Nicodemus, one of their members who had come to him earlier, said to them, "Does our law condemn a man before it first hears him and finds out what he is doing?"
They answered and said to him, "You are not from Galilee also, are you? Look and see that no prophet arises from Galilee." Then each went to his own house.
John 7:52-53
It is telling to me that each went back to his own house, back to the familiar. Lately with the discord and division in politics, this reads like it could be coming from our own political climate this week. These men told Nicodemus what they understood to be knowledge and then disappeared into their own spaces, their homes, where they were most likely surrounded by people who shared their same opinions and agreed with them. I wonder what Nicodemus thought? Where is the attempt at peace there? How can they come to understand someone with a different knowledge and different opinion? And how can they possibly reconcile without even hearing more from Nicodemus about Jesus' testimony?
With forgiveness there needs to be an attempt at reconciliation, and only then can lasting restoration be possible. "I'm sorry " can lead to: "It's ok I forgive you" which can lead to: "Can we try again?" Without those key elements, we will revisit what happens when people condemn too quickly and do not forgive nor seek justice when we revisit the events that lead to the Crucifixion of Jesus in the readings during Holy Week.
