of Jesus

And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all
the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them. And
the scribes and the Pharisees bring a woman taken in adultery; and
having set her in the midst, they say unto him, Teacher, this
woman hath been taken in adultery, in the very act. Now in the law
Moses commanded us to stone such: what then sayest thou of her?
And this they said, trying him that they might have whereof to
accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on
the ground. But when they continued asking him, he lifted up
himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let
him first cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down and with
his finger wrote on the ground. And they, when they heard it, went
out one by one, beginning from the eldest, even unto the last: and
Jesus was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the midst.
And Jesus lifted up himself, and said unto her, Woman, where are
they? did no man condemn thee? And she said, No man, Lord. And
Jesus said, Neither do I condemn thee: go thy way; from henceforth
sin no more.--John 8:2-11.

Was there ever a more gentlemanly handling of a raw situation? This woman
was going through one of the most harrowing experiences conceivable,
exposed to the gaze of a leering and scornful crowd, her good name torn
away, her self-respect crushed. Jesus shielded her from stoning by the
power of his personality and his consummate skill in handling men. He got
inside their guard, aroused their own sense of past guilt, and so awakened
some human fellow-feeling for the woman. When he was alone with her, what
a mingling of kindness and severity! Surely she would carry away the
memory of a wonderful friend who came to her in her dire need. Why did
Jesus twice turn his eyes away to the ground? Was he ashamed to look at
her shame?

Such a sudden, tragic happening is a severe test of a man's qualities. It
brought out the courtesy of Jesus, his respect for human personality even
in its shame. _How can we train ourselves so that we may be equal to such
emergencies?_ Would continued spiritual contact with Jesus be likely to
make a difference?

Study for the Week

The passages we have studied are inductive material. Can there be any
doubt that Jesus had a spontaneous love for his fellow-men and a deep
sense of the sacredness