The Grace of Doodling
March 21,2010
Fr. George Smiga
John 8:1-11
What do you do when you have to face a crisis in your life? If you’re like me, you panic. When we realize that somebody in our family is abusing drugs, when we receive a negative medical diagnosis, when there is an upheaval at work, we react quickly and emotionally, often concluding that the worst possible thing is about to happen. In the face of crisis it is easy for us to over-react and sometime to strike out in frustration and anger at others. We are emotional, quick to respond, and quick to conclude that the crisis will soon overwhelm us. It is for this reason that we must pay particular attention to what Jesus does in today’s gospel: because in the gospel Jesus faces a crisis, or more specifically a trap.
In Jesus’ time there was a constant conflict between Romans and Jews. Jesus opponents created a trap to ensnarl Jesus in the middle of this conflict. They brought to him a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. According to the Mosaic Law she should be executed. But according to the Roman law Jews were not permitted to execute anyone. So they asked Jesus to choose. If he decided that she should be executed, he would position himself against the Romans. If he decided that she should not be executed, he would appear to set aside the Mosaic Law. It was a perfect trap. It appeared that Jesus had no positive options, and that is what made the trap a crisis.
Now, what does Jesus do when he realizes that he is in this crisis? Unlike us, he does not panic. He does not strike out in anger. Instead, he doodles. As his opponents press him for an answer and continue to attack the woman, Jesus withdraws from the emotional frenzy. He bends down and begins to doodle with his finger on the ground. Now this act of doodling is in fact an act of faith. Jesus believes that God is in charge of all things, and that God has a way through which he can escape this trap. But the way out of the trap was not yet clear to Jesus, so he waits. He doodles in prayer waiting for God to show him the way. He waits for God’s inspiration.
The inspiration comes. Jesus realizes that the way out of the trap is to enlarge the discussion, to realize that the test is wider than a woman’s sin and how she should be punished. He moves the debate to our shared sin and how we all will be held accountable. Graced by this insight, Jesus straightens up and says, “Let anyone here who is without sin be the first to cast a stone at her.” By this remark he shifts the discussion from the woman’s sin to our sin, from strict justice to hoped for mercy. The trap is unhinged. All that waits to be seen is how his opponents will react. Again, Jesus chooses to wait. He bends down and continues to trace with his finger in the dust. One by one his opponents are converted. Aware of their own sinfulness, they move from violence to mercy. The crisis has been averted and hearts have been changed because Jesus chose to wait for God’s inspiration and grace.
When we face crisis in our own lives, we are called to follow the example of Jesus. Now clearly, if in a crisis there is a clear action which must be taken, we should do it. But in those situations where no way forward is clear, where it seems like we have no real options, when it feels like we have just entered a trap; we are not called to react emotionally, or to cry out in despair or panic. We are called to trust and to wait for God to show us the way.
In those circumstances, we are called to pause and wait in silence, believing that God has a plan and in time, that plan will become clear. In time, a door will open, words will be given, an escape will be provided. But until that time comes, we are asked to doodle and believe that God will not forget us. For believers, doodling is not a waste of time or a denial of the crisis, it is an act of trust that God is in charge and that our escape is imminent—that our salvation is at hand.
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