And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth… And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.—John 1:14, 16-17 NKJV
Jesus is full of grace and truth and of His fullness, we receive grace on top of grace. The grace Jesus brings and gives is not based on merit but love. If on merit, we would most certainly not qualify. This grace is a gift that transforms lives.
When the woman caught “in the very act” of adultery in John 8 was brought out to the open square to face justice, her fate must have been sealed. She must have felt shame at being caught and brought out in the open. She would have been very fearful of what was about to happen to her because the sentence for the act was death by stoning. She probably lost all hope of life.
Just when she was resigned to her fate, grace happened to her. Grace removed her fear and replaced it with faith, covered her shame with love and gave her a renewed hope for life. Jesus did not condemn the woman but showed her compassion, grace and mercy, while at the same time He didn’t condone or excuse her behaviour. A true understanding of grace and mercy does not condone wrongdoing; rather, it leads us to desire to live right.
“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus” Philippians 2:5 (NIV) – Grace, which is unmerited favour, compassion and kindness, is a virtue worth valuing, cultivating, and adopting in our relationship with our fellow human beings. Regardless of our racial, ethnic, political, and religious persuasions or background, let’s learn to be forgiving, tolerant, and accommodating.
We are not perfect, and we won’t always get it right; we all have our worst moments. In those moments, we hope that we are not ridiculed, ostracised, or condemned. Instead, we hope that people would understand, accommodate and create space for clarity, correction and basically for our humanness.
The cancel culture of our day does not promote grace. We hear or see individuals or groups who are sidelined or even experience abuse for something they’ve said or done, which others consider offensive or unacceptable. But grace, as modelled by Jesus, typically offers room for empathy, second chances, patience, growth, forgiveness, and restoration, even when it’s difficult to do.
Grace doesn’t see the worst in us but sees our potential or what we can become. Grace has a name, and His name is Jesus.
Stay blessed,
LaraLex
Hills and Valleys 