Magyar Egyház, 1965 (44. évfolyam, 2-12. szám)
1965-04-01 / 4. szám
8 MAGYAR EGYHÁZ FINALLY, MAY I EXPRESS my gratitude in these solemn moments to the Hungarian Reformed Church, to the blessed Reformed tradition of Bereg County, which brought me up to be Hungarian Reformed, through my Bible-reading grandmother, my praying mother and my psalm-singing father, my gratitude to the College of Sárospatak for guiding me on my pilgrimage of faith, and the Soli Deo Gloria Association where Jesus Christ took possession of my entire life. Our church is small and poor in comparison to the great American denominations but Christ’s message speaks to us the same way as to the church of Smyrna because everyone is rich who enjoys the daily fellowship of Jesus Christ as his own. Dezső Trombitás When Jesus Wrote on the Ground Jesus is found “early in the morning” in the temple. To go to church was his regular custom. If somebody was ever independent from ecclesiastical institutions and religious orders, he was. And yet, if he ever had an opportunity he went into the church to listen to teaching or to teach himself. As he was discussing the Scritptures and his mission, the door was pushed in and the Scribes and Pharisees were pressing into the church with noise and disorder. A woman, only wearing an intimate underdress, is being pushed forward by the crowd. The scene is so common and sensational that it is like a cheap Hollywood-movie. Why is this tumult and why does the woman wear only a linen? Everybody yells and explains. It took quite a while until Jesus could understand what happened. This woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. The case is ugly indeed but it belongs to the court and not to the synagogue. The carpenter of Nazareth, the newcomer-teacher is not authorized to pass a judgement. Master — one of the men of authority, with hypocritical humility in his voice but with bleak cruelty in his eyes, expressed the real cause of the tumult — Moses in the law commanded us that such should he stoned: but what sayest thou? Important people can be annihilated by two methods: either by killing or being made ridiculous. The important person of this scene, of course, is Jesus, not the woman. She is only incidental, a pawn in the game whereby those moral watch-dogs sought to destroy Jesus. Up to this time the woman, without a name, was probably known as an immoral person but her adultery was accepted as her private business or a gossip-theme. Now her sin became a theological thesis, a very dangerous pit and trap for Jesus; a possibility to formulate a charge against the New Breed. This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. People are very often picked out only in order to be an instrument for discrediting others. Jesus was accused of destroying the law of the fathers and proclaiming sectarian ideas. The law was quite clear on this matter. The woman was liable of the death penalty. But the Scribes and Pharisees, these stage managers of the divine comedy, wanted to hear what Jesus had to say. Because by both possible answers Jesus would bring a verdict upon himself. If he said that the sin of the woman was nothing, he would deny the consequent performance and radical severity of the law, because Moses had ordered such persons to be stoned. If he would answer that the woman should be stoned, he would come in contradiction with his own teaching, since he taught forgiveness, mercy and love for all sinners. The situation is on razor’s edge. There is an absolute silence, the typical silence before a storm. All eyes are turning towards Jesus. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. It is possible to kill with words. Everybody experienced such wounds. Wounds caused by wicked, sharp tongues. But I believe, the real wounds are inflicted by closed lips. There is a silence which is more dreadful than the most awful noise. It was not enough that Jesus was silent, his attitude was almost childish, for he stooped down and with his finger wrote on the ground. The position was at fever pitch and he was writing on the ground! This is the only place in the Bible noting that the Lord was writing. What did he write? This is a very exciting and keen question, indeed. In Jeremiah we find an important passage: They that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living water (17:13). Every rumor, judgement, loveless remark about other people is a writing on the ground. Characteristic example of this was just this scene. With what self-satisfaction and lust these “decent” people, the so-called defenders of the faith of the fathers mocked and trod this woman into the dust. There are always people who just love to gossip, to ruin the reputation of their fellowmen, to tread others into the dust, — and in the meantime to show up their own fine morals and immaculate dignity! Whose name is written by Jesus? Names of those who are always willing to judge, to discriminate against other people. Why do they do these things? Be sure, they have things to hide, their lives are full with dirt and suspicious background. Many a church member criticizes another for faults of which he himself is at least as guilty. Many of us rebuke others for what we ourselves do. One accuses in order to escape accusation from others. Jesus said elsewhere that the man who attempted to judge his brother was like a man with a beam in his own eye trying to take a mote out of someone else’s eye. It is a simple psychological truth that frustrated people by gossiping, accusing others, relive what they themselves would enjoy doing. If you dig deep into these peoples’ minds you will find that if they didn’t enjoy this treacherous way of thinking they would ignore and just drop it. However, don’t be generous by trying to give this basic psychological information to your friends. We all need to meditate on this lesson! He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. Jesus did not want to defend sin and certainly not the sin of this woman. Jesus hated sin. He was killed because and by our sins. But he wanted to cure the sinner and not to destroy him. He only wanted to give a dramatic lecture that our first duty concerning sin is to see our own sins, to judge ourselves. Symbolicly: instead of writing names of other people into the dust, to write our own names! Jesus was understanding, kind, warmhearted. When he was confronted with someone who had made a mistake or committed some sin. he had compassion and said: I am here to help you. I am here to restore your connection with God. He only hated hypocrisy. He was fed up with self-righteous hyprocrites.
