John 8:2-11: 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.”
If one has ever wondered why Jesus came into the world, I would probably pick these two stories as part of my answer; this story along with the conversation between Jesus and the criminals hanging on the cross. This story truly illustrates the love of Jesus Christ and how He came to change the world. The Law of Moses was very clear here; the woman was caught in adultery and the penalty was stoning (I always ask – what about the man – takes two to tango). The law was clear and the penalty was clear, but Jesus came to make us think differently about the way we judge people. Jesus told all the people gathered to look at their sin first before judging others.
Jesus wants us to see clearly, that He is the only one who had the right to judge. We do not have that right because of our own sinfulness. Only Jesus can judge. How does He judge? Jesus judges with grace and mercy. This story paints a clear picture of the transformation from the law being a burden to the law being grace. Infidelity and adultery, both are still sins along with a multitude of other actions, including judging others without judging ourselves. Jesus is calling us to act as He did, judging with mercy and grace and the call to repent and sin no more.
As we get ready to celebrate Christmas, let us look deeply into the heart and mind of the Man, the Savior we celebrate and show that same grace and mercy, knowing that we could and should be judged just as harshly.
Prayer: Loving Father, what a blessing to see in a story like this just how You want me to love another. Forgive me when I have judged someone for their sin and not looked at my own sin. Help me to see sin and not to overlook or affirm it, but to reach out in mercy and grace just as Your Son Jesus did. Help me to be humble enough to share with another person my sin and forgiveness in order that they will seek the peace, hope, joy, and love that I know in Jesus Christ. It is in His name I pray, Amen.
With God’s grace and mercy, Pastor Brett