SHORT STORY
A DATE WITH ETERNAL DESTINY
Never before in her life had she been so afraid. She was sure that her time had come; that her days on earth were about to end. And the ending would be dreadful – death by stoning. And just when she had at last made a decision quit her sinful life and live the rest of her life serving God! Was there to be no forgiveness for her? Had God rejected her forever?
She realised now that Joshua ben Eleazar had not betrayed her. The look of surprise on his face when they had been arrested had been genuine. Someone who knew of his lust must have been watching him. Or her? Maybe a holy God Who did not like being deceived had planned that she was the one Joshua was caught with. He had been surprised to see her in Jerusalem, and had greeted her with a hug such was his fondness for her. Although she had promised herself, ‘Never again!’ after quitting her life of prostitution and heading for Jerusalem, she had given in when Joshua had offered her a larger than usual fee. And that in spite of wanting to hurry home to her brother and sister in Bethany, and her decision to never prostitute herself again. And that’s when the temple police – some known to Joshua – had caught them. Why did God allow her to be caught? Did He not believe that she was determined to give up her old, sinful life now that she had enough money put away? Did He not believe that she seriously wanted to start a new life, trying to make up for her sinful past by doing good deeds for Him? Did He not see that she had hoped that her brother and sister would never find out what sort of 'business' she had been doing in Galilee? Or had her decision to have one last fling been too much for God to forgive?
Hoping that none of her Jerusalem acquaintances would see her with Joshua, she had followed him to the well-known brothel where they had been caught. Now she was being dragged through the streets in full view of the pressing crowds. One thing was certain: among those standing by was sure to be someone who would recognise her and tell others. Inevitably her brother and sister would hear about how she had met her end – stoned to death for being an adulteress, a prostitute. Neighbours and friends would snub them, and they would forever be ashamed of her for bringing disrepute to the family name. Her only consolation was that her death would stop her from seeing the shame on their faces at the thought that the money she had been sending them from her ‘business’ in Galilee was earned from sin.
Women were hissing at her as she was dragged along. ‘Whore!’ ‘Slut!’ they screamed. The men who were dragging her along looked amused as they pushed the screaming women aside. She knew the women were jealous of her rich garments, aware that she had bought them out of money paid by men like their husbands and male friends. Well, if the wives satisfied the sexual appetites of their men folk they would not have to worry about infidelity with women like her!
The crowd had seen it all before. When they heard the words, ‘Caught in the act! Come and see what happens to someone caught in the act!’ more people joined the procession in expectation of enjoying some entertainment. After all, it is not often that they had the opportunity to help kill someone. Their law laid down only one penalty for women caught in the act of adultery – death by stoning.
Occasionally, as she glanced back, she spotted Joshua following at a distance. She knew it was no use pointing out to her captors that the law required that he should be punished with her. After all, it took two people to commit adultery. But women always paid the price while the men went free. If she tried to implicate Joshua her captors would only laugh at her. The application of the law was so unfair!
They were now approaching the Temple area where her dreadful death awaited. She was quaking inside, but held her head high, not allowing them to see her fear. Their group was now beginning to mingle with another crowd ahead of them. That crowd was intently listening to someone, probably one of the rabbis that taught there. Some who seemed to be scribes and Pharisees came up to her captors who handed her over into their care. At first she felt relief, thinking that they were going to release her; but her heart sank when she realised that they were all party to some plan. Holding her firmly by the arms, the scribes and Pharisees forced a way through the crowd until they were in front of the rabbi who had been speaking. When threw her to the ground in front of him, He stood up and faced them.
In spite of the terrible fate that awaited her she tool time to look at the rabbi with growing interest. Her professional judgment about men had taught her something about character. Although she had long ago come to think of all men, even Joshua, as being no better than lusty animals, there was something different about this man, this rabbi. A tingle ran up and down her spine. There was such love in the eyes of the rabbi, such compassion in the way he looked at her, such gentleness in his movements, that she felt utterly unclean. In his presence she felt shame for the kind of life she had been forced to live. If only I had met such a man before my brother took ill and could no longer support us. I would never have had to leave home on the pretext of finding work in Galilee. For I had no skills to offer other than myself; my body. Eyes closed, she knelt in front of the rabbi. She heard someone address him in an arrogant tone.
