Everywhere I go these days I see strange sites. I see lime green hair (or pink, or blue, or purple). I see piercings all over the body of particularly young people, but also older people. I see tattoos on every part of the body that can be seen, and sometimes I see tattoos sticking out in places that shouldn’t be seen.
What is going on? Have people lost their minds? Is this just another fad? Who knows, but it is certainly not attractive in my personal opinion.
A speaker I heard recently at a Bible lectureship made a statement that has caused me to look at these strange-looking people differently. She said that we need to look beyond the hair, the piercings, and the tattoos and realize there is a soul behind all that appears to be strange and different.
She is absolutely right! They are precious in the sight of Jesus, and He wouldn’t hesitate to teach them, heal them, forgive them, and above all love them.
There is a story in John 8 that is an example of just such a situation. The Scribes and Pharisees had in their minds to tempt Jesus with a situation they thought would put Him in a bad light with the Jews.
Jesus had been teaching in the temple; and there was, as usual, a crowd gathered to hear Him. The rulers took advantage of the situation by bringing into their midst a woman that had been caught in the act of adultery.
The Law of Moses commanded that this woman should be put to death. According to Leviticus 20:10, if a man committed adultery with another man’s wife, both of them should be put to death. It is possible that this was what happened in this situation.
Jesus could be in a difficult situation in determining what should be done. If He didn’t condemn her, He could be seen as being in violation of the Law. The Pharisees and Scribes were hoping for such a verdict.
In the beginning, Jesus ignored them. He stooped down and began to write on the ground. When they continued to push Him, Jesus simply said, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her” (John 8:7). Then He dropped down and once again wrote on the ground.
I have often wondered what Jesus wrote. Perhaps He began to write some of the sins He knew could be applied to these Jewish rulers. How embarrassing that would be for them!
According to Deuteronomy 17:5-7, it was also written in the Law of Moses that the witnesses to such sin had to cast the first stone to fulfill the punishment. So Jesus said, “He that is without sin among you, let him cast a stone at her”. These rulers knew that He knew their lives. They knew they were also guilty of sin.
One by one, these accusers left Jesus and the adulterous woman. When Jesus stood this time, there was no one left to make accusation against the woman. Jesus asked the woman, “Hath no man condemned thee?” She answered Jesus, “No man, Lord”.
Can you even imagine how this woman must have felt? She was caught in the very act of adultery, probably deserted by the man with whom she was caught, and forced to stand before this Jewish teacher and be condemned to death.
She was probably still very frightened and wondered what the outcome of this would be. Jesus simply said, “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more”.
Did she get away with what she did? Of course, she didn’t. Jesus told her not to sin anymore. He called this act of adultery just what it was—sin. We do not read about her again, so we can only guess what she did. But Jesus knew her heart, and I would like to think she did not return to a sinful lifestyle. Maybe she was one of those converted on the Day of Pentecost.
I would also like to think that the next time you or I see one of those strange-looking characters with green or purple hair, a ring through their nose and eyebrow, a pierced tongue, and tattoos covering their body that we take a second look and see, not the strangeness, but a soul in need of God’s love.
Sandra Oliver