Jesus Neither Condemns Nor Affirms
For all our supposed psychological sophistication, the modern world does not know how to handle evil and sin. We either deny, condemn, or affirm it. This keeps us stuck, locked where we are.
Chapter eight of the Gospel of John tells of a woman caught in adultery. She has violated the law of Moses and the punishment is death. The scribes and Pharisees use her sin to test Jesus. Should they stone her to death? If he says not to stone her, Jesus violates the law of Moses. If he approves their actions, he violates Roman law. Jesus gives no reply. He only writes in the sand. We know not what.
He finally speaks, “Let those among you who have no sin cast the first stone,” and continues writing. One by one the accusers drop their stones and leave. The guilty woman is left alone, only with Jesus. Ashamed and in fear for her life she looks to Jesus. He asks her, “Is there no one here to condemn you?” She responds, “No one sir” to which Jesus replies, “I do not condemn you. Go and sin no more.”
As we see with Eve in the garden, the devil and the world will entice, confound, and encourage to lead us into sin. Do what you desire. There is nothing to worry about. The commandments are a hindrance to your self-actualization. Shame and guilt are contrived to prevent your happiness.
Yet at some point the inescapable realization sets in. We have done evil. We have used and abused ourselves and others. We are overcome with the heat of guilt. Not just in mind, but in our body: a flinch, a desire to hide, to run, to do anything rather than face our offenses. More distraction, more sin. Just don’t make me look at myself. We search for an excuse (the woman you put here, she gave it to me!). We try to justify. But when we can no longer escape, we arrive at a point, both terrible, and yet with a sense of a beginning. I have done wrong. It is my most grievous fault. The only real option that stands before me is repentance and change. Here the devil and the world appear again. Up to now evil has been treated with indifference. But now comes condemnation. What evil you have done! What a shame you are. Well, it is to be expected, that’s just who you are. You are a liar, a thief, a slut. You’re gay, you’re trans, an addict, a felon. You’re impatient, lazy, stupid. That’s who are. You are cancelled. Repudiated. There is no forgiveness. Stuck in your shame. It is too late for you.
But that is not the only maneuver. There is another, more insidious, cloaked in compassion. Affirmation. In contrast to the condemners who tell you how bad and unredeemable and beyond hope you are, the affirmers come with the softer message. It’s okay. There’s nothing wrong with you. You are authentic. Follow your passions. Everyone needs self-care. You deserve this. Who are those people to judge? That’s just who you are. You are a liar, a thief, a slut. You’re gay, you’re trans, an addict, a felon. You’re impatient (now we’ll call it driven) lazy, stupid. You can’t change who you are. And anyone who tells you differently is mean, self-righteous, judgmental, a hypocrite. They secretly want to do those same things. Be who you are! You are welcomed here. Affirmed. There is no need for repentance or forgiveness. Express yourself. It’s your identity. Be proud of yourself. Don’t listen to haters.
It is the same message: it’s too late for you. Only now in a soft, pharmacological, therapeutic tone.
Like the woman in the Gospel, we are surrounded by condemnation and affirmation. And yet we are still alone.
But not entirely.
In our silence, ashamed, confused, unable to look at ourselves, unable to lift our eyes, there stands Jesus. And if we listen, we will hear his voice. But we are afraid because we will hear the question we cannot bear, “Is there no one here to condemn you?” More than any other voice, we fear condemnation from God. He is our one last hope, and we cannot bear to lose it. Better not to take the risk. But if we do, and like the woman reply in fear and trembling, “No one but you, sir,” what will Jesus say?
He who knows our sins and feels the offense of evil greater than anyone else, he who is holy, the spotless lamb.: what will he say and can we bear it? He replies like he did to the woman, “Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.”
Jesus neither condemns nor affirms. He forgives and tells us the truth. You are not condemned. Go and sin no more. This life is not for you. This is not who you are. You are a sinner, this is true. But you are not your sin. You are wounded, confused. But you are not your wound. You are not your confusion. That is the lie. Your worth, your life, and your meaning is not determined or identified by your sins or your wounds. You are not a liar, a thief, a slut. You are not gay, trans, an addict, felon, a prostitute, or a pimp. You are not impatient, lazy, stupid. You are loved. You are redeemed. You are my son. You are my daughter. Just as Jesus spoke to the woman so he says to us: Rise up. Let’s go. Do not be afraid. Stay no longer in your sin. It is the same message he gave to Abraham, “Go forth!” You cannot stay here. You cannot remain in your old life. It is the message to Israel – it is time to go, to leave Egypt. It is the message to Peter, James, and John on Mount Tabor, “Rise up, don’t be afraid.” It is the message to Peter after his denial. It is the message of St. Paul, “forgetting what lies behind, reach forward”
In The Shattering of Loneliness, Bishop Eric Varden writes in his meditation on “Remembered Lot’s Wife,” we are not meant to stay where we are. We are called for more. He quotes St. Bernard, “Not to move forward on the path of life is to slide back,” and St. John Henry Newman, “to be at ease, is to be unsafe.”
We must move. No doubt we will fall again. Like with Israelites, God will either shield us from the Philistines or save us from Pharaoh. Each of us is a sinner. Each of us in need of repentance and change. And each of us has agency and grace and therefore the capacity to change. The condemners and the affirmers say, “That’s who you are. Stay There.” But Jesus tells us that we are made for more. The Paschal season is upon us. Repent. Rise up. Do not be afraid. Let’s go.