Those who wrote the Book of Deuteronomy were fierce in their condemnation of idols and worshipping other gods. The God of Israel demanded total loyalty and obedience - anything less was to be punished. Today we would not agree with killing friends and family members because their form of religion did not agree with ours. But God still expects adherence to his laws and fidelity to divine teachings. When we are faithful, we thrive as human beings; when we are not faithful, we begin to wither and die spiritually.

Intolerance and fierce judgement usually lead to human tragedy, even killing of others. Some of the elders had cornered a woman taken in adultery (where was the man?) and were intending to stone her for breaking the law. By refusing to meet their gaze or answer their questions, Jesus stopped them in their tracks. He captured their attention by writing in the sand. Then he said that the one without sin could cast the first stone. He gave them ample time to reflect on their own sins. We often project our darkness on others and see sins in others that we too have. One by one, they recognised this, and slunk meekly away. From today's gospel, we learn that when we judge and condemn others, we judge and condemn ourselves.