or to show the world what kind of God He really is, gracious, compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love and faithfulness?

Jesus was, along with rabbis Hillel and Shammai, a rabbi with authority. How often did the common people not wonder at His authority because He showed, them by His words and works, the true nature of God, and they marvelled. The other rabbis perpetuated the tradition of a God of law and justice who wreaked vengeance on those who stepped outside the Law, especially the way they interpreted the Law. They made a fetish of the Law and twisted the nature of God to suit their distorted version.

Jesus’ yoke was different. He portrayed a God of mercy and compassion, one who was on the side of the poor and oppressed. He was not out to destroy but to restore. He had forgiveness and mercy for those who repented and healing for the sick in body and mind. His kingdom was built on love, God’s limitless and unconditional love for all people, and man’s love for each other because all barriers had been removed.

The Jewish leaders hated Jesus because He made God too nice. It didn’t suit them because a “nice” God took away their power to control the people through fear and stripped away their cloak of hypocrisy.

How insensitive these men were! Imagine them dragging this poor, half naked, wretch  in front of Jesus, flinging her down on the ground and loudly demanding that He pronounce His “Guilty!” verdict on her or else…! ‘Come on, Jesus. We caught her IN THE ACT! Moses said we must stone her. What do you say?’ They were confident that they had Him. If He showed mercy to her, He would be deliberately acting against the Law of Moses. If He agreed to their stoning her, He would be applying their yoke, not His own. He would be going against His own authority and bowing to theirs.

Was Jesus caught off guard? Would He have an answer that would vindicate Him and be merciful to the poor victim who lay trembling on the ground, waiting to hear her fate?

I can imagine the self-satisfied grins on the faces of these men as they looked at one another in triumph. ‘We’ve got Him now,’ they must have thought. ‘There’s no way that He can wriggle out of this one!’ In full view of their audience of people eager to listen to the gracious teaching of the rabbi whom they admired and followed with expectation and enthusiasm, they waited for their answer.

But they didn’t know Jesus. He knew exactly how their minds worked. There was one small part of the Law they had forgotten….

Her Risk Paid Off

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HER RISK PAID OFF

“At that very moment the haemorrhaging stopped. Jesus said, ‘Who touched me?’ When no one stepped forward, Peter said, ‘But Master, we’ve got crowds of people on our hands. Dozens have touched you.’ Jesus insisted, ‘Someone touched me. I felt power discharging from me.’

“When the woman realised that she couldn’t remain hidden, she knelt trembling before Him. In front of all the people, she blurted out her story — why she touched Him and how at that same moment she was healed.

“Jesus said, ‘Daughter, you took a risk trusting me and now you’re healed and whole. Live well, live blessed.'” Luke 8: 45-48 (The Message).

This was unusual behaviour for Jesus! Why did He insist on putting this poor woman on public display? Apart from the demoniac He had set free across the lake, He normally told people to keep what He had done for them under wraps.

But here He was broadcasting to the entire crowd that someone had touched Him. Could He possibly have had another reason than simply letting everyone know that yet another person had been healed? Did He want to disgrace her for contaminating the entire crowd by infecting them, and Him, with her uncleanness?

But it was never in Jesus’ nature to do that. Besides, people were immediately cleansed when they came into contact with Him. He must have had a more significant reason than showing off His power.

Jesus was on His way to the home of a man whose child lay dying and was possibly already dead. It was not permissible for a rabbi to come into contact with a dead body except if he, too, were unclean. The only way to gain access to the child was to give the people the impression that the woman had made Him unclean by her touch! Brilliant!

 

Jesus also had another motive for insisting that the woman own up. He wanted to complete her healing, not just of her physical ailment but also of her heart. Thinking she was in trouble, she came forward to acknowledge what she had done in fear and trembling. She did not know what to expect from this rabbi.

The words He spoke were the words of life to her. His first word was the reassurance that she was somebody; not a nameless, despised, unclean outcast but ‘Daughter!’ Imagine how she felt to be called a daughter in Israel, regardless what anyone else might think or say. She was not only healed but also whole. She understood that.

 

To be whole — “shalom” — was to be restored to God’s original intention for her. She could put her twelve years of suffering behind her, knowing that she had been fully accepted as a member of God’s people.

Her very demeanour reveals what she thought of herself before she came face to face with Jesus.  She had hoped to remain anonymous, creeping up behind Him, being healed and creeping away again to enjoy what she knew He could do for her. But once again Jesus made a public display of a woman whom the people had cast aside as just a filthy bit of trash but whom He treated with compassion and restored to her rightful place in society and in God’s eyes.

Imagine her joy as she made her way home to pick up the pieces of her life…

In the meantime, Jairus was waiting, anxious and impatient. How did he feel about the interlude that interrupted his mission? The minutes were ticking by and his daughter was dying. Would this delay mean the difference between life and death for her?

How often we feel like that too! Time will make the difference between hope and despair, so we think. But time is not the issue with Jesus. It’s not about time; it’s about trust. Anxiety, fear, impatience, cancels trust. Jesus is never too late!

Don’t Panic

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DON’T PANIC

“On His return, Jesus was welcomed by a crowd. They were all there expecting Him. A man came up, Jairus by name. He was president of the meeting place. He fell at Jesus’ feet and begged Him to come to his home because his twelve-year-old daughter, his only child, was dying. Jesus went with him, making His way through the pushing, jostling crowd.” Luke 8:40-42 (The Message).

This is part one of a twofold story.

The first person introduced was a man with a name and a pedigree. He was Jairus, an important person in the community. He had a title and a function – he was in charge of the local synagogue where the townspeople met every Sabbath for worship and the reading of the Word of God. It was also probably the venue for the local school where the boys were taught to read and write and study the Torah.

