It was mid morning, she woke with sleep still in her eyes. She gently rolled out of the bed as to not wake the man sleeping next to her. She hated this feeling of waking and sneaking out so no one would see her. She walked across the dirt floor, leaving an ever so small wake of dust in her trail. She stepped around the corner and peeked out the doorway. She saw crowds of people walking by. She shook her head and scolded herself silently. She should have been up earlier so she could sneak out without being seen. Now she will have to find a way to get out without being seen by all the people. She took a deep breath as a big knot rose into her stomach. Nerves on edge, "Here goes nothing." She said in a whisper.
She ducked out the door, and at that moment, a man met her eyes. Fear overtook her body as she froze there. She couldn't move, she knew she had been caught. She knew her actions were punishable by death. The man yelled, "Stop! Woman, do not move!"
She panicked. She turned and tried to run but another man cut her off. He grabbed her by the arm. His grip was so tight, it felt as if he would rip her arm off. She began to weep and beg as the overwhelming feeling came over her. She knew this was the end. She had been caught, and there was nothing she could do about it. She begged him to overlook her transgression, but he was not so kind. The man who had first met her eyes approached. His condescending, judgemental glare saw right through her. She thought about the events that led to this moment. She saw a stoning once. She knew it was definitely not the way she wanted to die. The thought of it had her fear stricken. "Come with me." Said the man.
As he gripped her other arm. There was no way she would get free from both of these men. The men led her to the other end of town, she wondered why they didn't just stone her there. Why delay her impending death? As they came to the end of town, she noticed the crowd became thicker. There were more people than she had ever seen there. Why did they have to build a crowd for her stoning? She was already so embarrassed that she had been caught. As they got closer to the center of the crowd, she heard the voice of a man. His voice was peaceful, and kind. She heard him teaching. As they approached him, her eyes met the teachers eyes. She had heard of this man, a lot of people thought he was a prophet or crazy. Some stated he was the messiah. What was his name? She tried to remember. "Jesus!" Someone shouted from the crowd.
That's right, his name was Jesus. She wondered what these two men who gripped her arms so tightly were going to do. She was humiliated. As they approached the teacher, he grew quiet. A look of concern washed over his face. Her eyes met his. She turned away her eyes as the shame washed over her. The men who brought her before him stated "Teacher, This woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?"
She was confused, and for a second she had hope. Hope that maybe he would not have her stoned, that hope was then washed away by her own thoughts. They always followed the law, especially when it came to adultery. A small group of men in the crowd began to pick up large and medium stones. They were ready to throw them at his word. The teacher looked at her, as he did, she felt a deep pit where her stomach should have been. She was so ashamed as he looked at her with kind eyes. The teacher, broke his gaze, bent down, and began to write in the dirt with his finger. She wondered what this peculiar behavior meant. The men prodded him, "Teacher, what do you say?"
He stood again. He looked each of the men in the eyes, and said "Let the one of you who has never sinned throw the first stone."
She held her breath, she clenched her body waiting for the pain of stones being thrown at her soft flesh. The teacher bent down and began to write in the dirt again. Then something happened, she heard a soft thud. She turned and looked, an old man was walking away. She heard another thud. Another man turned and walked away. Then another, and another. Soon, there were no men left. It was just her and Jesus in the midst of the crowd. He stood and said "Where are your accusers? Didn't even one of them condemn you?"
Amazed, she said "No, Lord. Not one."
Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more."
Her mouth dropped open. She couldn't believe what had just happened. This was unheard of. She did as he said. She turned, and walked away in awe. She went down by the river. There was a large weeping willow tree there. It was a beautiful sight as the sun shone down on her. She sat under the shade of the large tree. She took in the events of the day. As she did she couldn't help but hear the teachers words again. In her mind they played over and over again. 'Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more.' She decided a that moment she needed to make an honest living. She needed to go back to her father's house, and beg to be taken back. Though she was dirty. She stood. Walked over to the river and waded in. As she bathed herself, trying to wash off the uncleanliness, she prayed to the God of Jacob. She prayed that he would keep her strong in this new life, she prayed that he would bring back her purity. She came out of the water, and began to walk home. Not to the temporary home she had resided in while living her promiscuous life, but the home of her father and mother. The journey was long, a day's walk. As she came over the hill, she saw her father's home. Her stomach became tight. What if they would not accept her back? What if she would be sent away? At this point, it didn't matter. She had to go home. She walked down the dusty road. As she approached the house, she heard the noises of the family inside. In the midst of their dinner, she came through the door. "Hello?" She said. Her mother came around the corner in that moment. The look on her face was of thankfulness. Her daughter was home. She wrapped her arms around her and began to weep. Her father then entered the room, and joined the hug. They stood there weeping, all 3 of them. with tears running down his cheeks, her father said "Welcome home."
