Junior Series | Why shouldn’t we judge others? A lesson on forgiveness, integrity, bullying, and choosing mercy over condemnation (John 8: 1 - 11)

Junior School Reflection | John 8: 1 - 11, 5th Tuesday of Lent, 2026, Year B

Note: reflection published three days prior to the liturgical day.

Life is one big journey that brings with it lots of new and exciting discoveries. We make discoveries when we are at school learning a new and interesting topic, when we’re at home watching something new, and of course when we are on holidays with friends and family, going to new and exciting places we have never been before. However, sometimes on these journeys, we face challenges where we choose what is wrong instead of what is right. In the classroom, this kind of mistake might look like speaking when you should be listening; taking something from your buddy that doesn’t belong to you; and on the playground, we might do something a little more harmful and bully someone with harsh words or use force and hurt them, when in fact we should have shown them the basic respect they deserved as human beings and school pupils. So while life is full of fun and exciting opportunities, there are moments on this journey when we make mistakes that make our lives harder.

In the Gospel we just heard and the video we just watched, we learnt of a woman who was caught doing something wrong by influential people. These people are called the Pharisees in this text. They presented the woman to Jesus not because they wanted her punished, but because they wanted to trap Jesus instead. The text said the Pharisees wanted to test Jesus. When Jesus was alive, he wasn’t popular with some people in the community, especially those who strictly followed the law and rejected his message.

The pharisees thought the best way to get rid of Jesus was to try and outsmart him. So, they presented to Jesus a woman who was caught doing something very wrong and asked Jesus his thoughts about the situation. They knew that if Jesus said she shouldn’t be punished, he would go against the Mosaic Law and seem less trustworthy as a teacher. Bur if he supported punishment, Jesus would get in trouble with the Roman authorities, since they reserved the right to carry out punishment. No matter what he decided, it would place Jesus in serious danger.  

If you paid close attention to the reading, you would remember that Jesus said to his opponents, “Let the first person without sin cast the stone.” Hands up if you think you know what Jesus is saying here? What Jesus is saying is that anyone in the room who has never done anything wrong has the right to judge this woman. And if we were paying attention to the story, you will remember that all the people present, ready and willing to punish this woman, left the scene. Every person in that scene had sinned before and, as a result, did not have a right to judge this woman for her actions. 

The lesson from this Gospel is simple: do not be so quick to judge others. Everyone, except Jesus, who is man and God, has sinned. We are sinners, and like the woman in the story and the those who tried to have her punished, we deserve to be heard and understood for the mistakes we make. We are capable of saying sorry and turning away from those mistakes. Sometimes we make mistakes because we do not know right thing to do is at the time. Sometimes our judgements are wrong and so, for this reason, we should be more reserved in passing judgement. Only God knows our hearts more so than ourselves, more so than anyone in this room. Because he truly knows us and understands why we make our decisions, only he is worthy to judge. 

While we are called not to judge others, there is something more important this Gospel reading wants to teach us. While Jesus is the only person in the room with the woman, he does not judge her for her sins. Instead, Jesus forgives her and tells her to sin no more. It’s a hard request, I know, because we are always learning and growing and so we will sometimes make mistakes along the way. But the main point is this: even if others do not forgive us, Jesus will forgive us every time we come to him in prayer. 

This school term, we are learning the value of integrity. We remember that this word means to do the right thing, to stand up for what is right. In our classroom, we listen to the one who is talking; on the playground, we welcome those who might feel left out and has no one to play with. These are just a couple things which we should stand up for. We also just learnt that we should not judge others because all of us here can make mistakes too, even the same mistakes that others make, and sometimes we do not know why the other person has hurt us or another person. More importantly, we should be open to forgiving those who wrong us. This is Jesus’ message. When we become mindful of our own weakness to sin and don’t judge but instead learn to forgive, we are showing integrity. Why? Because it is always the right thing to show our friends, teachers and loved ones.

Now, before I end this reflection, how many here have dobbed on somebody in for making a mistake at home, in class or in the playground? Sometimes, the characters of the Pharisees and the woman in this Gospel reflect our own life:  we make mistakes like the woman, and we are often quick to judge others without recognising our own shortcomings. 

Let’s be people of integrity by showing love and forgiveness.

Disclaimer: Gospel reading taken from Monday 5th week of Lent. Actual reading for Tuesday 5th week of Lent: John 8: 21-30.