Reflection for 5th
Sunday of Lent
(Is 43:16-21; Phil
3:8-14; Jn 8:1-11)
“Behold, I am doing a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” The action of God to recreate
and bring forth a new order is emphasized in the first reading from the prophet
Isaiah. Jesus fulfilled this prophecy today in the life of a woman caught in adultery.
“Teacher, this woman has been
caught in the act of adultery. Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such.
What do you say about her?” Jesus’ immediate response was surprising: Silence! It
was such a great silence that its imprint was left on the ground. “Jesus bent
down and wrote with his finger on the ground.” It takes a lot of courage and power
to be silent when surrounded by such bloodthirsty and treacherous people.
The sound of His silence roared; the
dilemma of the accusers deepened. “And they continued to ask Him...” They
needed words from Him to satisfy their treachery, but His silence became an
arrow that pierced their hearts. By his silence, Jesus equally put Himself at a
life-threatening risk since any of the stones could have landed on him. From the
depth of His silence, He took upon Himself the death sentence of the woman and
spoke on her behalf: “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw
a stone at her.”
Now He has spoken, but ‘words of
silence!’ The impatient and noisy accusers are drawn to silence, for their
guilty consciences are exhumed. There was serene calmness hovering over all.
The rhythmic sound of dropping stones filtered through the air. “They went
away, one by one, beginning with the eldest...” The mark on the ground—the silence
of Jesus—has won the day!
Then Jesus said to the woman, “neither
do I condemn you; go, and do not sin again.” Jesus is not an accuser but a
Saviour. And He does it with gentleness and power (cf. Mt 12:18-21). The woman
goes home with a new life, as if she was raised from the dead (cf. Heb 11:19). Now
every other thing counts as loss, except the surpassing faith in Christ Jesus,
the righteousness of God that depends on faith and the power of His
resurrection from the dead (cf. Phil 3:8-10).
Encountering the sound of silence
of Jesus is power and victory!
