Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side.
In the first reading we heard the story of a beautiful, faithful woman, Susanna, who is falsely accused by two corrupt evil old men, who wanted to have their way with her. Lying to protect themselves the two wicked elders seek to have Susanna put to death. Then Daniel steps in, advocates for her: and the two corrupt judges were convicted, and Susanna goes free.
Two wicked and corrupted elders were judges and were overwhelmed with sexual desire for her, hatched a plan to force her into sleeping with them. She refused saying “I am completely trapped. For if I do this, it will mean death for me; if I do not, I cannot escape your hands. I choose not to do it; I will fall into your hands, rather than sin in the sight of the Lord.” Hence the two wicked and dirty old men accused her for the crime of adultery.
Susanna seems resigned to her fate, her dire predicament is amplified by the fact that two witnesses partake in a well-established accusation. Deuteronomy 19:15, states that two witnesses are required to bring a defendant to court. The court condemns her to death. As she is being led out to her execution, Susanna cries out a prayer to God:
O eternal God, you know what is secret and are aware of all things before they come to be; you know that these men have given false evidence against me. And now I am to die, though I have done none of the wicked things that they have charged against me!’
As Susanna utters her prayer (vv. 45-46)God “stirred up the holy spirit of a young man named Daniel,” who shouts, “I want no part in shedding this woman’s blood!” Daniel utters his cry of protest:
Are you such fools, O Israelites, as to condemn a daughter of Israel without examination and without learning the facts? Return to court, for these men have given false evidence against her.’
According to Deuteronomy 19:18, the judges must thoroughly investigate witnesses’ accusations. Daniel asked the two wicked elders the same question regarding the nature of Susanna’s infidelity that they had witnessed. Under what tree did Susanna and her lover meet? Once the separated elders offer different answers, Daniel conclusively proves Susanna’s innocence.
According to the Torah, if witnesses lie, they will suffer the punishment that the accused would have suffered had their testimony been upheld (Deut 19:18-19). They took action against the two elders, because out of their own mouths Daniel had convicted them of bearing false witness; they did to them as they had wickedly planned to do to their neighbor. The evil that men do lives with them.
In a society or world where respect for human life and human dignity are out for grab through pornography, child trafficking, child abuse, pimping, and degradation of values families we need more courageous people like Daniel.
In the gospel, similar accusation was brought to Jesus against an unnamed woman whom the accused of adultery. However, the target here was not the woman but Jesus. Like the incident in the first reading, there were no accomplice, as the man who may have committed the act with the lady was not brought forward. The Book of Leviticus 20:10 states: “The man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, he who commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress, shall surely be put to death.” The Book of Deuteronomy 22:22-24 states “If a man is found lying with a woman married to a husband, then both of them shall die—the man that lay with the woman, and the woman; so you shall put away the evil from Israel. If a young woman who is a virgin is betrothed to a husband, and a man finds her in the city and lies with her, then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city, and you shall stone them to death with stones, the young woman because she did not cry out in the city, and the man because he humbled his neighbor’s wife; so you shall put away the evil from among you.”
Why did they bring only the woman to Jesus? Where was the accomplice? Since they did not bring the accomplice, the prescription of the Law of Moses was not fulfilled. Remember that the scribes and Pharisees were trying to set a trap for Jesus (John 8:6). As stated above, the Law required that there to be two independent witnesses in a capital case (Deut. 17:6 & 19:15). Since the Pharisees have assumed the position of witnesses, then let them be the first to cast the stone, Jesus requested. Why didn’t they cast the first stone? False witnesses will meet the same fate proposed for the accused. Do we still have false witnesses in our society today? From Daniel, we learn how important it is to be courageous in the face of evil and never to be silent when someone’s life, honor, or dignity at stake. Have a wonderful Week.
