Life’s Mysteries

Marveling at the mystery of God’s mercy

03/22/2021

John 8:1-11 Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and made her stand in the middle. They said to him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” They said this to test him, so that they could have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger. But when they continued asking him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he bent down and wrote on the ground. And in response, they went away one by one, beginning with the elders. So he was left alone with the woman before him. Then Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She replied, “No one, sir.” Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.”

All theologians are tempted to put God in a box, that is, the box of their own understanding. They try to wrap their minds around God. Indeed, all Christians face the same temptation and tendency. We are prone to thinking God is “conservative” or “liberal,” he is a “capitalist” or he is “communist,” he is the God of Augustine or the God of Aquinas. But in the end God remains a great Mystery: the One we can get close to but never catch. He eludes all easy explanation and even hard explanations. The day we think we have figured God out is the day we are no longer dealing with the real God.

Recently, I saw the trailer for the new Tom Cruise movie called “Top Gun: Maverick.” His superior officer, played by Ed Harris, is interviewing him as Maverick stands at attention. Ed Harris lists Maverick’s accomplishments, saying: “30 plus years of service, combat medals, citations, only man to shoot down an enemy plane in the last 40 years. Yet you can’t get a promotion, you won’t retire, and despite all your best efforts, you refuse to die. You should be at least a two-star admiral by now, yet here you are: Captain. Why is that?” Maverick smiles and says: “It is one of life’s mysteries, sir.” Maverick might be ONE of life’s mysteries, but God is THE greatest mystery of all, before whom we can only marvel in humility.

This is precisely the problem for the Pharisees in the gospel today: they refuse to accept the mystery of God. They want to put God in their box, the box of the Old Testament, but Jesus (the Son of God) defies all categories and remains the great Mystery. The Pharisees try to trick Jesus either into accepting the rigorous interpretation of the Mosaic law and acquiesce to the adulterous woman’s stoning, or reject Moses and thereby discredit himself in the eyes of the Jewish people. In other words, they want to wrap their minds around him and be able to explain him according to their terms.

But our Lord replies: “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Notice how Jesus evades their trap and jumps out of their box. He does not endorse the hard penalty of the Mosaic law to stone the guilty woman, nor does he let her off the hook. Jesus completely agrees that she is guilty of grave sin, and so accepts that she should be stoned.

And yet, he raises the bar of who is able to judge and condemn another person to none other than God, the only One who is without sin. Jesus is the sinless One who by all rights could have thrown the first stone – indeed, the only stone – but he chose to be merciful. Everyone should have left the scene of the stoning saying the same thing as Maverick: “It is one of life’s mysteries, sir.” When we deal with God, he always remains a mystery, a mystery of mercy.

My friends, there is one more mystery in life that deserves our attention almost as much as the mystery of God’s mercy, namely, the “mysterium iniquitatis,” or “the mystery of sin.” What could be more mysterious and inexplicable to any Christian than the fact of our relentless rebellion and sins in the face of such a loving God? Why do we keep sinning so much when we know God loves us so much? St. Paul agonized over the “mysterium iniquitatis” when he wrote in Romans 7: “What I do, I do not understand. For I do not do what I want, but what I hate…Miserable one that I am!” Paul faced the full force of his sinfulness and knew that mystery could only be overcome by the “mysterium amoris,” the mystery of God’s love.

I love watching the mystery of God’s love overcome and vanquish the mystery of our sins every time someone goes to confession. In sacramental confession we experience one of life's great mysteries like the woman caught in adultery. We know our sins deserve death, and yet the only One capable of condemning us does not lift a stone, but stoops down in compassion and writes in the sand words of mercy and forgiveness. In confession the two great mysteries of life do battle: the mysterium iniquitatis and the mysterium amoris. And all we can do is marvel like Maverick and say with a smile: “It is one of life’s mysteries, sir.”

Praised be Jesus Christ!