SCRIPTURES:
JOHN 8:2-11 – 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, “Let any one of you who is without sin 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.”
Leviticus 20:10 – 10 “‘If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death.
In our “Interactions with Jesus” series that we are hearing how Jesus helped those he came in contact with to face themselves. Jesus has a way of helping us to face ourselves too.
Have you ever been caught in a sin?
It seems this story of the woman caught in adultery humbles us, as it should. It tells us that we never find in sin what we go into sin to find. At one time or another we are all this woman. At one time or another we want to hide or run; we don’t want to be exposed.
This story encourages us to take a long look at ourselves. At one time or another we are all the accusers, holding a stone, ready to condemn and judge someone’s life. Jesus encourages us to drop our stones…No one of us is not in the need of forgiveness and of God’s grace.
