Who Wants to Cast the First Stone?
In the Old Testament came the phrase; “An Eye for an Eye, A Tooth for a Tooth” as a form of punishment given during the time of Moses. The Muslims in the same way applies this concept of punishment lest anyone commits an offense against the teachings of Quran. Just recently, a news article from the internet reported that in Iran, three men convicted of adultery were sentenced to death by stoning. This form of punishment is strongly condemned by some Muslim human rights group in that country as the news report said and apparently, a law has been passed banning this inhumane way of punishment.
In Christian countries like the Philippines who proud herself as the only Catholic nation in Asia and yet, why these fellow citizens of mine are so hungry to shed the blood of the outlaws and offenders as if none of them had sinned? Didn't Jesus know that all of us are sinners when He said, "Let those who do not sin cast the first stone?" Jesus being said that didn't contradict the Law of Moses nor advocate for its dissolution. In fact he explained that the Law of Moses was given the way it was because of the stubbornness of the people that time being under the claws of sins. But when Jesus came to redeem us from sin that separates us from the Father, we were no longer under the claws of it, thus He told us all; “Go and sin no more.”
Jesus, in countless parables explains how the Law of Moses is subordinate to the Son as the Son is subordinate to the Father. The coming of Jesus and His way of dying in the cross ends man’s enslavement to sin, thus to die physically only means cessation of man’s physical body and judgment of all of us sinners is reserved to the “Supreme Judge” of all judges. It’s however unfortunate how people from the time of Moses until the present day continuously ignore the message that Jesus had shown us; that no one is righteous, not even one.
How easy for us to say who is right and who had done wrong in a world that is full of self-appointed righteous. But little did we know that no one is righteous among us, not even one. But if you think you are an exception, why don’t you cast the first stone?
Sa mundong ating ginagalawan sa ngayon, marami ang naghahangad ng katarungan at kaparusahan laban sa mga taong gumawa ng di makatao sa atin. Mata sa mata, ngipin sa ngipin at pangkaraniwan ang paghingi ng hustisya sa pamamagitan ng pagdanak na dugo ng isang nagkasala. Sumisgaw tayo ng katarungan sa di makataong ginawa sa atin, subalit ang pagkitil ng buhay ng isang nagkasala, dili baga'y di rin makataong pamamaraan para sa isang bansa na katulad natin na ipingamamalaki ng tanging bansang Katolika sa buong Asya?
Sa ganang akin, mas higit na mabigat na kaparusahan sa isang nagkasala ng isang karumal-dumal na krimen ang bayaang siyang mabuhay sa kulungan gaya ng Bilibid Prison na kung saan ay nanaisin mo pa na mamatay kaysa sa mapiit ng isang araw? Ang buhay ay bigay ng Diyos at Siya lamang ang may karapatang bumawi.
Buhay na hiram Siya lamang ang may karapatan?
