Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
But early in the morning he arrived again in the temple area,
and all the people started coming to him,
and he sat down and taught them.
Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman
who had been caught in adultery
and made her stand in the middle.

They said to him,
“Teacher, this woman was caught
in the very act of committing adultery.
Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women.
So what do you say?”
They said this to test him,
so that they could have some charge to bring against him.
Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger.
But when they continued asking him,
he straightened up and said to them,
“Let the one among you who is without sin
be the first to throw a stone at her.”
Again he bent down and wrote on the ground.
And in response, they went away one by one,
beginning with the elders.
So he was left alone with the woman before him.
Then Jesus straightened up and said to her,
“Woman, where are they?
Has no one condemned you?”
She replied, “No one, sir.”
Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you.
Go, and from now on do not sin any more.”

Note: I post these scriptures during Lent as an invitation for anyone to reflect a little more during these weeks leading Easter, to think and prepare ourselves to truly deepen our faith, and how we live it out. Yes, I write from my own Catholic identity, but I have tried very hard to make these posts an invitation to anyone who is Christian, or curious. How could posting scripture cause discord. No one forces you to read and participate here. Please allow others to share as they choose, in peace.

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Jeff
April 6, 2025 4:09 am

I love Jesus
All that matters

zimbalistjunior
zimbalistjunior
April 6, 2025 9:56 am
Reply to  Jeff

great

Last edited 1 year ago by zimbalistjunior
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Chaco Canyon
Chaco Canyon
April 6, 2025 3:48 pm
Reply to  Jeff

We all (Christians) gather at the foot of the cross.

scott s.
scott s.
April 6, 2025 4:04 pm
Reply to  Jeff

Sorry, but can’t agree. If you love Jesus, then in my view you must let the Spirit enter in, and show the works of the Spirit. Otherwise it is ignoring the message of James. So love Jesus, but also love the Spirit.

Jeff
April 6, 2025 8:31 pm
Reply to  scott s.

Triune God
Love and accept the sacrifice and grace of Jesus Christ. Without Him you don’t have The Father or The Holy Spirit.
Hence , I Love Jesus . That is the beginning of all that matters —— Better ?

Sepp
Sepp
April 6, 2025 8:49 pm
Reply to  Jeff

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; both now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Dekester
Dekester
April 6, 2025 4:21 am

As one that has little religious background I appreciate your posts thank you!

Cheers!

Mimi
Mimi
April 6, 2025 4:55 am

Good on you.

Thomas Smith
Thomas Smith
April 6, 2025 5:05 am

It is a time of introspection and reflection. I know of no deeper or liberating thought than to think that the God of Universe, the Creator wants to have a deep personal relationship with us, fallen, sinful human beings. We come to Him through faith, and repentance
we rise to the words: “Neither do I condemn you. “. Thank you posting the Scriptures.

Francis W. Porretto
April 6, 2025 5:17 am

The two great preparational seasons of Advent and Lent are wholly appropriate times for this… but then, so is every day of every year. God bless and keep you, Menagerie.

scott s.
scott s.
April 6, 2025 4:09 pm

Yes, let us not forget Whitsunday aka Pentecost which follows Easter.

Aggiegirl
Aggiegirl
April 6, 2025 5:38 am

AD REM,

Chefabay is now polluting the Lenten link.

Ad rem
Admin
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Ad rem (@stoltzpus)
April 6, 2025 5:22 pm
Reply to  Aggiegirl
Andrew Floss Dworkin
Andrew Floss Dworkin
April 6, 2025 6:04 am

What did Jesus write in the sand?
Why did John feel the need to mention it?

Because it’s true; and that’s exactly what happened that day.

RJH
RJH
April 6, 2025 8:58 am

I was thinking about this and ran across something shortly after and felt a connection.

Hosea 4 v 14

“I will not punish your daughters when they commit harlotry,
Nor your brides when they commit adultery;
For the men themselves go apart with harlots,
And offer sacrifices with a ritual harlot.
Therefore people who do not understand will be trampled.

Trusting Jesus
Trusting Jesus
April 6, 2025 12:42 pm

Some have speculated he was writing their sins.

Gbw
Gbw
April 6, 2025 5:54 pm

He was doodling waiting for His Father to yell him what to say. Had he said the wrong word they would have stoned her.

NFA
NFA
April 6, 2025 6:33 am

Thank you Menagerie.

Appreciate what you do.

Swrichmond
Swrichmond
April 6, 2025 7:34 am

Thank you, I enjoyed reading this.

hanson_Charlie
hanson_Charlie
April 6, 2025 7:44 am

Thank you Menagerie for sharing. Bless you for providing this space to share scripture and knowledge while allowing others to participate.

