So what do you say?
- So what do you say should be done to the woman you just caught sleeping with ….
- Your husband?
- Your brother?
- Your father?
- Your best friend?
- Your neighbor?
- Your brother-in-law?
Homewrecker! Hoe! Slut! That is what would be posted on every social media account we can think of.
Some guys caught this woman in bed with a friend of theirs and sent him packing, but decided to make an example of her by having her killed, publicly!
They wanted to stone her to death. Stoning? Picture this! An angry mob with lots of soft-ball size rocks throwing them at her head like a carnival game. The first one and the last one get the prize! Well, no prize but you get the picture of the viciousness of this kind of execution. Instant justice by the public.
Jesus was teaching a large crowd one day and this happened…
“The religion scholars and Pharisees led in a woman who had been caught in an act of adultery. They stood her in plain sight of everyone and said, “Teacher, this woman was caught red-handed in the act of adultery. Moses, in the Law, gives orders to stone such persons. What do you say?” They were trying to trap him into saying something incriminating so they could bring charges against him.” John 8:1-5
There is no shortage of self-righteous hypocrites today trolling around with big rocks, ready to throw them at someone who breaks their religious rules. Today they may not use real rocks, but they will “kill you” with their tongue. Jesus had them everywhere during His days on earth as well, but they used real rocks, baseball sized ones! There was a real group of people called Pharisees who saw themselves as the religious enforcers during the day of Jesus. Jesus called them “hypocrites,” which was their word for an actor in play, someone who pretended to be something they were not. They were fakers.
So WWJD? They wanted to know to trap Him. But as the kids in my home neighborhood would say, “He don’t play!” Jesus didn’t play their games, especially bullies. He bent down and wrote in the sand, with this angry mob around him with stones in their hands the woman in the judgment seat.
Jesus knew everything they thought, why they were doing what they were doing, and how it would play out. Jesus is God, but they didn’t get it. Their idea of God was far from the reality of who God really is, so that is why God became a man, Christ Jesus, to demonstrate and reveal to humanity who God really is.
We don’t know what he wrote in the sand that day, God’s Word the Bible does not say. It may have been the names of these men’s side chicks, their hidden sins, their past sins, or just the Big Ten – the Ten Commandments of God.
But we do know this…
“Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger in the dirt. They kept at him, badgering him. He straightened up and said, “The sinless one among you, go first: Throw the stone.” Bending down again, he wrote some more in the dirt. Hearing that, they walked away, one after another, beginning with the oldest.” John 8:6-9
Something got through to their hard revenge-filled heart, willing to run over a woman and kill her for the sake of hurting someone else’s reputation. The oldest left first… I guess those who have been around the block a few more times, learn a little quicker in their older age. I told one guy the other day, I am not the kind of pastor who throws stones at people. He said something very wise. “I have found when I throw stones at others, they bounce back and hit me.” There is a great deal of truth in that statement!
So Jesus told them, the one without sin could begin the stoning party and he went back to writing in the sand. And they all left.
“The woman was left alone. Jesus stood up and spoke to her. “Woman, where are they? Does no one condemn you?” “No one, Master.” “Neither do I,” said Jesus. “Go on your way. From now on, don’t sin.” John 8:9-11
Wow! Totally unexpected turn of events! Jesus did not condemn her. Not only did he not condemn her, he stood between her guilty self and certain death. She was guilty and the law of the day actually said she and the guy in adultery should be stoned to death. But Jesus is about redeeming, restoring, forgiving, adopting, assuring, and transforming a person from what they should not be to the person they should be. It is called GRACE!
Grace is the unexpected, undeserved, loving favor of God to do what we are not capable of doing. For this woman, grace meant removing the guilt, shame, condemnation, and real punishment from over her life! It is called the love of God!
Jesus came to give life! He didn’t bring condemnation. He came like a strong life-guard swimming out to us as we were drowning in guilt, shame, and condemnation to extend to us a life-raft to save us! He is our rescuer, our Savior!
He did not leave her without boundaries either.
He said “Go and sin no more.” He simply told her, what you have been doing is wrong. Stop it or it will destroy your life and the lives of others. He did not approve of her behavior at all. He told her with a great demonstration of love that God loves her in spite of her behavior, and that she need to make much better choices in the future.
Jesus brought grace and truth. Demonstrated love to us personally and clear instruction from God’s Word how life should be and our lives should be. Grace forgives and fills us with joy and truth keeps us in the place of joy! He took all of our guilt, shame, and condemnation when he died on the cross! His resurrection proves he can forgive our sin and give us new life!
If you think you have blown it, you haven’t!!! God loves you and wants to forgive, restore, redeem, and transform your life! He wants you to be filled with joy and know His love for you!
Ask God today to help you receive His gracious forgiveness and walk in His truth!
Blessings
Pastor Bill