# Today’s lecturer is the co-pastor Mizuguchi

1. Crime and Sin

Today is the third Lord day of Lent and our lecturing episode tells us what happened to Jesus in Jerusalem. John describes the beginning this way ; - 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 in 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 8:1-5)

The concerning law of Moses is found in Leviticus 20:10 ; - ” ‘If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death.

Furthermore Deuteronomy 22:20-21 gives details ; - If, however, the charge is true and no proof of the girl’s virginity can be found, she shall be brought to the door of her father’s house and there the men of her town shall stone her to death.

Stoning or lapidation was the traditional method of execution of the Jewish culture of the era. Therefore The teachers of the law and the Pharisees said, ‘ Moses commanded us to stone such women.’ They were envious and jealous of Jesus who was admired by the people. So they asked such a question to damage Jesus’ reputation. If Jesus agreed to stone her it would be incompatible with his teaching of love but if Jesus said, ‘no,’ the answer would violate the law of Moses. Thus they tried to put Jesus at a dilemma.

But, naturally, Jesus was wise enough to avoid their trap and kept silence ; - Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. (John 8:6) And ; - When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.(John8:7-8)

John reported then the reaction of the crowd ; - At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.(John8:9)

Thus Jesus made them aware that no humans were sinless and none of them had right to execute the woman. As they had focused on sin committed by the woman, they ignored their own nature of sinner. But Jesus words, ‘If any one of you is without sin, ‘ moved and awoke their conscience to recognize the fact. Thus Jesus taught them the lesson indirectly.

Though ‘Sin’ and ‘Crime’ are different notions, they are expressed by one word in Japanese, ‘Tsumi.’ Nonetheless, in an atheistic society, like Japan, sinners accuse and condemn criminals without scruples. But I think that Japanese people also must distinguished clearly one from the other. Sin is transgression of God’s law and crime is violation of human laws. We also must keep in our mind that inner sin often generates crimes as external results.

And John concludes the episode with the concise conversation between Jesus and the woman ; - Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin."(John 8:10-11)

2. God’s mercy through Jesus

Committing adultery gave a very dangerous result, stoning. Deuteronomy 17:7 describes how the punishment commenced ; - The hands of the witnesses must be the first in putting him to death, and then the hands of all the people. You must purge the evil from among you.¡¡

And it is said that Jewish law of the era allowed those who violated no commands had the right to throw stones against convicts. And it was also dangerous to try to save the condemned woman from the crowd. Nonetheless, regardless of the risk of being struck with thrown stones, Jesus remained beside the woman, in writing something on the ground. Thus he acted in accordance with God’s will, or mercy. His posture was expressing the will to protect her with his own body, like a shield. This way, God’s mercy was showed not through words but through Jesus’ behavior.

Though without scholastic bases, some think that the woman was Mary of Magdala*.¡¡Mary of Magdala was one of those who followed Jesus until the Cross on the hill of Golgotha. And it is rather natural to interpret that the woman who was saved from stoning also repented. She should be saved from sinful existence through Jesus’ love. Jesus’ love made her newborn. Therefore, preceding other disciples, Mary of Magdala encountered Jesus after the Resurrection in front of the tomb. Jesus’ understanding, worm protection, patience for repentance and generosity of forgiveness came from the love of God. God loves so much humans as John declared ; - “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.(John 3:16-17)

And the very love was showed by Jesus toward the woman condemned to stoning in today’s lecturing part.

* Mary of Magdala http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_of_Magdala
http://www.gotquestions.org/Mary-Magdalene.html

3. Authority to forgive sinners¡¡
Todays’ invocation verse is John 20:23 ; - If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
Jesus the words to accord his disciples the authority to forgive sinners. To the woman caught in adultery, Jesus said, ‘ Neither do I condemn you.’ And he gave his disciples the similar right to forgive others. However it must be God alone who has such a power. So we might wonder on which base Jesus had the similar authority to that of God.

Jesus did because he decided to drink the bitter cup and die on the Cross to save humans in total accordance with God’s will .
Bonhoeffer*, German theologian, said that there were two types of grace: common grace and saving grace. The former indicates God’s love accorded all humans regardless of their sins. However, on that stage, our spiritual problems remain as they are and we are always sinners. In contrast, the latter is precious because it accords us forgiveness. But forgiveness is too difficult for us to reach at with our efforts. Jesus alone could and can realize it for us by offering his own life. He achieved it by redeeming our sin by his own blood. He, facing the Cross, would declare, ‘ I bear the judgement. I redeem humans’ sin.’ Therefore he also said to the woman, ‘ Neither do I condemn you.’ Thus he bore her sin.

He overcame all human sins through the Resurrection. And today’s lecturing part tells us that the power of forgiving is trusted to us, too.
The portion concerning the woman caught in adultery teaches us that who must be really blamed. It was not the woman who sentenced to the execution but Pharisees and law teachers. Because they were complacent about their faith and condemned the woman without hesitation. But, hearing, ‘If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her,’ they became scrupulous. Because at that moment they recognized that no human can be sinless.

Now we are empowered to forgive. In other words, we are compelled to forgive others, instead of accusing. Mother Teresa thought about forgiveness this way: It is easy to accuse, to hate or to resent others. Besides we get easily angry and very often refuse to forgive. We, instead, judge others in emotional way. In contrast, it is difficult to forgive. But we must forgive each other. If not, we cannot live in peace. Because we, all humans, commit sinful acts knowingly or unknowingly.

Those who are forgiven sin will be newly born. And the church baptizes them by the name of Jesus.¡¡After the lecture, we will sing a hymn ‘Oriola,’ by William B. Bradbury**, which praises forgiveness, repentance and baptizement. Mary of Magdala was forgiven, repented and was baptized with the Holy Spirit on the very day. She should then sing a hymn for merciful Jesus who forgave her. She should express the joy of receiving the light. The light enlightened her entity which had been once lost in darkness. Then she should give thanks to Jesus for the act of saving her with his own blood. She witnessed this way to Jesus who led her to the kingdom of God. I am sure that the lyric of ‘Oriola’ is the most appropriate hymn for today’s lesson.

* Dietrich Bonhöffer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietrich_Bonhöffer
** William B. Bradbury http://www.bethel.edu/~rhomar/Prefaces/OriolaPreface.htm