Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” - John 8:12
The passage above witnesses to the proclamation made by Christ just after forgiving the "Woman Caught in Adultery," or as a good friend in the Church told me, "the only woman in history to commit adultery all be herself." : ) In other words, why wasn't there another person being accused with her? It does take two, doesn't it? Anyway, this woman, singled out by all as the worst of all sinners, was to be put to death by stoning, when Jesus stepped to not only defend her, but forgive her as well. Unfortunately, history provides many examples of communities who would condemn their own for similar, or even less. Even more unfortunate is the reality that history does not offer as many examples of Christ's level of forgiveness to accompany their stories.
In the "Blogosphere" one can enter a very dangerous area, if one decides to go on record as forgiving criminals, as they are often seen as somehow condoning their criminal actions. This GregBlog will walk this fine line ever so carefully so as not to be misunderstood.
First, I have to offer my understanding of a person's call to discipleship; that is to say, the job description offered to us at the beginning of Jesus' ministry as witnessed in the Gospel of Luke: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free..." Luke 4:18 The key phrases for this "job description" are:
- Proclaim Liberty to Captives: Some are captive to things outside of their control: Loneliness, disability, economic struggle, etc. Our job and privilege is to help accept them for who they are, and work WITH them to overcome certain obstacles that they face, e.g. visit the lonely, feed the hungry, and assist the disabled.
- Recover Sight to the Blind: There is such a thing as INJUSTICE, and when we observe such things, our job and privilege is to speak out against it, and encourage a solution, especially by our actions. We can write a letter to our congressman, vote for change, and protect the innocent in prayer and outward support!
- Let the Oppressed Go Free: To help those who are oppressed infers that they are in prison against their will, or under some form of force or intimidation. Like those who are captive to economic injustice, almost a combination of the two categories above, we must speak on their behalf. But what about the prisoners? What about those, like the "Woman Caught in Adultery"? What about the one's who commit the crime, and serve the time? Does one have to be captive, or blind, or oppressed to be loved by God? Can God love the guilty, and if so, can WE serve them, and share the love of Christ with them? Absolutely! Christ knew of the woman's guilt, and forgave her all the more. For the record, he would have forgiven the cowardly man that joined her in that adulterous affair if he had had enough guts to ask instead of hide. We as disciples are called to learn from "The Teacher", and do the same!
There are some prominent criminal cases in the news today, and some convicted criminals that need God's love. I wonder if WE could step up and pay a visit to them? I wonder if WE could be the ones to shine Jesus' light into their darkness?
I told you this was dangerous!
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