they said to him, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?’ When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’

John 8:4-5, 7 (NRSV)

NOTE: The image above was contested by https://prohousedemolitionsbrisbane.com/ as belonging to them, in spite of the fact I got it from Gerhard G., a content creator who listed it for royalty-free use on www.pixabay.com. Remember to always credit copyright holders when you know who they are.

Miami Condo Collapses, Fingers Start Pointing

The news is currently full of reports about the condo collapse in Miami. It’s a terribly sad story, and as I write this eleven people are dead and 150 are missing. I’m worried the former number will rise as the latter number lowers. You can read something about it here, but keep in mind this article might soon be outdated.

Currently, I’m hearing a lot of reporting focusing on the building inspection that indicated there were issues. People claim this as evidence that someone could or could not have averted this crisis. It’s a natural impulse. People seem to always want to know how to assign blame. Who did what? Who didn’t do what? Why didn’t who do what? It’s a classic conundrum, and I expect the courts will sort it all out over the next several years. 

Because that’s how long these things take. YEARS.

And meanwhile, family members of the victims are looking for answers, trying to understand how it happened. They are trying to imagine what the final moments of their loved one’s lives were like. This can lead to some very harsh judgment long before we even know what actually happened. Already I’m seeing calls for justice for the victims and their families, and people are assigning blame. 

Rushing to judgment may be a thing humans do naturally, but it doesn’t mean we should. For now, I’d like to offer prayers of sympathy for the victims and their families. I also offer prayers for everyone involved, including the building owners and the inspectors, and the EMTS and everyone. That might be an unpopular stance, but anyone involved is likely hurting very badly. It’s not my job to rush to judgment like a TV “news” reporter (that’s in quotes because I believe there’s so little actual news on TV in 2021). 

So, Who WOULD Jesus Blame, and how?

The next time you hear of something like this, consider your faith. Consider your scriptures, and the things they tell you and blame and forgiveness. The scripture above reminds me that judgment is sometimes all too easy.