BY FR. ROLANDO V. DE LA ROSA, OP
THROUGH UNTRUE
The words of Jesus, “Let the one among you who is without sin throw the first stone” (Luke 8:7), remind me of a poem that goes:
When somebody yields
to temptation
And breaks one of God’s laws,
We don’t care about how
he was tempted,
Nor do we consider how he fought;
His name becomes food
for the jackals —
For us who have never been caught!
Jesus directs His words to a crowd led by the scribes and Pharisees, self-proclaimed enforcers and interpreters of the law. They demand that Jesus apply the full extent of the law to a woman allegedly caught in the act of adultery. Jesus must have sensed the hypocrisy in their actions and their feigned concern for justice. If they saw the woman committing the crime, where is her partner? She could not have committed adultery alone.
Their manipulative rhetoric reveals the contradiction between their actions and intentions. They present themselves as defenders of religious and moral righteousness, but their false narrative distorts the public’s understanding of law’s true purpose.
Laws generally provide a framework to resolve disputes, protect rights, and maintain social order. The image of a blindfolded Lady Justice, holding a sword and scales, symbolizes fairness and impartiality within the legal system. The blindfold signifies that justice should be dispensed without bias or prejudice, with each case judged solely on the facts and evidence presented.
In practice, however, this ideal of impartiality raises essential questions about the fairness of law enforcement. While laws are meant to be objective, their rigid application often fails to account for individual circumstances. This lack of flexibility can create a disconnect between the legal system and the people it is meant to serve.
We see this in the harsh enforcement of drug-related laws that disproportionately target poor and marginalized communities. Similarly, lawyers who defend powerful politicians involved in corruption, cronyism, and nepotism undermine justice by exploiting legal loopholes. They transform the “rule of law” into the “rule of lawyers.”
In the Gospels, Jesus radically reinterprets or dismantles legal structures that have become instruments of oppression rather than justice. He emphasizes that the Pharisees’ obsession with the law causes them to overlook its true essence — love, mercy, and justice (Mark 2:23-28). The Pharisees’ strict interpretation of the law became such a heavy burden that it oppressed ordinary people (Matthew 23:4). Furthermore, Jesus highlights that while they outwardly uphold the law, their unreasonable demands are causing harm and suffering to others (Mark 7:1-13).
In today’s Gospel reading, the scribes and Pharisees bring the “adulterous” woman to Jesus, expecting Him to be caught in a dilemma that will force Him to condemn her. But Jesus wisely evades their trap by diverting the discourse to a reality that transcends human law. He asks them to examine themselves and recognize that, as human beings, they too are, in many ways, just like the woman — they are also prone to sin. He reminds them that when faced with human sinfulness, the best response is not to condemn, but to acknowledge our common brokenness and our need for God’s mercy and forgiveness.
For Jesus, mercy and forgiveness are more eloquent expressions of God’s justice. He does not delight in punishment or retribution. He is intent more in restoring and healing what has been broken. As we read in the Bible: “I don’t take pleasure in seeing the sinners die. I had much rather see them turn back from their sins and live” (Ezekiel 18:23).
However, God’s forgiveness invites us to respond to it. Notice that after Jesus frees the woman from the condemnation of the crowd, He firmly instructs her, “Go, and from now on, do not sin anymore” (John 8:11).
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