“And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, ‘Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.’” — John 8:7 ESV
Today’s verse is Jesus’ reply to the scribes and Pharisees who brought a woman who was allegedly caught in adultery. I’m not sure I want to think about how they caught her in the act!
Did they really catch her in the very act? If so, where was her partner in the alleged crime or wrongdoing especially as the law required that both parties face judgement? Or was she set up to be used as a scapegoat or to find an occasion to discredit and find fault against Jesus?
One thing that is obviously clear is that these scribes and Pharisees were not fair people. All they were interested in was catching Jesus out and they didn’t care about those that got caught up in the crossfire. “They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him…” John 8:6 (NLT)
However, Jesus knew their intentions and didn’t fall for their bait. I can see them with the big, rugged stones ready to strike but Jesus didn’t give them a yes or no answer. Instead, He said, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” It wasn’t the answer they were expecting.
They were posed with those big, rugged stones, directed at the woman, if Jesus had condemned her like they wanted, or maybe Jesus Himself, if He didn’t condemn her. Jesus being God and knowing the heart of men, He redirected their thoughts, forcing them to self-reflect or self-examine their conscience and they all fell short. I can almost imagine the heavy stones falling and hitting the ground with a loud thud around the woman as each of her accusers retreated.
“Then Jesus … said to the woman, ‘Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?’ ‘No, Lord,’ she said. And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I. Go and sin no more.’” John 8:10-11 (NLT)
Jesus showed the woman compassion, grace and mercy, however, at the same time didn’t condone her behaviour. A true understanding of grace and mercy does not condone wrongdoing; rather, it leads us to desire righteous living.
In most cases, Christians come across to the world as very judgemental. We are viewed as judge and jury and even too dogmatic. Sometimes we forget that we are saved by grace and if not for Christ we are really no better than those that don’t know Christ or share our faith. It is also because we sometimes lack a heart of compassion both towards believers and non-believers.
The combination of justice and deep, heartfelt compassion demonstrated by Jesus is a fine example of how the church should deal with people.
Stay blessed,
LaraLex
Hills and Valleys 