Monday, March 23, 2026

 

Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery Nicholas Poussin (1653) 

The Louvre, Paris, France.

Ex. 4:10-20; 4:21-26; 4:27-31

Psalm 23

John 8:1-11

 

Upon first reading today’s scripture passages, I was baffled. It seemed they did not have much in common at all. In particular, the passage from Exodus was most perplexing as unlike Psalm 23 and the account in John 8, it seemed the outlier. At least those had connections about love and forgiveness. However, after some thinking and searching, I came across a description of Exodus 4 that encompassed all the passages beautifully: despite our blunders into sin and the frailty of our faith, the Lord persistently calls us to trust the fact that his divine authority and power outweigh our insufficiencies. As I have discovered throughout my own life, those insufficiencies may often include a sense of self-confidence when looking backward that quickly turns to doubt when looking forward.

 

Moses’ reluctance to go back to Egypt is understandable to us. He hadn’t exactly left under the best of circumstances having killed an Egyptian and incurred the wrath of Pharoah. Even his attempts to intervene in a dispute amongst his fellow Israelites had weakened his position so he fled. As we read the account of God appearing in a burning bush that wasn’t consumed in flame, it may seem odd to us that Moses would doubt God’s call. “How could he see this and still doubt?” we wonder. We wouldn’t have doubted having seen this sight. Or so we think. Likewise in John 8, we readily side with Jesus in this dispute with the scribes and Pharisees because of course they are the bad guys in the story. It’s so obvious when they only bring a woman caught in adultery and not the man with her (maybe he was a Pharisee?). How we would have passionately stood up with Jesus to condemn their hypocrisy! Or would we have?

 

Such confidence is easy to fall prey to considering we have the full benefit of the scriptures at our disposal. Too often we assume we would always have been found on the right side of history in Biblical or historical events because we are looking back at things that seem obvious to us due to the knowledge we have that Moses, or the people contesting with Jesus, did not have. We know the end story of the Gospels whereas none of them did. However, are we able to apply the same level of confidence as we look around us at the unfolding events of a world that seems to have gone berserk? When there are wars and rumours of wars, rising prices, teetering economies, and uncertainty everywhere we look? Suddenly it is not so easy to remember God’s power and authority over all things, and the reason for this is we do not see to what end these things are happening. Faith is much more difficult to maintain when looking forward rather than looking backward.

 

It is then that we must wrap ourselves in the words of faith found in Psalm 23. God’s promise to us through David is that he will provide for us places to sleep in peace, water to drink, and the restoration of our troubled souls. Even when faced with enemies and death, the Lord will not forsake us. His power and authority will never diminish even though our self-confidence may evaporate in times of fear and hardship. You see, despite the calamities we seem to see everywhere, we do know the end result. We must not lose hope because everything we need is already known by our Father in heaven and his power and authority is sufficient for us so long as we cling to his promises and our faith in him. The same God who chose Moses to contend with the power of Pharoah and lead his people out of Egypt contends with our enemies (human or otherwise) and leads us too. The same Jesus who contended with the legalistic leaders of his day and forgave the woman brought to him, is the same Jesus who forgives us and cries out on our behalf to the Father.

 

Brothers and Sisters, may we not fear and worry when our self-confidence proves weak. May we instead put aside our ourselves and lift our eyes to our Lord and Saviour through whom all things are possible.

Keith Griffioen

No Stone Was Thrown:  

A Song of Mercy and Redemption  

Carrie Yost

Stones in the Dust Blues   

David Sang the Blues