Berita NECF Newletters

Women’s Finest Hour

Description: From Women, God’s Secret Weapon by Ed Silvoso

Early in the morning, after having spent the night at His favourite prayer mountain, the Mount of Olives, Jesus went to the Temple. When all the people came to Him, He sat down and began to teach (see John 8:1–2). It was a peaceful setting that Jesus definitely enjoyed.

Suddenly, the tranquility was rudely shattered when the Scribes and Pharisees forcibly brought before Him a woman caught in adultery. They demanded that Jesus sanction her death as prescribed by the Law. At first, Jesus did not answer. He just stooped down and, with His finger, wrote on the ground, while the religious leaders persisted in their demands for lethal force (see John 8:3–6).

As terrible as the sin of this woman was, she should not have had to stand accused alone, since it takes two people to commit adultery. Where was the man? Why was he also not brought in? The Law specifies that both of them should be stoned. In the eyes of the accusers it was all right to condemn the woman but not the man. What a contradiction!

Equal Responsibility

The picture above is similar to what we often see in ministry circles today. People driven by excessive zeal intentionally focus on passages of the Scriptures that favour their biased points of view. They demand judgment on women ‘caught … in the very act’ (John 8:4) without paying attention to men’s share of responsibility for the violation. While this goes on, women stand exposed, humiliated and defiled. Deprived of legitimate male covering, they are often driven to adulterous substitutes.

While Jesus wrote on the ground, He chose not to bring up men’s sins in general and not to ask that the male adulterer also be brought in. Neither did He tell the self-righteous accusers that they were as guilty as the woman and the man caught in adultery. He, however, knew this was true, because He was able to read the men’s hearts.

Why did He keep quiet? Because He is a reconciler, not a divider. He is an intercessor, not an accuser. He purposely refused to take sides because taking sides is what the devil does. Jesus came "to seek and to save which was lost" (Luke 19:10). And what was lost is not in one piece or in one pile. It is broken and scattered all over the place. He does not pick the best-looking parts and reject the most damaged ones. He waits until He is able to embrace all the broken pieces, take them in His arms, place them close to His heart and then fix them!

In the same manner, Jesus refuses to take sides when it comes to the gender gap. He will not lower men in order to elevate women or vice-versa. Instead, He meets them at whatever level they are at in order to bring both of them up to His level. This is the way of the Cross. Jesus is faithful, even when we are unfaithful, because He cannot deny Himself. He is a Saviour, not a condemner.

A Radical Message

Is Jesus’ approach effective? Yes! Where do you think those men went after they left Jesus that day? Most likely they went home to their wives. Having seen themselves reflected on the troubled face of the accused woman, they must have realized how close they had come, at one time or another, to standing accused like her. Jesus’ silence forever stamped the ugliness of adultery in their memory.

To the woman He said, "From now on sin no more" (John 8:11). What a liberating message overflowing with so much hope! Rather than dwelling on the past, He covered it with mercy and pointed the woman in the direction of restorative holiness. Sinning no more meant breaking up with her fellow adulterer and repairing her damaged marriage – a difficult but necessary assignment that calls for gender reconciliation at the deepest level.

Is such a radical change possible? Yes! Immediately after uttering the command not to sin anymore, Jesus proclaimed, "I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life" (John 8:12). He knows about our darkness. He knows we need His light. Rather than cursing our darkness, He shines for us to see the way and to follow Him. When we do, we leave darkness behind, forever.

Shortly after Jesus declared HE was the light of the world, a very intense theological discussion erupted. At first, many people resisted His words and accused Him of false testimony, a severe offence under the law. However, Jesus stood firm. He said, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He" (John 8:28). When the crowd heard His unwavering words, "many came to believe in Him" (John 8:30).

What does it mean that those who "lift up the Son of Man … will know that I am He?" The word "Man" in "Son of Man" does not only refer to males. It is the Greek word anthropos, which includes both men and women.

It is about time we lift up the Son of Man, the Saviour of both men and women. When we see Jesus as the Son of Man (anthropos), we will find that in Him, men and women are reconciled; we will take our position in Christ, and we will begin to minister harmoniously side by side, like Adam and Eve did in the Garden.



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