FAUSTI - Jesus, in the last week in Jerusalem, spends the night outside the city, toward the Mount of Olives, to return in the morning to teach in the temple, where the people rush to Him. The teaching is Himself, with what He is and what He does. For He is " the Word ", the new sanctuary, the presence of God, of that God who now reveals Himself fully in forgiveness. The men of the law ask Jesus not to know if He is in favor of stoning...They ask His opinion to set a trap for Him, as the Evangelist immediately notes. Stoning is a form of collective murder for which no one feels responsible. It requires the unanimity of the crowd: all collaborate and discharge their aggressiveness against the transgressor, mostly presumed, who represents what everyone is struggling with and wants to get out of the way. The result of the elimination of the wicked, is to feel united, reconciled and cleansed of evil, allowing society to move forward: it is the effect of the scapegoat, which must be. It should be noted that Jesus does not write on the sand, but on the stone of the pavement; in fact, the scene takes place in the temple. If we do not keep in mind the "finger" of the One who writes and do not enter into communion with Him, Scripture itself becomes a fetish that prevents us from entering into the thought of God. Writing is the self-communication of the life-loving God, who does not despise any of His creatures; He has compassion for all and does not look to sin for repentance. The prophets have promised that there will come days when God will take away our heart of stone and give us a heart of flesh, and will engrave His law not with His finger on the stone, but with the Spirit on our heart, which will finally be a new heart, capable of living fully the gift of God (Jeremiah 31 - Ez. 36). Jesus' gesture can allude to these texts, that will be fulfilled when He will give us His Spirit. Right on the cross, where the title of his condemnation will be 'written' - in Hebrew, Latin and Greek (Jn 19:19) we will understand what Jesus now writes. This is the meaning of the whole of Scripture. possibly a stranger or an enemy, a different or a defeated one, who becomes a host and designated victim...The woman had been placed in the middle by the zealous of the law that condemns. Now she remains alone with only Jesus, in the midst of God's boundless mercy. Sin is the place where the superabundance of His grace is manifested. Augustine says: "Two remain: misery and mercy". In the end, what remains of every man is the encounter of his own misery with the mercy of God. The greater the abyss of sin, the greater the love that is received and the knowledge of God and of oneself that is obtained. And the greater the capacity to love. Jesus, the only one without sin, does not leave. He remains with the sinner: he is the merciful Son as the Father. He asks her if there is still a just man left who can condemn her. No one has remained who can condemn her. But one has remained: the only Just One, who justifies her! When the enemies disappeared, there is still the One who loves her with eternal Love (Jer 31:3), in whom she recognizes her Lord, because He forgives her and brings her out of death. A new covenant is established between the two, now written no longer on stone, but in the heart.
FAUSTI - Jesus, in the last week in Jerusalem, spends the night outside the city, toward the Mount of Olives, to return in the morning to teach in the temple, where the people rush to Him. The teaching is Himself, with what He is and what He does. For He is " the Word ", the new sanctuary, the presence of God, of that God who now reveals Himself fully in forgiveness.
RispondiEliminaThe men of the law ask Jesus not to know if He is in favor of stoning...They ask His opinion to set a trap for Him, as the Evangelist immediately notes. Stoning is a form of collective murder for which no one feels responsible. It requires the unanimity of the crowd: all collaborate and discharge their aggressiveness against the transgressor, mostly presumed, who represents what everyone is struggling with and wants to get out of the way. The result of the elimination of the wicked, is to feel united, reconciled and cleansed of evil, allowing society to move forward: it is the effect of the scapegoat, which must be. It should be noted that Jesus does not write on the sand, but on the stone of the pavement; in fact, the scene takes place in the temple.
If we do not keep in mind the "finger" of the One who writes and do not enter into communion with Him, Scripture itself becomes a fetish that prevents us from entering into the thought of God. Writing is the self-communication of the life-loving God, who does not despise any of His creatures; He has compassion for all and does not look to sin for repentance.
The prophets have promised that there will come days when God will take away our heart of stone and give us a heart of flesh, and will engrave His law not with His finger on the stone, but with the Spirit on our heart, which will finally be a new heart, capable of living fully the gift of God (Jeremiah 31 - Ez. 36). Jesus' gesture can allude to these texts, that will be fulfilled when He will give us His Spirit.
Right on the cross, where the title of his condemnation will be 'written' - in Hebrew, Latin and Greek (Jn 19:19) we will understand what Jesus now writes.
This is the meaning of the whole of Scripture. possibly a stranger or an enemy, a different or a defeated one, who becomes a host and designated victim...The woman had been placed in the middle by the zealous of the law that condemns.
Now she remains alone with only Jesus, in the midst of God's boundless mercy.
Sin is the place where the superabundance of His grace is manifested.
Augustine says: "Two remain: misery and mercy". In the end, what remains of every man is the encounter of his own misery with the mercy of God. The greater the abyss of sin, the greater the love that is received and the knowledge of God and of oneself that is obtained. And the greater the capacity to love.
Jesus, the only one without sin, does not leave.
He remains with the sinner: he is the merciful Son as the Father.
He asks her if there is still a just man left who can condemn her.
No one has remained who can condemn her.
But one has remained: the only Just One, who justifies her! When the enemies disappeared, there is still the One who loves her with eternal Love (Jer 31:3), in whom she recognizes her Lord, because He forgives her and brings her out of death. A new covenant is established between the two, now written no longer on stone, but in the heart.