Pornography, lives behind the scenes & God’s scandalous grace

During COVID-19, it is not just the sales of hand sanitizers and masks that were on the rise. 2020 saw a dramatic increase in the consumption of pornography. Internet search data from Google suggested that there was an increased interest in pornography during the most restrictive phases of many countries’ lockdowns (Zattoni et al., 2020).

Porn is pervasive in our culture.

Let’s leave it there for now; we’ll come back to this later.

They did not know her name, and frankly not a single one cared. She had been dragged all along, strong men beating her – not one, not two, but many. As she was pushed down onto the ground, she noticed them picking up the stones. They were sharp but not as sharp as the names she was being called.

By now she was used to this as she has been living this life for the past several years – so far it was in the confines of a room but now it was different..

Those who were pulling her through the streets were wearing fine clothing and some even had long tassels that implied their piety. And while they made sure their clothes didn’t get stained with the dirt, she could not help but think how she got there.

It did not matter to them. No one was interested in her story – they all had something to get from her. She knew all along that she had been living a lie, but by now she made herself believe that it was okay. Some days she could not stop crying and feeling helpless, but the next morning, she was back doing what she had been doing. She found herself in this endless cycle; only, with each passing day she hated herself more and more.

The voice of a man teaching grew closer and closer as they pushed her in to the temple courts. She could not see him but then they made her stand up and threw her to him. They asked him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?”. She knew what his response would be and she shuddered in fear.

A few seconds that seemed like forever passed by and she noticed the teacher bending down – he was writing something on the ground with his finger. He then stood up and said, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

They went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”

She finally met the One who saw past her failures, and restored her with the dignity she was born with. She was offered forgiveness without asking for it, and she received a new start. Scandalous grace!

Remember the story?

John 8: 2-11

2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

11 “No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

It is year 2021, and the internet is filled with pornographic content that exploits the weak, poor, and helpless. Our culture has been very successful in normalizing this exploitation. Hashtags like #wordporn, #foodporn are used without any second thoughts because our culture has misled us by now that porn is what that you consume for pleasure. Our generation has been deceived enough to think that porn is consensual or educational.

So what does the word “pornography” even mean? Porne means “female captives” or “prostitutes”, and Graphein means “writing”. Pornography simply means writings about the prostitute; at least, that is what this word used to mean. Over time, the meaning of this word has taken many shapes and forms, but at the heart of it is the exploitation of men, women and children.

I’ve asked Jesus quite a few times what it was that He wrote on the ground when the adulterous woman was brought to him. I sensed Him telling me that He erased the writings about her (i.e., “pornography” written about her), and wrote a new story for her life as he bent down to write.

If you read this blog until this point, my prayer for you is that you will see the real people behind the screens. Many of them have been sold, have been cheated and preyed on, have lost their way in life, are addicted and stuck in a never-ending cycle.

Yes, there are exceptions, but many of those who would say that they are performing a consensual act have been forced to choose a “profession” that they never wanted in the first place. Jesus restored the dignity of the woman caught in adultery and gave her a new start. He is still doing that and rescuing people from their sins, poor choices and the evil grips of nefarious men and women. You can do the same by saying no to porn, educating people about it, helping rescue those who have been tricked into the production of pornographic content, and preventing the trafficking of young boys and girls.

Watch this space to learn how you can play a part in restoring dignity to men, women and children!