MAY 21, 2023

  “The only cure for suffering is to face it head on, grasp it round the neck and use it.” 

― Brennan Manning

1 CHRONICLES 3-5

23The people of the half-tribe of Manasseh were numerous; they settled in the land from Bashan to Baal Hermon, that is, to Senir (Mount Hermon).

24These were the heads of their families: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah and Jahdiel. They were brave warriors, famous men, and heads of their families. 25But they were unfaithful to the God of their ancestors and prostituted themselves to the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before them. 26So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria (that is, Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria), who took the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh into exile. He took them to Halah, Habor, Hara and the river of Gozan, where they are to this day. (5:23-26)

JOHN 8:1-20

2At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

9At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

11“No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,”Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

JOURNAL 

One of the things that I find difficult which never really has gotten much easier is reading the Bible daily. I get bored, I get annoyed of this obligation that at times seems pointless. Yet every single time I find that it settles my soul and restless spirit. It's not the actual reading but rather the anticipation of the reading. I do know that I desperately need it...I need it because without it I can easily wander off course, I can easily get distracted by the world and lose perspective. This is precisely what happened to many of the tribes of Israel. Size, strength, skill and power all became irrelevant when people took their mind and hearts off of God. This was the case for the half tribe of Manasseh.  It is the same for me and all of humanity. We need the reminder daily that what is best for us is found in the spirit and power of God. 

The validity of this story in John is questionable. The earliest manuscripts don't contain it but because it is so powerful and so true to the heart and character of God...it definitely speaks truth. I love this story because there is so much contained within it. I love that Jesus used the core of peoples own sin and humility to bring freedom to the woman in question. He reached into her heart and the heart of her accusers with one simple question and command. How brilliant and how powerful. It is the same for me as I think on times when I feel I have been wronged and desire justice. Because Jesus is ultimately after redemption not blame. 

44Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. 45The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me. 46I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. - 

JOHN 12:44-46