"Faces"

There are faces of so many,

Who looked with hope to see,

If there was anybody there,

Who took the time to be,

A shoulder they could cry on,

A listening ear to hear,

Someone who wouldn’t judge them,

But a caring presence near.

And they’ll crawl into a bottle,

Take a shot or some old pill,

Just to medicate the problem,

If the void they cannot fill.

And sometimes with a lover,

Who does not give them love,

But briefly undercover,

When push comes down to shove.

So what it is I’m saying,

The church just cannot be,

Some kind of institution,

That preserves itself, you see.

Or focuses on people,

Who have a stable life,

And not too many problems,

Or chaos, stress, and strife.

In fact there’s lots of scripture,

That says we go and find,

The ones who wander far away,

Their wounds to heal and bind.

And not so we can count them up,

Like notches on a gun,

To make us more successful,

With religious things we’ve done.

But simply ‘cause we love them,

And want for them the gift,

Of full and free salvation,

And from their valley lift.

No more will we judge them,

When we see that hopeful face,

But give them love and mercy,

And in our hearts a place.

“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 8:10-11, NLT)

Most of us cut to the chase and say, “Go and sin no more.” That’s what the woman caught in the act of adultery needed to hear and do. She needed to stop her sinful, selfish and destructive behavior, right? Right. But the Pharisees who caught the woman didn’t bring her to Jesus because they loved her and were concerned about her. They judged and used her to find fault with Jesus, with little or no regard for her feelings. Of course the brilliance of Jesus’ response is one of those bright, shining moments in scripture. The most ancient Greek manuscripts don’t include the story, but every translation of scripture has it. As one of my very liberal seminary professors said, “It’s just the kind of thing Jesus would do.” He was right. “Cast the first stone if you haven’t sinned” turned the tables, and they all walked away. Then Jesus gave mercy to the woman and instructed her to go and sin no more. The sequence bears remembering.

Lord, help us give mercy and speak the truth in love, in Jesus’ name.

Art by John Bye, used by permission. Thanks, John, and God bless you.