Stones.

There has recently been a huge dustup in the media concerning Paula Deen and some inappropriate things she may have said and done in her past. It has brought with it a great degree of backlash, polarization and, in my opinion, hypocrisy. While I am in no way condoning her behavior, I can’t help but cringe at the lynch mob mentality that so many people have embraced.

There’s a great snapshot in the Bible of this interaction between Jesus and a group of Pharisees. These guys were the religious elite if the day—very legalistic and often times extremely self-righteous and merciless in their judgment. They had it out for Jesus from the beginning and tried on many occasions to entrap and discredit him (they were never successful, by the way). In the story, a woman has been caught in the very act of adultery and is brought before Jesus as he teaches a group in the temple. And, in pious fashion, they bring her right into the center of the action—in front of the entire crowd for all to see (like a Jerry Springer moment)—so they can appear all the more righteous and morally “perfect” when Jesus takes their side.

Now the law of the day called for anyone caught having sex outside marriage to be stoned to death—pretty harsh punishment by today’s standards and hard to understand in our culture—especially today when causal sex is glamorized and even 13 year olds are engaging in sex. (On a side note, I find it interesting that the man this woman was caught with was nowhere to be found; why didn’t these “holy” men bring him before Jesus as well?) Since Jesus was a very controversial teacher, and because he was bringing new revelation as to the character of God and how it is that we should treat each other, they wanted to see how he would interpret their law and pronounce judgment. But what he said was the furthest thing from what they thought they would hear.

As they were bring charge against her, Jesus bent down, not even looking at them, and wrote in the ground. Now what he wrote is only something that can be speculated; I imagine him writing their names and a list of their personal sins—that’s embarrassing. And when they finished, he stood up and said the very famous words, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And he sat back down and continued to write. I imagine that it got very quiet and extremely awkward for these “holy” men.

One by one, the Pharisees began to leave until only the woman remained. Jesus knew that the woman was guilty, but rather than condemning her to this horrible fate, he took mercy upon her in his judgment. He knew that none of these men, who claimed to live every letter of the law, were truly able to do so—they all were sinners and transgressors of the law in one area or another. Her accusers had all fled, leaving no one condemn her. And Jesus, the only one who was perfect in observing every letter of the law, did not condemn her, but instead sent her off freely and told her simply to sin no more. He showed mercy. He gave her a second chance. He had compassion for her and, because she was not like the Pharisees who were trying to hide behind masks of perfection, he extended forgiveness and grace.

Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” —John 8:1-11

Aren’t we all quick to cast that stone? Don’t we rush to judgment and ready our axes, eager for the chance to cut someone down? And don’t we all make convenient concessions in setting aside our own foibles and failures in favor of bringing shame and punishment to someone else?

I am a sinner—a bad one. And I don’t wear it as a badge of honor or as something that I claim to have righteously overcome. No, I hate it. I still make really stupid decisions. I have said some pretty nasty and inappropriate things about others. I’ve been quick to judge and sometimes even more quick to join in with the crowd, torch and pitchfork in hand, allowing gossip and hearsay to influence my behavior. I have embraced that mob mentality, going after a person’s character before considering my own defects and handling things with mercy or grace.

Yes, there are consequences to our actions; there are rights and wrongs and reasons for rules. But too often we overlook the most important rule: to love others as ourselves and to do unto others as we would have them do unto us. There is righteous judgement that accompanies wrongdoings, but what good is it without forgiveness, mercy and grace? We all have sinned (which literally means “to miss the mark”). If we don’t extend to others the chance for correction and repentance, where does that get us? If we were to gouge out our neighbor’s eyes for any sin they committed, we’d be a world of blind leading the blind.

Who do you need to forgive? What hate do you need to let go of? Who is it that you have in your sights and at whom you are ready to cast your stone? We all have our names written in the dirt and we all need an opportunity for repentance—for merciful judgment. You can’t offer a helping hand when it already contains a stone of wrath. Let it go.

As a side note, I should clarify that I am in no way condoning anything Paula Deen has said or done. If she truly said some of the things she supposedly has, I am rather disappointed and can agree with people taking offense. Ultimately, this post has nothing to do with this entire scandalous nonsense. It did, however, lead me to consider how we are all so quick to cast judgment on others without sympathy to their situation, and often times without full knowledge of events and facts. Did she sin against her fellow man? By her own admission apparently she did. Are her actions beyond forgiveness? I don’t think so. If she is truly repentant and genuine in her apologies, grace should be extended. I understand companies feeling the need and choosing to distance themselves from her, but how quick we are to abandon others when things go awry. Regardless, this isn’t a post about Paula, but about the posture of all of our hearts.