“… neither do I condemn you …”
But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
11 “No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
(John 8:1-11; NIV. Please read John 8.)
She stood there … guilty … ashamed … condemned. (And rightfully so.)
They stood there … guilty … angry … condemning. (Such hypocrites.)
He stood there … innocent … embarrassed (for her) … afraid (for them).
He knew that she was wrong … but He also knew that they were wrong.
He gave them a chance to do what was “righteous” (to stone her) … they refused.
So … He refused to “condemn” her.
ON SECOND THOUGHT: I have stood condemned – just like this woman “caught in the act”. I have felt the weight of my guilt … the dread of my deserved punishment … but He refused to “condemn” me. Thank you, Jesus. So … when someone stands before me now “caught in the act” … may God help me kneel with Jesus and draw in the dirt – refusing to condemn.
October 19, 2008 at 4:41 pm
I too have stood comdemned for sin. I wish that I could have believed that Jesus did not condemn me then. I know better now.
I love the fact that Jesus started writing in the dirt. What He was writing didn’t matter…He could have been doodling. But everyone in the crowd looked to see what He was doing. As a result, the woman had time to catch her breath just a little bit. Maybe she had a second to try to regain some composure. Even if nothing else…they quit staring at her for a little bit. And that was relief. Jesus knew what her heart needed. Yes she was guilty, but she knew that. Jesus looked beyond her guilt, as He does with me. He knew what I needed and does not condemn me as I stand before Him. That is relief for my heart. Thank you Jesus.
October 19, 2008 at 6:19 pm
I don’t understand what makes people so mean. Why do they need to point out the sins of others … why do they want to try to catch someone doing something wrong? Does it make them feel better about their sins? Does it make them feel powerful?
These men had caught this woman in adultery. It’s been pointed out before, but always amazes me … it was just her. There was no one else caught in this act with her? So did the man get away … or was he part of the trap?
I cannot imagine being this woman. Being paraded out to Jesus … caught doing something worthy of death. Had she heard of Him? Did she know of His compassion at all? If she didn’t before … she walked away being grateful for it.
Jesus’ wisdom is something that I want. I want His composure … His patience. He didn’t feel the need to jump down the throat of this woman … who was wrong. Or to jump all over these men … who were also wrong. He just did His own thing. First, He got their attention off of the woman. She was not the issue. Jesus knew they were using her to trap Him and that had to stir His heart. I always picture Him looking into her eyes just before He knelt down … a look of compassion … a look that told her “this isn’t really about you … it’s about me”.
They kept asking … kept questioning … until He finally told them. If you’ve never sinned … go ahead … stone her. He gave them permission to do what they had said they wanted. But that stipulation of the first stone being thrown by someone without sin … this stopped them. Made them think.
His only command to her … “leave your life of sin”. I’ve been given the same chance she has … I was spared the punishment my sins deserve … so I should now honor the One who paid that price by leaving that life and living His.
I wonder what she did next? Was she too ashamed of the sin to honor the One who had forgiven her? I hope not. I hope she found someone suffering from the same embarrassment she had, and told them … there is a man that can help … His name is Jesus.
October 19, 2008 at 10:35 pm
Jesus was the only one who had the right to condemn this woman, but he didn’t. When I read about the Pharisees it makes me think of the school bully. They like to lord their power over everyone, but when someone stands up to them they suddenly loose their power. That is what I love about this story, Jesus rendered them powerless. He disarmed them (See, I was listening this morning!).
Jesus was an advocate for sinners. He came to their defense. He never condones our sin, but he stands up for us. I want to be that kind of person for others who are hurting because of sin.
I saw a billboard in New Orleans yesterday that said “Jesus heals broken hearts!” It made my heart happy. That’s what it is all about!