The scene was set. Jesus was teaching and here they come- with her in tow. The Pharisees are mad and they think that they have Jesus in a compromised position. What will He do here? He has two choices: 1. Jesus will agree with the Pharisees and will punish this sinner or 2. Jesus will flaunt the Law and prove Himself to be in opposition to God. She is only a pawn in a sick spiritual chess match. Nothing is about this lady. It was always about trapping Jesus in a “no win” situation.
In John 8:1-11, we see the horns of a dilemma. What does Jesus do in real time? Was she guilty? YES. Were the Pharisees correct when they claimed that the Law states she was to be stoned? NO. the Law states that both people caught in this sinful action were to be stoned. Those requirements are found in Leviticus 20:10, Deuteronomy 17:5 and 19:15-16. Now we see Him, seemingly, uninterested in this battle as He stoops on the ground and writes something. When Jesus was pushed, He made this statement: “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.”
Now we are privy to the human condition as each man there begins to come face to face with his own sinfulness. It has been theorized that Jesus may have been writing a list of their sins on the ground as the Pharisees watch and are convicted. They leave, in descending order, from the oldest to the youngest. Jesus is left with the lady caught in the sinful situation. He Tells her to go and sin no more in John 8:11. She left spiritually clean and with her dignity intact.
We marvel at the compassion and kindness of Jesus to this lady who was caught in the very act. We are amazed that Jesus did not berate her or gossip about her to the disciples. He simply loved and forgave. How do we, as Christians, not follow the example of Christ. We will not apply the idea of the one without sin, cast the first stone. We often look for opportunities to throw a rock. STOP! While we cannot live as those who accept sinfulness, we should understand that the wake of sin effects and hurts so many people.
Try this: Hold the sinful brother or sister accountable and show compassion toward those dealing with the wake of the others who have committed the sinful actions.
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