Can you imagine the feeling of being utterly exposed? Of having your deepest, darkest secret or sin paraded in front of you for the whole world to see? The woman depicted in Dallas Anderson's monumental bronze sculpture, Love Without Condemnation, certainly could. You can read her story in John 8:1-11.
This important account from the life of Christ reminds us that God finds value and tremendous worth in everyone, and that our greatest "sin" is being separated from him. In this sculpture, we see Jesus placing himself squarely between the accused woman and those who condemned her...and he does the same for each of us today.
Three men face the accused woman. They are proud, religious, and unrelenting. Rocks in hand, they've come prepared to render punishment. One of the men is the accused woman's husband. With him are two "experts" of the Law. One of them holds the written law and seems to be rather sadly pointing out the unfortunate reality of the woman's situation. He looks sympathetic, but his hands are tied-after all, rules are rules. The third man stands firm, uncompromising in his strict judgment of the woman.
Jesus bends to the ground and begins writing in the dust. The men keep pressing Jesus hoping he will render a "guilty" verdict. But he doesn't. Rather, Jesus gets up and says to them, "Let the one who is without sin cast the first stone" (John 8:7).
Jesus' words immediately cut to the core of the husband's heart. He drops his stone and walks away...as do each of the woman's accusers. Only Jesus and the woman are left standing there. Then Jesus asks her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" "No one, sir," she replies. "Then neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin."
It is interesting to note that the sculptor of this wonderful work of art chose to show Christ's robe overlapping the covering of the woman, reminding us that Christ's forgiveness will always cover our sin. And his forgiveness is the beginning of abundant living. Anderson's sculpture, Love Without Condemnation, is located just outside the north wall of the Crystal Cathedral's famous Memorial Gardens. It is surrounded by lush green landscaping and a quiet stream beckoning all who pass by to stop and take in the beauty and meaning of its message.
About the Sculptor Love Without Condemnation is one of three works of art sculpted for the Crystal Cathedral grounds by internationally acclaimed sculptor, Dallas Anderson.
Mr. Anderson is a graduate of St. Olaf's College in Minnesota and trained at the Danish Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. He taught at Brigham Young University before joining Robert Schuller in Garden Grove as an artist-in-residence at the Crystal Cathedral in the early 1980s.
