WWJD: The John 8 Test - New Evangelizers

Whenever I start to feel high and mighty about my faith and my Catholicism, I use the John 8 Test. This passage from John, chapter 8, is the “He who is without sin…” Bible story.

I used to think was just a classic love-the-sinner, hate-the-sin story. But, lately, it has blossomed with a new, wide-reaching faith meaning. You talk about Jesus’ presence; it is here in full force in this scene.

Here it is, John 8: 2-11, “A Woman Caught in Adultery”:

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.”

There is a lot going on here in the WWJD realm. First, Jesus is once again challenged in public by the scribes and Pharisees, who are trying to snag Him by the letter of church law.

Second, the surrounding crowd of witnesses is probably worked to a fever pitch by their religious leaders and ready to administer the stoning sentence to the adulteress. Jesus seemed to be in a huge predicament and vastly overmatched, but then His presence shines forth. He calmly wrote on the ground, and then completely turned the tide with His one sentence until the frenzied crowd, the scribes, and the Pharisees all left one by one. Wow.

Finally, in the scene, He forgives the woman of her sins. Her sin was so bad she was about to be stoned to death by the witnesses. Jesus still forgives her, completely and without question. Christ’s presence shines again.

How do I use this story as test of where I’m at in my faith reality? How do I use Jesus’ example in the temple courtyard to blast my faith complacency and get back to work on its development?

I place myself at this scene and ask myself to be completely honest in answering the following question:

Which side would I have been on that day in the temple courtyard?

Truth be told, I never like the answer my heart gives me. So I pick up the pieces of my battered faith ego and return to working on following the WWJD example of Jesus to become a more Christ-like person.

Truly, it’s a work in progress.

Copyright © 2012, Mike Hays

Mike Hays

Mike Hays is a husband, a father of three, a lifelong Kansan and works as a molecular microbiologist. Besides writing, he has been a high school strength and conditioning coach, a football coach and a baseball coach. His debut middle grade historical fiction novel, THE YOUNGER DAYS, is a 2012 recipient of The Catholic Writer's Guild Seal of Approval Award. You can find it at the publisher's website or on Amazon.