<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/umpteenhorizons.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/TheEnduringWordReneeGoodman.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe Nazarene simply bent down and wrote in the icy snow with his finger. The woman\u2019s accusers pressed him, calling for a verdict.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jesus stood and said to them, \u201cLet the one among you, who truly believes that labels create guilt and that guns make things right, be the first to crucify me.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Again, the teacher, called a terrorist, stooped and traced his fingers in the ice.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The spokesperson looked to the agents. The agents looked to one another. Their certainty thinned. Cameras kept rolling. Radios crackled. No one moved. No one spoke.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then, one by one, the agents lowered their weapons and walked away.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The woman remained in her car \u2013 shaking, breathing, still alive.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jesus turned to her and asked, \u201cHas no one condemned you?\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She answered, \u201cNo one.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jesus assured her, \u201cNeither do I condemn you. You are free. Keep caring for others. You are a light in this world.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But in darkened corridors of power, the leaders plotted. They did not question their ways. They did not learn. Instead, they turned their attention to the man who stirred the hearts of people, who undermined their order, and who threatened their security. And at their first opportunity, they crucified the teacher.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The woman lived. And though the icy snow would melt, the truth written there endured in her words and in her care for others.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
#ReneeGood #GospelReflection <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In a cold city neighborhood, masked government agents sought to drag a woman from her car, but a man from Nazareth stood before them. Some called him a teacher. Others called him a terrorist. A government spokesperson demanded, \u201cJesus, this … Continue reading