literature

Throw The First Stone

Deviation Actions

deng-li-xin32's avatar
Published:
525 Views

Literature Text

Go ahead,
throw the stone,
deal out judgement,
punish the sin.
I will wait here,
drawing in the sand,
I will wait for the blows.

If you have never slandered,
throw the first stone.
If you have never picked a fight,
throw the first stone.
If you have never envied,
throw the first stone.
If you have never boasted,
throw the first stone.

And I will wait here,
drawing in the sand,
I will wait for the blows.

Have you always respected your elders?
Throw the first stone.
Have you always shown compassion?
Throw the first stone.
Have you always been faithful?
Throw the first stone.
Have you always been humble?
Throw the first stone.

And I will wait here,
drwaing in the sand,
I will wait for the blows.

I hear you leave -
the judgement falls to me,
the only one who has no sin,
the only one who has the right
to throw the stone -

but I will wait here,
drawing in the sand,
I will not deal the blows.

And then they come:
the stones, the blows -
I was not holy enough for you;
I did not condemn,
so you condemn me -
nail me to a cross,
get rid of me.

Because you'd rather have
a god who is like you
than the merciful one,
drawing in the sand,
who throws no stones.
[3. July 2015]

John 8:2-11

I'm not at all comfortable with writing first-person from Jesus' point of view (since I don't want to stick words into God's mouth) but after this came out and I let it sit for a while, it felt all right so I'm leaving it.
I used Romans 1:18-32 a bit for the list of sins (stanza 2) and ommissions (stanza 4). I've come to a realisation that our talk of sin remains extremely one-sided if we speak only of the bad things we have done, and not also of the good things we were supposed to do and have not done. I believe most people commit more "sins of ommission" (stanza 4) than actually straight-out doing evil deeds.

Lately I saw a lot of judgement happening, Christians condemning others. Seeing that hurt me. I kept having the scene from John 8 (the adulteress and the religious people wanting to stone her) in my head, and the sentence "throw the first stone". After studying Romans 1 a bit, I have learnt that we all commit a lot of sins on a daily basis without really being aware of it. Things like slander, anger, pride, fights, etc. The only one who really has a right to judge anyone, because He is without sin, is Jesus. But John 8 shows us that Jesus does not make use of that right. He does not condemn the adulteress for what she has done, He does not punish her. He doesn't even tell her what she did was wrong. He just tells her to "sin no more", to start a different life now that she has received a new chance.

The religious people of the day did not like Jesus' mercy, His inclusion of sinners. They complained that He spent time with the outcasts of society, tax collectors and prostitutes. They wanted to see punishment, not mercy. Their attitude ended up killing God. God was not good enough for them so they had Him crucified because He did not fit into their idea of who God should be.

How about us? Do we insist on the punishment of those we do not like? Do we relish in the idea of people going to hell, "because they deserve it"? Would we be disappointed if, in the end, God decided to reprieve everybody (not saying He will, but why do many evangelicals have a discomfort against the idea of "final reconciliation"? Is it really about "sticking to the right teaching", or is it also because we don't want there to be no hell?)? Mercy and forgiveness can be frustrating if we are holding on to a human concept of justice which demands "comeuppance" and punishment. God's justice is different, because the Bible shows us God's justice is His mercy.

2. Corinthians 5:18 brings a very interesting perspective onto the Cross: "All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ." The Cross was not to reconcile God to us, i.e. to pacify the wrath of God against us. It was to reconcile us to God, i.e. to pacify us. Because we were the ones rejecting God, not God rejecting us.

Where are we crucifying Christ again today? Where are we rejecting God and nailing Him to a cross, getting Him out of our way, because we insist on judgement instead of forgiveness and acceptance? Jesus did not throw stones or deal blows, instead He took the blows onto Himself.


Another (older) poem on the same Bible text: The Adulteress: Stones
© 2015 - 2024 deng-li-xin32
Comments13
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
Rogue-Ranger's avatar
I can also relate to not wanting to write first person as Jesus, but this came out so beautifully profound and moving that it's a notable exception.

I know many Christians who don't like the peaceful Jesus, but prefer the verses in the book of Revelation. When someone wrongs them, they console themselves with this idea that one day God will punish them and pay them back for what they did. But we should be more Christ-like and forgive. I remember how hard it was for people to understand why I forgave the man who murdered my fiend and his mom. They thought it wasn't "fair" because he didn't "deserve" forgiveness, even if it was never said directly to him. But, really, none of us deserve forgiveness but God forgives us anyway.

Thank you for writing this piece. :)