At Easter we identify the cross as an implement of execution but is that the only image that the cross can imprint on us? Perhaps the cruciform (cross-shaped) figure could also function as a schematic diagram depicting the nature of our lives. Imagine a diagram with a vertical vector intersected by a horizontal vector, in the shape of a cross. The vertical line plots the spiritual trajectory of our lives and represents ‘above’ and ‘below’ and the horizontal plots our trajectory in terms of time and represents ‘past’ and ‘future’.

I’d like to look at the New Testament story about the woman taken in adultery. The first thing to notice about the woman was that she was engaging in what we could call a “high risk” behavior. I imagine that at some point she had witnessed the raw justice that she was now facing. She “knew the score”. But what would motivate her to take this risk? In her risk benefit analysis what was the benefit she was after? What was she searching for?