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Gospel Reading for March 23, 2026 – John 8: 1-11
A WASTE OF TIME
Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. But early in the morning he arrived again in the temple area, and all the people started coming to him, and he sat down and taught them. 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.
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The scribes and Pharisees were preoccupied with identifying those who violated the Law of Moses, eager to condemn and punish them. Their focus was fixed on the faults of others. They even brought the adulterous woman to Jesus, attempting to test and trap him into contradicting the Law. They likely assumed that he would oppose the stoning of the woman.
When we constantly watch for the mistakes and sins of others, we often fail to examine ourselves. We become blind to our own shortcomings and transgressions. In doing so, we risk becoming judgmental—like the scribes, Pharisees, and elders—acting as though we have been appointed by God to judge our neighbors.
As Jesus said, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Each of us is accountable for our own sins, not for the sins of others. Jesus is the one and only judge because he is our Saviour.
It is A WASTE OF TIME to spend our lives finding fault in others. Will this bring about genuine transformation, or will it only push them further away?
Lord Jesus, teach us to first see the plank in our own eye before removing the speck from our brother’s eye (Matthew 7:3–5).
