Today’s scripture: John 8:1-11 (NRSV) (KJV) (The Message) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Ben Lamb):
Whenever I heard this passage while growing up, the entire emphasis seemed to be “Oh, isn’t Jesus so witty and wise. He pointed out that no human is perfect, and therefore, mustn’t be the ultimate instrument of condemnation.” While that aspect might well be the high point of this particular reading, an additional point catches my attention.
What was Jesus writing on the ground?
If he considered it important enough to start the project, leave it just long enough to save someone’s life, and then immediately proceed to go back to his writing on the ground, I’m inclined to think the words were more important than — oh, say a nursery rhyme, like Mary Had a Little Lamb. [Yeah tacky, yet somehow intriguingly appropriate choice of a nursery rhyme!]
So anyway, what do you suppose it was? Apparently, we’ll never know. It reminds me that I, like the accusers, sometimes get so obsessed with single-purpose thinking and actions that I totally miss out on a golden opportunity. It would have been really neat to know what was on Jesus’ mind at that moment, and learn what was so important that he felt obliged to return to it ASAP.
But, the same thing happens today, too. When was the last time you asked the phrase, “How ya doin’?” while racing past someone on your way to somewhere else? Could it be that you just missed a golden opportunity to “be Jesus” by taking the time to listen to that blur-of-a-person whose heart may have been breaking for some reason and desperately needed a listening ear for just a moment?
It’s sometimes easy to take that first step of intending to listen to someone, and then proceed to highjack the conversation onto own’s own agenda:
“How’s it going?”
“Well, I just found out that my job is being eliminated next week, and I don’t know where to turn!”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. The same thing happened to my ex-boyfriend. And I can’t say that I shed any tears for him. He was an absolute jerk. You won’t believe how he treated me…”
Have you ever hijacked a conversation?
I can’t count the number of so many types of golden opportunities that I’ve come to realized I missed out on in my own life in a multitude of ways. But I have learned something through the years: God has a way of pointing them out to me when I’m willing to assess a situation in the same manner that I think Jesus would have tried to. It’s a joy to perform a golden opportunity!
Thought for the day: May it be one of my goals in life to never miss a golden opportunity to “be Jesus” to someone else.
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.