I originally wrote these thoughts as a Facebook post in May, but felt it worth sharing with any who have “ears to hear” that follow my blog posts and other writings in recent months in light of various church scandals, including one in particular that I’m close to all the whistleblowers and many witnesses in.
Remember the Gospel account when a woman was caught in the act of adultery — not just gossiped about sometime later, but caught DOING the deed — and was brought before Jesus by religious leaders who wanted to trap Him into condemning her according to the law, which would’ve required death by stoning?
Many people have at least a cursory familiarity with the story in John 8 and maybe know its context, but it seems EVERYONE and their dog knows the “he who is without sin throw the first stone” line.
It comes from that passage.
One by one, the accusers leave, and Jesus tells the woman He does not condemn her, encouraging her to “go and sin no more.”
Why Do We Flip The Roles With Victim and Perpetrator?
I don’t claim to be speaking for the Lord or that this is a “prophetic statement” or anything. Just some thoughts from reading my Bible and pondering this particular well-known story.
Many people take away from it how Jesus showed this woman incredible mercy when not dealing with her as her sin called for under the law of Moses: to be stoned to death. He alone showed her compassion while nobody else present did, while all her accusers, ready to put her to death, and fled when challenged.
But many people forget that under the law, both offenders were to be stoned to death, not just the woman.
Hang on, I’m going somewhere with this.
Have you ever read this passage and wondered, if she was caught in the very act, then… WHERE’S THE MAN she was caught with? Why was HE not being thrown at Jesus feet by the crowd and demanded that he be stoned to death, too, as per Leviticus 20:10 and Deuteronomy 22:22-24?
Was the Other Sinner a Perpetrator From Among Their Rank?
Other smarter and more well-studied people can corroborate or contradict me, as I admit I could have learned wrong on this, but hear me out: I’ve been persuaded from my learning that it’s likely the guy she was with was one of the religious leaders ready to stone her.
It makes complete sense when you watch how this plays out repeatedly in modern churchianity. Not just a religious leader, the other offender was probably one of the people in that very crowd calling for her stoning.
Maybe even leading the charge?
I can’t prove it, but you can pray and talk to Jesus directly and ask him, as he was there, and see what he tells you.
Anyway, these people, in one of their many failed attempts in the Gospels to trap Jesus, overlooked and “showed grace” to their buddy who they caught in the act with this woman.
Heck, after stoning the woman (which would have silenced her FOR GOOD, wouldn’t it have?), maybe they planned on throwing him a confetti party as they reinstated him in ministry.
Who truly knows?
None of us know for sure if there was a power dynamic at play and whether this woman was a willing participant or a victim, but does it matter for our reflection at the moment?
Whether it was a religious leader who had abused, victimized or coerced his partner into the act(s), and whether it was on just this one occasion or if it was a regular thing until that day, are a moot point; This Scripture passage offers a powerful framework to understand and respond to the modern scenario of a woman rising up to share her story of clergy sexual abuse (CSA) as I see it currently happening repeatedly in different ministries these days.
Why Is The Victim the One We Try To Discredit?
Just as the religious leaders in John 8 quickly condemned the woman without any evident self-examination, at least according to the text, I’ve seen many rush to judge or discredit THE WOMAN (in this case, who was a 20 year-old victim at the time) sharing her painful testimony while running cover for the perpetrator, her 46 year-old boss and spiritual mentor at the time.
They might not be casting physical stones but the modern digital equivalent, which are:
- “Why did she wait so long to bring this up?”
- “She was an adult at the time, not a child! She had to have consented or she could have resisted if she didn’t want his advances!”
- “Has anyone considered she might be lying?” while not questioning whether her abuser is lying about anything, of course!
- “WhY dIdN’t ShE rUn AwAy LiKe JoSePh DiD fRoM PoTiPhAr’s WiFe??”
They cast stones mirroring the hypocrisy of the accusers who ignored their own faults and instead focused harshly on condemning her.
NOTE, I’m NOT implying people casting stones at Sarah, Mike Brown’s young victim, are themselves in sin or hiding their own gross sin, just that they’re seemingly willing to overlook their hero’s at the expense of his victim’s.
Similarly, the tendency to protect a prominent minister uncritically while attacking the CSA survivor(s) reflects a twisted use of power, where religious or institutional interests override truth and compassion.
We need a revolution in the Church!
How many of Mike Brown‘s fans and defenders, who noticed that I just quoted something he said all the time to us back in school as the subheader for this section, have called those of us who believe the victim, witnesses and whistleblowers a mob of critical, bitter, aggressive, vindictive gossipers with a vendetta against him?
We were told to “wait for the investigation to take place and the truth will come to light at that time.
Once we did and and the Firefly report did NOT exonerate him like they hoped it would, despite whatever 27-page statement his board made disagreeing with it and changing definitions of words to sound like no big deal, his defenders switched stones they hurl.
Now the stones they toss are:
- “Wait for God’s justice in HIS timing!”
- “You are just bitter, and not letting the past stay in the past.
- “Sure, he handled it wrong, but it was 23 years ago — move on already!
- “You’re just looking for dirt to dig up!”
- “Ya’all are possessed by a Jezebel spirit!”
- “Sure, what he did was wrong, but you are following the wrong protocol!”
- “YoU oPeRaTe OuT oF a SpIrIt oF oFfEnsE tHaT’s NoT GoDlY!”
Whether we believe the victim, or believe that the perpetrator is unfit for public ministry based on Scriptural qualifications, as believers we all need humility and self-awareness.
Just as the woman in the Bible is invited into a new way of life through Jesus’s mercy, the survivor’s voice calls the community to transformation—towards justice, accountability, and healing—rather than cover-up or denial.
Understanding why someone may take years to speak out is part of the compassionate stance the passage encourages.
The REAL Reason Victims take years– even decades to come forward
Are you aware that the average age of victims to come forward to reveal childhood and young adult incidents of sexual abuse is 52 years of age? It’s common for victims to take a long time to come forward, because it may be something they grapple with for a long time. But also, they have take a deep breath and get ready for all the stones that the religious folk and their leaders will throw at them.
For far too long victims have had to watch as the ministry machine and its followers jump over themselves to defend the powerful and popular religious figure and hurl stones at the victim.
Who would want to willingly subject themselves to that?
Just as the Bible doesn’t condemn the woman when she was caught, we are reminded that trauma and power dynamics often delay disclosure, and these delays do not diminish the truth or severity of the abuse.
In sum, while this Scripture calls us not to be quick to judge or dismiss, but to drop the stones of condemnation, embrace grace, and listen to the wounded with a heart open to healing and justice, strangely, I’m seeing a lot more calls for people to let go of bitterness and offense and not stone the abuser, while thinking nothing of attacking the victim, calling her all sorts of vile things, such as liar.
Drop the stones, already.