‘Teacher’, he demanded, ‘this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The Law of Moses commands that we must stone such women. What do you say to that?
She was not fooled. Although using the respectful term ‘teacher’, she immediately sensed that the scribe and his grinning companions were trying to catch the rabbi out on some points of the Mosaic Law. She fully expected him, if he was an astute man, to go along with the Law. Once he answered, her eternal destiny would be sealed for she would not have any time to earn the forgiveness of God. Even though it was a warm day, she shivered. For the first time in years her heart, hardened by the kind of life she had lived, began to soften and she felt tears in her eyes. God had already weighed her life and found it wanting. In spite of the desire in her heart for forgiveness from God she was never going to receive it. It was too late.
Strangely, the rabbi did not answer immediately. She stole a quick look at what was happening. The scribes and Pharisees were looking at one another knowingly. They had caught the rabbi out! Then to everyone's surprise the rabbi stooped down. He wrote something in the sand with his finger. When the puzzled scribes and Pharisees continued to press him for an answer, he stood up. Although no taller than most of the men in the crowd, somehow he seemed to tower over them. She had the impression of majesty, of one who was in control of all that he surveyed. Quietly but audibly, he spoke.
‘Whichever one of you is sinless must throw the first stone at her’.
Then he stooped down again and calmly continued writing in the sand as if there was no one else around. She closed her eyes again and waited. The formerly noisy, unsympathetic crowd immediately fell silent. Keeping her eyes closed she waited for rough hands to jerk her onto her feet and drag her to where the stoning would take place. Her tears flowed, but not for her coming death. Rather she was thinking that she now had no time to get right with God. In her heart she longed for forgiveness but had no words to express her desire.
Time went by yet still no one had touched her. She continued to kneel, her tears still flowing. Suddenly she heard the rabbi asking her: ‘Woman, where are your accusers? Has no one condemned you?’
Surprised, she opened her eyes and looked around. The crowd had gone! She and the rabbi were alone! What was going on? With a feeling of awe she answered.
‘No one, Lord’.
There was a smile on his face. She was never to forget the gentle yet firm words he said to her.
‘Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin again’.
As he spoke she sensed that he knew all about her desire to be right with God. Even as he said ‘Neither do I condemn you’, she believed that he was speaking on behalf of God. It had to be so, because for the first time since she was a little girl she felt clean, exhilarated, blessed! So many good emotions! Deep in her heart she believed God had forgiven her for all the wrong things in her past, and now she was free from her old life forever. God had heard her prayers, and had opened up a new life for her. And how better to serve God than by helping this gentle rabbi to spread his wonderful message of God’s forgiveness to all who wanted to be free from their sins? Wonder of wonders! Just when she thought God was not prepared to forgive her and had abandoned her, she now saw that He had actually used Joshua to get her to the rabbi who had shown her that God loved her! Not only had her life been spared, but her sins had been forgiven! Clearly the rabbi had a message from God. Surely she would learn much from him about the God who had forgiven her so much!
Her mind was made up. Because she had always been very thrifty she was now wealthy and independent, something rare for a woman. She would tell the rabbi about herself and become one of his followers, supporting his ministry. Then she would invite him to meet her brother and sister, Lazarus and Martha, in Bethany, giving her a chance to confess to them the truth about herself, and how God, through the rabbi, had changed her life. As for her past lifestyle, she would use that in a testimony to convince others that if God could forgive her, Mary of Magdala, He would forgive anyone who was ready to confess to being a sinner!
(Based on John 7:53-8:11. Although there is no conclusive proof that Mary Magdalene was the woman caught in adultery, but it is not impossible as future stories will indicate. Eddie.)
