Last Sunday’s Gospel John 8:1-11 was the story about the woman who was going to stoned until Jesus said,

“Let anyone without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”

What Jesus is challenging us to think about is not to be so quick to judge based on your own perceptions and the court of public opinion but to critically evaluate s the situation so you make a wise choice.

One day my wife and I were walking down the street on extremely hot day in Port Adelaide where we saw an elderly woman lying in a daze on the footpath. As several people walked past her or over the top of her my wife, a heavily set man with tattoos and I stopped to see what happened.

The woman had not been drinking as some people may have assessed and been reluctant to help but as we found out she had suffered heat stroke.

My wife went into the nearby chicken shop and asked them to call an ambulance and bought her a drink while the man and I tried to make her comfortable.

Finally the ambulance came and as the elderly woman climbed in she handed my wife a posy of flowers that she had been clutching on to.

It was a very powerful image to me of how kindness won over judgement.