Tom
Tom
April 6, 2025 8:07 am

What a powerful illustration of our Lord’s loving grace! And wouldn’t you love to know what he was writing in the dust?

Phil
Phil
April 6, 2025 8:14 am

Thank you, Menagerie. This helps.

Covertly Astute
Covertly Astute
April 6, 2025 8:30 am

Heavenly Father,
We come to You on this Fifth Sunday of Lent, seeking Your guidance as we draw nearer to the celebration of Easter. Thank You for the opportunity to reflect on our lives and to seek a deeper understanding of Your love for us. We pray for the strength to let go of anything that hinders our connection with You and with others. Help us to cultivate a spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation, that we may model Your love in our interactions. As we prepare our hearts for the coming joy of resurrection, may we also recognise the call to bear our own crosses with grace and humility. Lord, instil in us a sense of hope, knowing that through faith in You, we are promised new life. May our journey lead not only to personal transformation but also inspire those around us. Amen.

John17milw
John17milw
April 6, 2025 8:37 am

In this account, as well as the story of the prodigal son, we often focus on the grace of God for the lost, and so far so good, but miss the other point that those of us who have been life long Christians need to have the same heart and mind that our Father and his Son have. It is easy to condemn someone I consider less, rather than to consider myself as Paul did, “less than the least.”

Linda
Linda
April 6, 2025 3:54 pm
Reply to  John17milw

Scripture tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves….not easy when “our neighbor” is an unbeliever or someone we disagree with on politics, etc. It is still our job as a Christian to share the word of God, because faith only comes through hearing the Word and with the help of the Holy Spirit. This is the “narrow road” we are to take. God’s peace and blessings be with you.

Ma McGriz
Ma McGriz
April 6, 2025 10:00 pm
Reply to  John17milw

Yes, John, I think, if we’re doing it right, the more we know we are, the less we know we are.

Vince Piotet
April 6, 2025 8:49 am

“We-all” love Jesus, our heritage and our presidents and THAT makes a big difference.

Sepp
Sepp
April 6, 2025 8:57 am

The Jesus Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me, a sinner.

JB
JB
April 6, 2025 9:10 am

Jesus knew of their set up and openly disarmed each of them with the simple truth.

His mercy, grace and love for his people always amazes me.

David M Kitting
David M Kitting
April 6, 2025 9:26 am

Know that incidents like the “charter” captain’s “outburst”…

On the Peace river…

Are the manifestation of the spirit of antichrist…

Just like when Jesus cast out the same spirit out of the lunatik…

And into the herd of swine…

I was accosted by the same spirit last night in a drunken lunatic…

I chose to let him live.

In God We Trust

Trust God
Fear not

Sepp
Sepp
April 6, 2025 9:35 am

Fifth Sunday of Great Lent

Saint Mary of Egypt

She picked up her Cross and lived for many years in profound repentance in the desert near the River Jordan after living in deep corruption in her homeland of Egypt.

https://fatheralexander.org/booklets/english/mary_egypt_ext.htm

sejmon
April 6, 2025 9:40 am

This is a day Lord has made let us rejoice and be glad… and do not sin any more. Thank you Menagerie.

Last edited 1 year ago by sejmon
DonZ
DonZ
April 6, 2025 9:40 am

THANK YOU!🙏

Lorrie Girten
Lorrie Girten
April 6, 2025 10:16 am

These posts are soul soothing ! 🕊️ ❤️

Ingmar Kellog
Ingmar Kellog
April 6, 2025 10:41 am

Wonderful scripture for this day and age.
What was his last command to the sex worker: “Go, and sin no more.” [KJV]
In this a day and age…sadly…the word “sin” …makes the skin of some crawl.

Bessie2003
Bessie2003
April 6, 2025 11:30 am

from The Collects, contemplation, meditation for the Fifth Sunday in Lent:

“We beseech thee, Almighty God, mercifully to look upon thy people; that by thy great goodness they may be governed and preserved evermore, both in body and soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

The keynote for this is God Our Father; the roots of our being must be in God – ‘In Him we live and move and have our being.’

Last edited 1 year ago by Bessie2003
FLConnie
FLConnie
April 6, 2025 12:49 pm

Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you.
Go, and from now on do not sin any more.”

One of my most treasured Scriptures.

Jesus loves us so much that He commands us to continuously live a holy life.

He knows that sin separates us from the Creator who shelters us, protects us, provides for us, fights for us.

He loves us enough to want for us the peace that passes all understanding. The peace that only comes by obedience to God.

Most of my life, I hated the word “obey.” It took me a lot years before I realized that my obedience in God benefits Him in no way. All of the benefits are for me, because His love is sacrificial.

