Entrapped

(John 8:1-11)
 
“…Go and sin no more”- John 8:11
By the time Sophia realized what 
was going on, it was too late. 
The trap had been set and she was 
caught red-handed. 
She didn’t want to go this far, and 
she told him so. 
But Bill would not have any of that. 
He had a way with words that would 
defeat any argument or inhibitions 
you may have. 
And to make things worse, she was 
in love with him. 
A woman in love is the most vulnerable 
person in the world.
And the most stupid.
As she was being handcuffed, 
her mind went back to the first time 
they met just a few weeks earlier…
She was in her mid-twenties, the age 
your parents would start asking you those 
annoying questions: “when would you 
bring a man home?” 
And they put you under pressure: 
“I want to carry my grandchildren before
I die!”
Why don’t they put same pressure on 
my brother? She thought.
She met Bill in a store. 
He had helped her to carry her groceries 
to the car. 
They chatted briefly, he commented on 
her dress and her hair. 
They exchanged numbers. 
They would chat on WhatsApp into the 
early hours of the morning. 
She fell in love with him not long after. 
He was fun, he was pleasant, 
he was intelligent, he was suave and 
he had the right swag. 
And he certainly knew all the right 
words to say. He was the perfect Mr. Right…
Sophia introduced him to her parents, 
and her mother liked him, the way she 
went on, acting like a mother in-law. 
They went out to see a movie one 
evening, and they kissed. 
Sophia had butterflies in her stomach- 
it was so romantic! 
They left the cinema after the movie 
but she wasn’t ready to go home. 
So they took a stroll in the park, 
holding hands. 
They talked about everything- 
she was so relaxed and free with Bill, 
she wished this would last forever. 
She was IN LOVE.
A week later, Bill proposed. 
She accepted. She was so happy! 
She told her mother and they started 
planning for the Big Day. 
Her father was a bit restrained, and 
she wondered why. 
Men and their issues! 
“You should be happy for me, dad!”
 she scolded him. 
“Princess, I just feel you should be a 
bit more cautious. 
You don’t trust people until they prove 
they are trustworthy”, her father said, 
as he browsed the different channels 
on the tv. 
“But daddy, I have a different opinion- 
you trust people until they show you they 
are not trustworthy!” Daddy shook his head 
as he eased his bulk into the sofa to watch 
a programme…
A few days later, Bill casually asked her to 
spend a night with him in a hotel. 
She was surprised. 
She wanted them to wait till they married, 
but Bill was of a different opinion. 
“We love each other- and we’re going to get 
married, anyway. Kini big deal?” 
The more they talked about it, the more 
he eroded her resistance. 
She eventually agreed. 
She gave her parents an excuse to spend 
the night out of the house. 
They had planned to meet at the hotel by 7pm. 
Sophia was there on time. Bill was waiting. 
They were both excited! 
They checked into the room and the 
clothes came off…
Suddenly, there was a loud bang on 
the door. “That must be room service”, Bill said. 
Sophia was surprised. “Did you order anything?” 
Bill got out of bed and went to check. 
Suddenly, a squad of gendarmes barged in. 
Before she could grab her clothes, 
they rounded her up. 
She looked around for Bill. 
He was gone! What is going on?
The Head Honcho smiled as he looked 
down at her naked body on the bed. 
“Woman, you are under arrest. 
You have the right to remain silent, 
as anything you say may be used against 
you in a court of law. You have the right 
to an attorney…” His words faded off. 
Sophia’s head was spinning. 
She knew the law. 
Pre-marital sex was an offence, 
punishable by death. 
She wondered how she allowed herself 
to get to that point. 
Her mind went to her parents: what would they say? 
Her father’s words came back to her: 
“You don’t trust people until they prove they 
are trustworthy”…
She was bundled into the van and driven off. 
Sophia was too stunned to weep. 
Her mind was in turmoil.
 Where is Bill? Was he a part of all this? 
Why wasn’t he arrested as well? 
Suddenly, the van stopped. 
Have we reached the station? 
She thought a journey from that hotel to 
the station would take about 30 minutes. 
They had barely gone 15…
She was dragged out of the van and she 
fell down. 
As she got up, she saw Him: The Master. 
He was with a crowd of followers and was 
giving a teaching. He stopped and looked 
at her. She felt worse.
The Head Honcho grabbed her by the arm 
and walked her up to Him and flung her at 
His feet.
 “Hey, Buddy! We just caught this lady in bed 
with a man! 
Now, we all know this is a crime and under 
our laws, she should be stoned to death. 
Now, what do you say?”
Sophia’s eyes darted from her accuser 
to The Master.
He didn’t say a word. 
The Head Honcho sneered. 
“Hey, you suddenly lost your voice? 
Or you cut your tongue?” the other 
gendarmes roared with laughter. 
The Master stooped down and wrote 
on the ground with His finger…
The Head Honcho turned to Sophia, 
“Even The Master can’t help you now! 
You are FINISHED!” 
He grabbed her arm and turned to go 
back to the van. 
In that moment, The Master stood up. 
He looked at the Head Honcho and spoke 
in a very strong voice: 
LET THE MAN WITHOUT 
SIN CAST THE FIRST STONE.
He stooped down and continued writing 
on the ground…
Sophia was shocked. 
Is that all He would say? 
I thought he would at least… 
Suddenly, she felt the grip on her 
arm loosen. 
She turned around and saw the expression 
on the face of the Head Honcho had changed. 
He looked at her and without a word, 
he brought out the keys and unlocked the 
handcuffs. 
He called out to his boys and they 
walked to the van and drove off. 
What happened? She wondered if
 this entire operation was just to trap 
The Master. So, it was not really about her, 
afterall? Bill had been part of a covert 
operation to trap Him, not her…
She turned and saw The Master still 
writing on the ground. 
A few minutes later, He stood up. 
He asked her, “Where are your accusers?” 
Sophia couldn’t trust herself to speak. 
There was something about this man 
that overawed her. 
“th-they ha-have gone, Sir,”
 she stammered. 
“is there anybody condemning you now?” 
He asked. “No-none S-Sir…” 
Sophia responded.
“Neither do I condemn you. 
Go and sin no more.”
Indeed, the Grace of God that 
brings salvation 
has appeared to all men...