"Let Him Without Sin Throw the Switch"

Sermon for Fifth Sunday of Lent, cycle C, March 28, 1998

Isaiah 43: 16-21

Psalm 126: 1-6

Philippians 3: 8-14

John 8: 1-11

Well, I guess it’s obvious what I’m going to preach on today. "Let the one without sin cast the first stone."

There is another version of that story. It starts the same way. The scribes and Pharisees bring the woman before Jesus, quote the law to him, and ask him what he has to say about it. He writes with his finger in the sand, and then says, "Let the one without sin cast the first stone." At that moment a stone comes flying out of the crowd, hits the woman right in the forehead, and kills her instantly. Jesus turns and says, "Mother, I was trying to make a point."

That version of the story is, of course, apocryphal. But the point is not. Jesus was trying to make a point, not just to the scribes and Pharisees there, but to us who read about this incident two thousand years later.

The question we have to ask ourselves is, "What point was Jesus trying to make?"

The first thing that comes to mind is that Jesus is a very compassionate guy. I guess today we’d call him a "bleeding heart liberal."

But the fact of the matter is that Jesus was (and is) God. So the attitude of Jesus in this matter is the attitude of God. That was the whole purpose of the ministry of Jesus, to show us what God was like and what our relationship with him should be like.

But at the same time, the scribes and Pharisees were right — the law did say that those caught in the act of adultery were to die. (See Leviticus chapter 20, verse 10 and Deuteronomy chapter 22, verses 22 through 24.) Actually, the scribes and Pharisees were only partly right. The law didn’t specify stoning, except for one specific case, that of a betrothed maiden. For this case, the law only specified the death penalty, and left the means open. But the law was very specific about another detail — both the man and woman were to suffer the same penalty. Of course, it was seldom applied that way. The double standard was very much alive and well in ancient Israel. Which brings up one interesting question: "Would Jesus have acted differently if both the man and woman had been brought before him?" Was he primarily making a point against the double standard? (a double standard that still persists to this day. Many more prostitutes are arrested than "johns.")

And where was the man she was caught with? Was he allowed to discreetly slip away? Was he in the crowd, stone in hand? Did Jesus know that? Was that why he said what he did?

So what do you think? Was Jesus making a point against the double standard? Would he have acted differently if both were there to be stoned?

I don’t think so. Stoning people to death just wasn’t Jesus’ style. But he was God, and the Old Testament says killing them is required by God’s law as handed down to Moses and recorded by somebody in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. So why was Jesus (who was God) going against what was supposed to be his own law?

First, I think we have to remember that all those pages and pages of death penalties in Leviticus and Deuteronomy came to us third hand at best. We’re not at all sure they were written by Moses, much less God.

The ten commandments (which did come from God) prohibited adultery ... but they did not specify any particular punishment. And they also prohibited killing other human beings.

As time went on, this came to be interpreted as only prohibiting the taking of innocent life; killing the guilty was OK. But think about it. From an orthodox Christian perspective, killing an innocent person (a baby, for example) sends that person to heaven. But killing a guilty person sends them to hell. Which is worse?

Capital punishment deprives a person of the opportunity to repent. Is that what God wants? But Christ died for all humankind. His purpose was to save everyone. Is it our business (or that of the government) to interfere with that process by executing a criminal?

Here in Florida, we’re on a roll. We have one after another lined up in death row, waiting for their turn in Old Sparky. I can just imagine Jesus saying, "Let the one without sin throw the switch."

Pope John Paul II has said that capital punishment may at one time have been necessary to protect the members of society from violent criminals. But it is never moral if there is another alternative, such as life in a secure prison. "With today’s technology," he went on to say, "there does not appear to be any excuse for capital punishment."

Now we don’t always agree with the Pope, but in this instance (as in many others) he seems to be in tune with Jesus (and that’s what counts).

I would like now to proceed with a discussion of motives.

First, what was God’s motive in giving us the commandments against adultery and killing? Like all the other commandments, they were designed for our wellbeing and happiness. Nobody’s going to be very happy in a society in which promiscuity and violence are rampant. So God’s laws are designed to enable us to live life to the fullest and to grow closer to God.

Jesus was, I think, making the point that while adultery is disruptive of a good social order, the act of stoning the guilty does not contribute to the happiness or godliness of anyone — either the stoners or the stonees. Jesus, after saving the woman, quietly tells her to sin no more. Jesus seems to be sending the message that morality is something that we should impose on ourselves. It is not something that we go around imposing on others. And it is certainly not an excuse for us to exact vengeance on another person. The legitimate purpose of any criminal justice system is to protect the weak and vulnerable members of society and to rehabilitate offenders. It is not to maintain the privilege, power, and wealth of a ruling elite.

This brings us to the question of the motives of the scribes and Pharisees in bringing this woman to Jesus in the first place. They were not righteous citizens trying to protect the moral fiber of Israel. The Gospel tells us that they were trying to trap Jesus. Roman law did not allow the Jews to carry out the death penalty. Yet Mosaic law called for it. They figured they had Jesus in trouble one way or the other.

In a similar way, we might today question the motives of those accusing President Clinton of adultery. Are they trying to protect Hillary’s honor? Are they trying to protect poor innocent Monica Lewinsky? Or are they trying to protect their privilege and power by destroying someone who tends to take the side of the poor against them?

Jesus represented a clear threat to the money and power of the scribes and Pharisees. Clinton represents a threat to the money and power of the corporate elite and their political hirelings. The woman brought before Jesus was almost surely guilty. Clinton may be, too. Let the one without sin cast the first stone.

Interestingly, later in the same chapter (John 8), there is another attempted stoning. This time, it is Jesus himself who is the target. Why? Because he was talking to the Pharisees about Abraham, and they said, "Come on. You’re not even fifty years old, and you’ve seen Abraham??" To which Jesus replied, "Amen, Amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM."

The Pharisees, of course, took that to be blasphemy, which also calls for the death penalty. Of course, Jesus was innocent of blasphemy because he was who he claimed to be — Yahweh.

This should give us reason to be very careful before judging another. As a matter of fact, Jesus tells us just not to do it. "Judge not, lest ye be judged."

That is the real point Jesus was trying to make in this incident. He was not just showing how clever he was at wriggling out of another trap set for him by the Pharisees. He was saying some very profound things:

1* The law applies to both parties. Where is the man?

2* Taking a human life is a greater sin than enjoying illicit sexual pleasure.

3* Life is a great gift of God. He alone should take it. Capital punishment is an indefensible human invention, and is incompatible with the mercy and love of God.

4* I came to save sinners — all of them. You are not to deny me that chance.

5* No matter how much evidence of wrongdoing you have, you are not to judge your neighbor. That is for God.

6* The justice you mete out will in turn be administered to you. Let the one without sin cast the first stone.

Let us pray. Lord, we are sinners. Save us from the arrogance of thinking someone else’s sin is worse than ours. Amen.

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