Monday, April 22, 2013 -- Who's To Blame?
Monday April 22, 2013
What do we do when we look at our lives and discover that we've fallen short, that we've failed to live up to our own ideals? What do we do with the sense of guilt and shame? What do we do when we realize we've disappointed others?
Sometimes we look around to find others we think are worse than ourselves; we then compare ourselves to them in order to rationalize our own shortcomings. We tell ourselves, "Maybe I'm not so bad.” At other times we simply want to avoid taking responsibility for what we are doing and one way to turn attention from our own behaviour is to focus on someone else. We loudly condemn and challenge poor behaviour in others and, if we’re honest, it’s the same behaviour we recognize in ourselves.
Jesus wants us all to be well, to recognize truth in our lives, and to live on the basis of that truth. We read about one such opportunity in the following story.
As he (Jesus) was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?” They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!”
Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.” (John 8:3-11 NLT) The woman who was caught in adultery was certainly doing wrong. However, so were the people who were accusing her. That's why, when Jesus challenged anyone without sin to be the first to throw a stone, no one could. Nothing is hidden from God. We all sin. We all fall short. However, God gives life that is full, abundant, and forever to those of us who admit our failures and receive God's forgiveness.
It's time to turn away from condemnation and judging others. It's time to look honestly and openly at our own behaviours and allow ourselves to be invited to new life with God through Jesus Christ.
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