John 8:1-11; 5th Sunday of Lent

I have always been intrigued by the lyrics and melody of the song by Def Leppard and how it easily lends itself to our deeper understanding of God’s mercy and compassion.

It begins with this line:

“You could have a change of heart, if you would only change your mind…”

A simple idea. But profoundly spiritual.
Because isn’t that the very essence of conversion?
To change your heart, you must first change your mind—how you see others, how you see yourself, how you understand God.

That first line of the song could’ve been sung to the Pharisees and scribes who dragged a broken woman into the temple courts and flung her shame at Jesus’ feet.
These were not naive or uninformed people. They were the elders, the priests, the seasoned ones. People who, by age and by vocation, should have known better. Should have been more merciful.
They had likely been forgiven before. Perhaps even guilty of the same sin. And yet, here they are: stone in hand, heart like desert rock.

They could have had a change of heart… if only they had changed their mind.

But instead, they weaponized the law and made a public spectacle of another’s private shame. And this is where the song’s refrain hits hard:

“Can’t stop the hurt inside when love and hate collide.”

Indeed, this Gospel moment is a collision:
God’s love crashes into human hate.
Jesus’ mercy slams against their callousness.
And yet—it’s not hurt that triumphs. It’s healing.

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1. The Torrent – The Woman Caught in Sin

She is caught. Exposed. Powerless.
Her sin is like a torrential flood—visible, undeniable. And in a culture that viewed adultery as one of the gravest public crimes, she becomes an easy scapegoat.

But here’s what’s extraordinary:

Jesus doesn’t deny her sin.
He simply refuses to define her by it.

Where the crowd sees someone who deserves to die, Jesus sees someone who is ready to live again.
Because the worst thing you’ve done is not the last thing God sees in you.

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2. The Desert – The Accusers

And then there’s the other group in this story—the men holding stones.

They don’t weep. They don’t reflect. They accuse.
They are the barren desert—dry, fruitless, lifeless. Not because they have no sin, but because they pretend they don’t.

The tragedy here is not just the woman’s sin.
The greater tragedy is their refusal to see their own.

They had hardened themselves in the name of holiness.
They hid behind scripture but missed the heart of God.
They knew the words, but forgot the melody. The melody of mercy.

Jesus’ invitation—“Let the one without sin be the first to throw a stone”—is not just a legal challenge. It’s a call to conscience.

One by one, they drop their stones. But also, tragically, they walk away.

She remains. They leave.
She, the sinner, stays in the presence of mercy.
They, the “righteous,” abandon it.

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3. The River – The Mercy of Christ

The first reading from Isaiah proclaims:

“See, I am doing something new… I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”

Jesus is that river.

He carves a path of mercy where there was once only the dry law of condemnation.
He transforms a death sentence into a second chance.
He gives the woman what she doesn’t deserve—grace—and invites her to live differently.

“Neither do I condemn you. Go, and sin no more.”

This is not cheap grace.
It’s costly. It demands change. But it also believes change is possible.

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Conclusion: When God’s Love Collides With Our World

The song ends with heartbreak—“Can’t stop the hurt inside, when love and hate collide.”
But the Gospel rewrites that ending. It dares to say:

You can stop the hurt.
You can start again.
Because when God’s mercy collides with human sin, grace gets the last word.

So today, ask yourself:

• Where in your life are you like the woman—needing mercy, healing, and a new beginning?
• And where are you like the crowd—holding stones, standing in judgment, forgetting your own sins?
• Most of all, will you stay like the woman in the presence of Jesus, or walk away like the rest?

Let Jesus write something new in the dust of your heart.

You could have a change of heart, if you would only change your mind.
Let it begin today.

Amen.