It’s certainly different from my experience with humans, when they demand obedience.

Shalom

hg
hg
April 6, 2025 1:07 pm

These passages get more powerful every year I read them:
1) Jesus came to save.. not to condemn us!
2) We (Christians) are not judge we are to love like Christ loved us– judging is for Jesus and the angels.
3) We do not contribute anything to our salvation — being good — no that does not do it… we can’t be good enough. Jesus was the perfect lamb for us. He is the only way
4) We cannot follow God’s law perfectly, but we should try….. Jesus says to go and sin no more. But that’s impossible for us to pull off. But through Him… All things are possible..

Linda
Linda
April 6, 2025 4:55 pm
Reply to  hg

awesome post…thank you!!!!!

Stu
Stu
April 6, 2025 1:15 pm

Almost there! Crucifixion next Saturday! And then Resurrection Sunday on the following Tuesday, April 15th!
Let’s celebrate the real one instead of the goddess Astarte’s day April 20th.

Mike Robinson
Mike Robinson
April 6, 2025 1:25 pm

@Sundance, you just keep doing what the Lord directs you to do with your website. If Satan sends anyone to disrupt you, simply delete their posts and carry on. “Lent” is an ancient time of remembering, and it is good that you remember and invite us to do the same. (I like the “ashes” graphic, too!)

Last edited 1 year ago by Mike Robinson
jmp2cth
jmp2cth
April 6, 2025 1:28 pm

This is another example of Jesus avoiding a trap set for Him by the scribes and Pharisees; they are not actually seeking legal advice. Their question is a trap designed to incriminate or discredit him.

1)     If Jesus authorizes the stoning, the Pharisees will report him to the Romans for criminal wrongdoing, for the Jews were not permitted to administer capital punishment under Roman rule, and

2)     If Jesus forbids the stoning, the Pharisees will discredit him as a false messiah who contradicts Moses, for the Torah classifies adultery as a capital crime

The genius of his response is that it turns the tables on the Pharisees and forces them into their own trap. On the one hand although they feel qualified to authorize the stoning, they realize that will bring Rome’s reprisal on them instead of Jesus who is not actually authorizing the stoning; and on the other hand by restraining themselves and walking away, the Pharisees are made to look like sinners (they are) and compromisers in the eyes of the crowd.

-Referenced by an RSV Catholic study bible

Last edited 1 year ago by jmp2cth
AmaraGrace
April 6, 2025 2:20 pm

Kristin Chenoweth – from King of Kings
I Want To Live Like That. {

}

scott s.
scott s.
April 6, 2025 3:03 pm

Old joke about this:
““Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”
Again he bent down and wrote on the ground.”
Hearing the thud of a rock, He looks up and exclaims, “Mother, what are you doing here?”.

Linda
Linda
April 6, 2025 3:56 pm

An alternate Gospel reading for today is found in John 8:46-59.
46 Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? 47 He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.”
Before Abraham Was, I AM48 Then the Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?”
49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. 50 And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges. 51 Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.”
52 Then the Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You have a demon! Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.’ 53 Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Who do You make Yourself out to be?”
54 Jesus answered, “If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is [a]your God. 55 Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, ‘I do not know Him,’ I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.”
57 Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?”
58 Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”
59 Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going[b] through the midst of them, and so passed by.

BidensATool0
BidensATool0
April 6, 2025 6:40 pm
Reply to  Linda

Great scripture post!
I’ve read this scripture previous times in the past. It’s Amazing how God REVEALS things to me as I read, when I need it! In verse 47 and 58 he reveals himself to the people as I AM and they didn’t see it and connect it to Exodus 3:14. I know he is I AM, but I just got the “REVELATION”, that Jesus was telling them HE IS I AM! God is so good!!!
Thank you Lord for the gift of the Holy Spirit! I’m again in AWE! Continuously in Awe, and amazement when things are revealed to me! I’m so excited!
Thank you Linda for the scripture post.

BidensATool0
BidensATool0
April 6, 2025 6:53 pm
Reply to  BidensATool0

We are really blessed to know that Jesus is the Son of God, while reading this scripture and reading The New Testament. These people didn’t know, and he was right in front of them. It makes you wonder, “would we have been as blind?”
It just makes me realize how BLESSED WE ARE to KNOW this, in our time.

BidensATool0
BidensATool0
April 6, 2025 6:55 pm
Reply to  BidensATool0

Humbled.

Yy4u
Yy4u
April 6, 2025 5:08 pm

Thank you Menagerie

Leavemygunsalone
Leavemygunsalone
April 7, 2025 12:01 am

I get more religion and spirit reading these posts and commentary than I do attending a church service. Thank you for posting.