Then each of them went home, while Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him and he sat down and began to teach them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them, they said to him, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?’ They said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’ And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus straightened up and said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one, sir.’ And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.’ (John 7:53—8:11, NRSV)
Jesus was in the temple or on His way tot the temple, when He is brought a woman who has sinned. She was caught in adultery, my first thought is if she is committing adultery, where is the other person? It takes 2 to tango after all…
But that’s not the point… The scribes and the Pharisees want to stone her, and Jesus simply tells them to let the first one of you who is without sin to cast the first stone. After a while they are all gone and Jesus asks two questions, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
No one has condemned her. Which is interesting because the next thing Jesus says is “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.” You see Jesus could have condemned her, because He met His criteria for the person that could cast the first stone.
Jesus knew she was a sinful person, just like the scribes and the Pharisees that brought her there. But He looked on her the same way He looked on the scribes and the Pharisees and you and I, with love. He loves us enough to give us a second chance, and be gracious to us when we get it wrong.
He is the one that can condemn us, but yet He chooses not to when we turn to Him and confess we are wrong.
So trust in His grace, mercy and love!
aSacredRebel 