The Patience of God
Lent Day 21
“Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
— John 8:10—
A Christian therapist once told me that this passage about the woman caught in adultery is a great litmus test to gauge how much one’s worldview favors legalism or liberalism. He would ask them if they remembered the story, and when they responded in the affirmative, he would ask a follow-up question: “Do you remember what Jesus said to the woman after her accusers left?”
Here is the interesting part. If those he questioned leaned more liberal in their morality, they tended to say, “Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you.’” If they were more conservative in their morality, they would answer, “He said, ‘Go and sin no more.’” How balanced Christ’s message is to the world, yet we weigh down the scales in favor of a Gospel tailored to us rather than the world. Yet, when we read the text, we realize that even in this, God is still patient. He’s waiting for the moment when the world’s accusers are gone, and it’s just him and us. It is here that he stands up, and stands before us and asks us, “Where are your accusers?”
In today’s commentary, I was struck by a quote from the Holy Father, Pope Francis. From 2013, the Pope shares his thoughts on the passage we read today:
Jesus' attitude is striking: we do not hear words of scorn, we do not hear words of condemnation, but only words of love, of mercy, which are an invitation to conversion. “Neither do I condemn you; go, and do not sin again” (v. 11). Ah! Brothers and Sisters, God's face is the face of a merciful father who is always patient. Have you thought about God's patience, the patience he has with each one of us? That is his mercy. He always has patience, patience with us, he understands us, he waits for us, he does not tire of forgiving us if we are able to return to him with a contrite heart. “Great is God's mercy”, says the Psalm.1
Jesus is God, and God is Love. In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, he says, “Love is patient.” Jesus here embodies love in a visceral patience. In the face of an angry mob, Jesus bends down and begins to write, seemingly unalarmed by the rage of the crowd, in the dirt with his finger — as an aside, this seems to be a divine reference to the Old Testament where God writes with his finger the words of the Ten Commandments. I’m surprised our commentary didn’t bring this up.2 3 Moving on…
This woman had found herself awaiting judgment, but found the patient love of God. She was not looking for God, but she was brought to him for judgment. Jesus’ patience is an indication of how his love works all things out for our good. God’s love is often seen as sudden, grandiose, powerful, and overwhelming, but we often overlook the subtle, deeply personal, and patient love of God that we see in this encounter. This woman had made mistakes, but God did not condemn her, and neither did he leave her in her sins. “Go and sin no more,” he commands. Her accusers have left, but now God is both her King and her judge. Does she return to her life of sin? We don’t know. But we do know that if she loved God, she did change her ways (Jn. 14:15).
As a convert to Catholicism, you come to realize the bittersweet nature of God’s patient love. On the one hand, you are amazed that God would wait so long for you to come to him and receive as he intended. Looking back, you begin to see what I call “shadows” of God’s hand guiding you to the Church, and it’s incredible. You realize that in that waiting, there was a building up of love — the patient love of God which leads to its overwhelming power in our lives. In that sense, the older you are, the more overwhelming the experience of God’s love when you accept it.
But it is also bittersweet. In some sense, you have come to the party late. You hear stories of Pope John Paul II, but when you were protestant, he was just “the Pope.” Now, he’s one of your son’s favorite saints. You will never have the experience of a proper Catholic wedding within the Church. You will never discern the priesthood, go on pilgrimage with college students, and experience the depth of wisdom within college Newman centers. Yet, there is still something beautiful, because God brought you to the Church at the right moment, within his plan and knowledge of who you are and what he has planned for you within his kingdom.
Love is patient, God is Love.
— DR
Pope Francis, “Angelus,” March 17, 2013.
Deut. 9:10 — “The Lord gave me the two tablets of stone written by the finger of God…”
Ex. 31:18 — “He gave Moses the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written by the finger of God.”
Thank you for this. One of my favorites, and you hit the nail on the head regarding how different sides remember this reading. I think I’ve only heard one or two people say both of the lines of Jesus after the accusers had left. As somebody else pointed out to me, Jesus didn’t condemn her for her sin, but he made it clear that what she did was a sin and to not do it anymore. There was judgment of the sin, and mercy extended to the sinner.