Hold on a minute

TODAY'S READING: John 8:3-11
There are a number of ways to deal with conflict. While there are some situations like Jesus in the temple, there are other situations where we should be patient and quiet. Here we see one of those times. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees tried to get in Jesus' face and force Him to make a statement. They attempted to back Jesus into a corner. But Jesus knew better than to take the bait. He was patient. He took control of the situation.
There are times when we face conflict and our first reaction should not be to switch into battle mode. When faced with situations similar to the one Jesus faced here, we usually react in one of two ways. We either fight or run. Some of us would want to take the teachers and Pharisees to the mat. We would be armed and ready for battle. Others would simply turn and run before they would have to face any kind of conflict.
Jesus shows us a better way. We don't have to fight or run. We can calmly engage those we have a conflict with. The Pharisees probably hoped Jesus would fight or run. But instead, He calmly returned the challenge to them. And in the end, the situation ended peacefully.
Even more important is the fact that the woman did not have to suffer being the center of a drawn out discussion. As soon as the woman was in the middle of the crowd she could have become the center of attention. Now while I am sure people still looked at her, the way Jesus dealt with the situation brought more of the attention to Him and those who challenged Him.
Often in conflict a third party suffers more damage than anyone in the middle of the fight. When we are willing to follow the example Jesus set, we will be less likely to hurt others.
When you face conflict and you aren't sure how to respond, remember Jesus' encounter here. When we are willing to stop, take a minute, and think through the situation, we will usually make a wiser choice. And that is in the best interest of everyone involved.

shine!
Jason