About conviction
“Remember the woman you wanted to kill for treason against your husband, and Jesus protects her from the crowd with just one phrase:“ Who among you is without sin, first throw a stone at her ”? (Jn 8: 7). drawing some signs in the sand.
There is an interesting interpretation of this gospel episode in the church tradition. According to her, Jesus wrote in the sand with the finger the secret sins of each of the accusers. He wrote briefly, but before the chill, it is terrible for the one being convicted, because for any of these sins, according to Jewish law, death was due. St. Nicholas the Serbian told about this in the form of an artistic story:
“Meshulam is the abductor of church treasures,” wrote the Lord on earth;
Asher committed adultery with his brother's wife;
Shalun - oath breaker;
Eled hit father;
Amarnah appropriated the estate of the widow;
Merari committed the sin of Sodom;
Joel worshiped idols ...
And so on everyone in order wrote on the ground the finger of the righteous Judge. And those about whom he wrote, bent, read the written with horror. All that they had cleverly concealed, all their secret iniquities, which, it seemed, were unknown to anyone except them, but which violated the law of Moses, were, it turns out, known to Him and now they have been announced to them! Their lips suddenly fell silent. Impudent "truth-lovers", proud of their righteousness, and even more impudent judges of others' sinfulness, stood petrified and mute, like pillars in a temple. They were trembling with fear, not daring to look at each other's eyes, but they no longer remembered about a sinner woman. They thought only of themselves, of their reproof and of their death! No other language could say to the Lord this annoying and crafty one: "What do you say?" The Lord was silent. He did not say anything.
He was disgusted by His mouth to declare their deceit, their sins. And therefore He wrote on the dust. What is so dirty deserves writing on dirty dust. Another reason the Lord wrote in the dust is even more amazing. What is written on the dust quickly disappears, leaving no trace. But Christ did not want to declare their sins to everyone and everyone. For if He wanted this, he would have said about them before the whole people, would have exposed them, and the people, according to the law, would have stoned them. But He didn’t want either revenge or death to those who constantly plotted to kill Him and who wanted His death more than their own eternal life.
He only wanted them to think about themselves, about their own sins.
I wanted to remind them that they are not sinless and that they, under the burden of their own iniquities, should not be too cruel judges of others. So that the lepers of sin will not hasten to heal the leprosy of others; that, being criminals, not pushing others apart, in order to be their bosses.
That's all the Lord wanted.
And when He finished writing, He again smoothed out the dust, and the writing disappeared. ”
The sinners "righteous" turned out to be in no way better than the sinner, whom they angrily denounced her sin.
And again the same ending, still the same quiet, love-filled phrase: Jesus, having risen and not seeing anyone but a woman, said to her: woman! where are your accusers? No one has condemned you? She answered: no one, Lord. Jesus said to her, “And I do not condemn you; Go and sin no more (John 8: 10–11).
Why am I writing all this? This is because we are with you ... This is all about us ... This is all about me ... This is what we condemn everyone and everyone, while we ourselves are mired in sins, may our sins be invisible to everyone’s eyes. We see other people's sins, but we do not notice our own sins, justifying ourselves for everything. I hope you understand what I mean?
Judging the sins of others, you rush so hard: Start with yours - and you will not get to others. ”
Those who have ears, let them hear. "
Priest Peter Guryanov
