This article is the first of two on the passage in John 8. It first appeared in the Christian Community News Magazine. Pappa’s Pantry does great things in our community. Please click on through to see the rest of the magazine!

The crowd was angry. A woman had committed an atrocious act. The law was clear. Stone her. To death. Rocks were gripped, ready to be unleashed with fury.

The setting is approximately 30 AD. The voices (and stones) raised against this women all belonged to men of the Jewish ruling class. The Pharisees and teachers of the law. She had been caught, literally, in the act of adultery. She had been dragged out of the bed of her partner, most likely half naked, and thrown to ground in front of Jesus.

In a valiant effort to validate their anger and hate toward her, they confronted Jesus with this question:

“Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” (John 8:4)

They were not asking Jesus because they valued his counsel. No. They hated Jesus because he did not follow their personal and political agendas. He challenged them. Stood up against them. He called them out for their hypocrisy. Nope. They did not like him. So they asked him this question in an effort to trap him into saying something they could use against him to win their case.

But Jesus didn’t respond right away. He paused. Wrote something on the ground. When he stood up he looked at each one of their angry, condemning faces and said,

“If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8:7).

These are wise, anger-diffusing, perspective-shifting words. The angry mob, one by one, dropped their rocks and turned away as their own sin, their own guilt, their own actions and thoughts came to mind. Maybe the men remembered the way they had shunned the woman. Maybe they remembered egging their friend on to see how far he’d go. Maybe they recall a time they too were tempted, or the time they too went too far. Maybe it was as simple as having the harsh words they spoke to their children that morning flash across their consciousness. Whatever the memory was, it caused each one of them to drop their rock.

In essence, Jesus cautions them about finger-pointing. The problem with pointing a finger is that when we do that, there are three fingers pointing back to us.

In our human nature, we do not naturally take responsibility for situations. If something adverse or bad happens, we are quick to point a finger. We need someone to blame.

I wrote this in the aftermath of the horrific events at Parkland High School in Florida (and before that, Orlando, Las Vegas, Sandy Hook, Aurora, CO, and Columbine). We, as a society, are very quick to accuse and to blame. We have blamed the parents of the young man who committed the crime (and extended that to blaming every parent whose child struggles in school). We have blamed the National Rifle Association just because we can. We have (rightfully) blamed the authorities (there is fault here), and we have blamed the gun manufacturers. We have blamed everyone who disagrees with our personal position. We are the mob of angry men with a solid grip on our rocks.

We have become an angry nation. We are angry over these horrific events. Angry over politics. Angry over gay rights and race issues. Angry over the increasing traffic. Angry over parenthood choices. In many ways, God is also angry about these things. But his anger is a righteous anger that results in justice. Our anger all too often manifests itself in ugly, ready-to-throw rocks ways that results in revenge and division. Our words are ugly. Our actions are ugly. We place ourselves in the seat of judgment over the situation and then demand others agree with us. When they don’t, we hurl our rocks.

What might Jesus say to us? I think he’d say the same thing he said to those men: if any of you is without sin, be the first to throw a stone. I think he’d tell us to pause, quit pointing fingers, and instead search our own selves.

Are we, his followers, reaching out to the lost? Are we showing kindness? Are we guarding our tongues? Are we exhibiting forgiveness? Does our life reflect the love and Lordship of Christ in ALL areas? I wonder, did anyone from Parkland attend the funeral services of the young man’s father or mother? Did anyone extend themselves in an effort to show compassion to a hurting young man?

Maybe they did, I don’t know. And if they did, it may not have changed his actions. I am not shifting responsibility for his actions to anyone else. They are his and his alone.

When hurtful, bad, sinful, and even evil things occur, there is someone at fault. Let’s not lose sight of that. Those who perpetrate the wrong need to be held accountable. This is true if we are talking about thoughtless, angry words spoken between spouses all the way to the evil perpetrated at Parkland. Jesus never said the woman was innocent. She never claimed she was innocent. He was addressing the anger and hate of the crowd. This doesn’t mean there isn’t a larger conversation that needs to happen on guns, any of the topics mentioned earlier, or just about what goes on within the walls of our own homes. We do need to have those conversations. But not in anger. Not in hate.

In light of Jesus’ response to the angry mob demanding justice against the woman, I am moved to apply his response to this situation, and every other situation where I am quick to look for someone to blame.

Jesus says to us, stop pointing the finger. Before we lash out and place blame, lets take a look at our own hearts, our own thoughts, our own actions, and our own words. We might just hear those same wise, anger-diffusing, perspective-shifting words.

We all have rocks we need to drop.