|
Casting Stones
Oil on Linen/Panel
40inches by 60 inches
The story of the accused woman brought before the crowd in the temple is
told in John 8: 2-11. She is shown standing in shame before Jesus and the
crowd in the temple courtyard, her shame and vulnerability starkly exposed
to public scrutiny. Her accusers demanded that Jesus determine her fate,
evoking the law of Moses, which stated that she be stoned. Jesus, aware
that this was an attempt to trap him, knelt in silence and began to write
in the sand.
It is not known what Jesus
wrote, but when he was continually pressed for an answer, he rose and
said, "Anyone who has not sinned can throw the first stone at her." Then
he knelt again and continued to write on the ground.
Those who heard him, went out
in silence, one by one.
Alone in
the courtyard, the woman stood before the humble, kneeling Christ, who
offered her compassion and redemption. |
