Are you a Follower… or a Leader of God?

“So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, he that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” (John 8:7)

This quote holds the key to our life morals.  Let’s see why Jesus said this and to whom.     

The Pharisees caught an adulteress and told Jesus that by the Law of Moses, she should be stoned to death.  The crowd was so angry with an appetite of a hungry wolf awaiting Jesus’ answer.

In general, any angry crowd is very dangerous because of their blinded reasoning.  Crowds normally lack character, similar to a pile of rocks. They are in chaos with no plan. Any opportunist can easily control them and force them act inappropriately.

The Pharisees and imposters that led, mimicked a flood, destroying everything in their way with their chaotic leadership. On this specific day, the fluid crowd could not stone her to death; but after months passed, they crucified Jesus, the one who set the adulteress free.

Every survival has a cost.

 Why didn’t the crowd want to stone the adulteress?  Was it for the justice of God or for specific moral reasons?  In this case, they were looking to place blame. The criminal, the scoundrel and the evil-doer were all looking for the chance to do wrong.  Like a snake always has venom; but it needs a victim to poison.

There are a certain category of people who want to be seen as the praised and honored by defaming and humiliating others.  One of their used tactics, is to present themselves as the humble victim rather than the aggressor. Like wild animal crying out, “Poor me, look this rabbit who is running away not allowing me, letting me eat him.”

We tend to call this “crocodile tears.” Such Pharisees are everywhere in the world: politically, academically and in church, as ‘’true’’ parishioners.  They are well dressed, polite, educated, and can come from well-known families. It becomes a masquerade or game, as such people yearn- desire to gain the trust of followers in a crowd.  Eventually, these followers fall into the venom and become victims themselves. And that is the nature of the Pharisees’ game.

Jesus refused to be part of that game. By his actions, He declares that we must not just follow or be follower, rather listen to our hearts as well.  In order for that to occur, you must ask yourselves, why are you here? What is your motivation? You came to listen to the words of life that I preach and to find salvation or perhaps, with a hidden agenda, this is no longer a place for such behavior.  If you would like to judge, begin with judging yourselves.

Adultery is a sin, from the beginning of time. In His teachings, Jesus separated pure love from affection of flesh, which someone of believe is love. Of course, Jesus never said that love is not part of the flesh; but what he meant was that love is not lust.

Let’s read from Corinthians:  “But you yourselves wrong and defraud, and that even your own brethren.  Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?  Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor thieves nor the greedy, nor drunkards, no revilers, nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God.” (Corinthians 6:8-10). 

According to what St. Paul has written, it doesn’t appear as anyone will be in Heaven.  As we have read, St. Paul is straightforward.  It might not be politically correct; but it is Biblically sound.

Jesus said he who is without sin should cast the first stone.  As we have read in the Bible, Jesus would write in the sand as he was preaching or saying this words- who is without sin should cast the first stone. Theologians say that He was writing names and their sins of those in the crowd listening to his words. 

No one threw stones at that time. Maybe it was their conscience that was awakened or perhaps they were just embarrassed. 

These days, whatever you write in the sand or on a paper must to be witnessed by a lawyer or notarized.

Oscar Wilde was jailed from accusations that he was homosexual.  In his cell, he wrote that when someone does something secretively, he will someday be obligated to shout it from the rooftop. 

All of us have done or said something that was underhanded. It will all eventually be revealed, whether today or tomorrow.  We cannot hide from ourselves nor from God.

He wants save us not to punish.   

St. Paul advised us that if someone acts in a wrongful manner, they have a chance to be sanctified and justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Don’t throw a stone at someone’s window when your home is made of glass.

One day, a man who had a complaint came to the Catholicos Nerses Shenorhali to give him a list of wrong doings that he thought the Catholicos has done.  “Look at your mistakes.” He read the list and became very sad.  “Alas, my son, it is just a quarter of my sins that you have listed here. If you had asked me, I would have given you many more sins to add to this list.”

  Decent and virtuous people know their own sins very well and always live with regret and repentance.  It’s only the blind people and hypocrites that are incapable of viewing their own huge faults, as they see others minor faults.

Let’s return to the story.  The position of Jesus is clear: adultery is sin yet, I am here to heal and restore, not to punish. In the end, the crowd left the adulteress alone.  Jesus approached her and asked, “Where are your accusers?”

She replied, “No one is here, therefore, no one has accused me.”  Jesus also told her that He has not judged not accused her either.  “Go and do not sin.”

Dear faithful, let us depart today with God’s forgiveness and live with a heart of good conscience and belief in our Lord, for the remainder of the day.

fr ZACHARIA SARIBEKYAN