Somebody's in trouble

Jesus, help me be sympathetic when another kid gets in trouble! Amen.

The people who didn't like Jesus tried to trick Him into saying something against the law. They brought a woman who was caught sinning and said, "The law says we should kill her. What do you think?" But Jesus just said, "Whoever has never sinned themselves should throw the first stone at her." The people felt ashamed and left. Jesus told the woman, "Go home, and don't sin any more."

Why does your whole class start fidgeting and whispering when one kid gets in trouble? It might be because you're glad it's not you!

That was definitely true in Jesus' time. There were a lot of very strict laws then, so people would feel relieved when someone else was the person caught breaking a law. Sometimes -- like in this week's Gospel (John 8:1-11) -- they practically had a party when someone else got in trouble!

If the kids in your class can't stop giving each other looks, whispering and even giggling because one kid's in trouble, that's probably because you feel a little guilty yourself. Often, you've done the same thing that kid got caught doing, and the only difference is that you got away with it.

Jesus points that out to the people in the Gospel story. They bring Him a woman who sinned and got caught, but He doesn't jump in to hate on her like everyone else.

Instead, He points out that everybody sins -- including all the people who are ready to kill her for it. They realize Jesus is right, feel guilty and leave.

There's no point laughing at a kid who's in trouble. You might just be letting off steam, but that moment when you're all fidgety is also a good moment to be sympathetic to the poor kid -- and to decide how you might change your own actions before you get caught doing the same thing, and everyone whispers about you!