Kenotic Love & the Pericope Adulterae in a Polemical World – Lynnette Missiuna
In a polemical world of anger and fear, of noisy fighting for self-preservation and domination, what does Jesus teach us through the Pericope Adulterae (PA), (the story of the woman caught in adultery) about the practical outworking of consent and participation in kenotic love, in the face of opposition and oppression?
The Feast of Tabernacles celebrated God’s provision in the desert. Placed in the middle of the drama of rising anger and danger, exacerbated by Jesus’ claims to be the fulfillment of the Feast’s ceremonies, is the controverted Pericope Adulterae, which I see as a portrayal of Jesus’ kenotic love.
At considerable risk, Jesus humbles himself before the woman caught in adultery (the Adulterae) and the religious leaders, choosing the way of protector, revealer of hearts, wisdom and love over retaliation and self preservation. He respects the woman’s God-given dignity in her need for de-escalation and reflection, for thoughtful metanoia, as she faces her decision to consent and participate in union with God in His Kingdom.
By reading the story as history and metaphor, considering the significance of the Feast of Tabernacles, I will explore how Jesus demonstrates unpanicked kenotic love, and invites us to consent to and participate in that love, both for ourselves and for the oppressed around us.
CLICK HERE to download the full essay: The Pericope Adulterae
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