Was Jairus part of the group of religious leaders who rejected Jesus’ claim to be the Messiah? Was he one of those who were quick to jump on Him for breaking the Sabbath? We don’t know. Luke not only identifies him as a religious ruler but also as a desperate father. Whatever religious scruples he had, fell away when his circumstances spun out of control.

His only child was dying. He knew that there was no doctor who could do anything for her. There was only one man who could help him, who had the reputation for having authority over demons, disease and death and who had healed many sick people in his own town. When Jesus, to his great relief, put in an appearance just when he needed Him, he wasted no time in hurrying to get help.

At the very moment when Jairus was putting his urgent request before Jesus, there was another needy person in the crowd, pushing her way towards Him.

“In the crowd that day there was a woman who, for twelve years, had been afflicted with haemorrhages. She had spent every penny she had on doctors but no one had been able to help her. She slipped in from behind and touched the edge of Jesus’ robe.” Luke 8:43-44 (The Message).

The contrast between these two people could not have been greater. Jairus was an important man; the woman was not even named. Jairus was a religious man; she was a despised and unclean woman. His little daughter was the child of probably the most important man in the town; the woman was nobody. Strangely enough, for every day that the little girl was growing up in her parents’ home, healthy, cherished and no doubt pampered, the woman was living a lonely life of suffering, an outcast and unclean; twelve years of living lives that were worlds apart.

Now the little girl was on the brink of death while the woman was dying slowly. Both she and Jairus needed Jesus. Which one needed Him the most? Which situation was the most critical? Which one would get His attention first? Had it been one of us who had to make the choice, we would probably have told the woman to wait while we attended to Jairus’ child because her need was the most urgent. The woman was alive and walking; the child was dying.

This story is a masterpiece of revelation. Although Luke may have borrowed the record from Mark, the story itself is a mirror of the heart of Jesus. He did not have to make a choice. As we read on, Jesus took the events in His stride. He did not stop and weigh up whose need was greater. He dealt with each situation as it arose. To Jesus, neither need was a crisis, not even the child’s imminent death.

In our lives, situations arise which we view as crises and which throw us into a panic. We rush off to Jesus and breathlessly beg Him to come immediately, forgetting that He is already there and that He is fully aware of every detail, even more than we are. What should be our attitude when we call on Him in desperate moments like these?

Jesus Himself gives us the answer: ‘Don’t be afraid; just believe…'”

Weighed In The Balance

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WEIGHED IN THE BALANCE

“Jesus said to him, ‘Simon, I have something to tell you.’  ‘Oh? Tell me.’  ‘Two men were in debt to a banker. One owed five hundred silver pieces, the other fifty. Neither of them could pay up, and so the banker cancelled both debts. Which of the two would be more grateful?’

“Simon answered, ‘I suppose the one who was forgiven the most.’  ‘That’s right,’ said Jesus. Then turning to the woman but speaking to Simon, He said, ‘Do you see this woman? I came to your home; you provided no water for my feet, but she rained tears on my feet and dried them with her hair. You gave me no greeting, but from the time I arrived she hasn’t quit kissing my feet. You provided nothing for freshening up, but she soothed my feet with perfume. Impressive, isn’t it? She was forgiven many, many sins, and so she is very, very grateful. If forgiveness is minimal, gratitude is minimal.’

“Then He spoke to her: ‘I forgive your sins.’ That set the dinner guests talking behind His back: ‘Who does He think He is, forgiving sins!’

“He ignored them and said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.'” Luke 7:40-50 (The Message).

Simon was a Pharisee! A Pharisee, a man with a huge ego problem!

The eyes of all the dinner guests were on him. No doubt they were all Simon’s cronies, friends and supporters, Pharisees and religious types who keenly felt his embarrassment because they were in this together. They were probably thinking what he was thinking when the woman made her appearance and washed Jesus’ feet.

Why did Jesus name and shame Simon’s behaviour so ruthlessly? Before the woman’s intrusion, He said nothing to him about his lack of common courtesy. He let it pass until the woman did for Him, out of humility and great personal cost, what Simon should have done as the host through a servant.

This whole dinner date thing was an absolute farce. Firstly, eating with Jesus as a sign of reconciliation was a sham. Simon had issues with Jesus along with all the other Pharisees and reconciliation was the farthest from his intention. Sitting at the table with Jesus was a company of hypocrites.

Secondly, he publicly humiliated Jesus and showed his contempt for Him, and no doubt for His disciples as well, by ignoring the protocol of hospitality. After all, Jesus was a rabbi, one on the same level as His two great contemporaries, Hillel and Shammai, and He should have been received with great honour.

And Jesus noticed but said nothing until Simon revealed his contempt for the woman as well. Then He jumped in with one of His famous and pointed stories. Simon would immediately have recognised who he was in the story if he were honest — the ungrateful debtor. Once again we see how Jesus differentiated between Simon’s and the woman’s hearts. In the presence of Jesus, the woman was aware of her own sinfulness and wordlessly craved forgiveness. In the presence of the woman, Simon preened and congratulated himself for not being like her — at least in the public eye!

The outcome for the woman was peace; an inner sense of wellbeing because her past had ceased to exist. She left Simon’s home deeply in love with Jesus. Simon, on the other hand was both uncomfortable and angry, along with his peers. Instead of loving Jesus for freeing him from the guilt of his past and giving him a new start, he was seething with rage at being exposed, and determined to get even with Him when the opportunity came.

He was, no doubt, joined by his other dinner guests who were outraged at Jesus’ treatment of the woman. ‘How dare He forgive her sins! Who does He think He is?’

Like them, it all depends on how we see ourselves in the light of who Jesus is. We can ignore Him and compare ourselves with those whom we hold in contempt or we can allow His light to expose our darkness and experience the freedom of forgiveness and a new life.

The choice is ours.