An Encounter with Jesus that changed them

"they went away one by one, beginning with the elders." John 8:9

The Gospel today tells of a woman caught in adultery. Those who caught her wanted to stone her to death. (Have you ever wondered how they caught someone in the act of adultery?)  But their encounter with Jesus changed their mind and their actions. They were so eager to throw a stone at her in the beginning; but something in their encounter with the Lord moved them not to continue what they originally wanted to do.

 


Photo source here.

We all need this encounter with Jesus - whether we are one of those holding a stone in our hand or the one who is in danger of being stoned. For indeed all of us are sinners but do we really need to gang around someone whom we think has done something wrong? Are we really in the position to judge that person? 

 

The Bible says, "“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye..."  Matthew 7:1-5 

 

Why don't we pause for a while and ask if we are not guilty of the same sins by which we want to stone our neighbor? Maybe by doing that, we would encounter Jesus and we too would be transformed by Him.


Update: This post is linked to the Catholic Bloggers Monthly Link-up Blitz for the month of March.