It's So Easy

2 Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. 3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, 4 they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?" 6 This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. 7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first." 8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?" 11 She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more."


This familiar passage from John 8 speaks volumes about ourselves. This poor woman, dragged from her adulterous affair, thrown down in the midst of what was essentially a church service with Jesus preaching the sermon...Can you imagine? It would be like being in church one Sunday morning and up on the screen where music lyrics usually are projected, suddenly appears a secret video of you in your worst behavior...EVER....for the whole world to watch. The humiliation of this woman is incomprehensible. Yet, it is in this setting that Jesus teaches us some of our greatest lessons about ourselves.


First, it’s so easy to be critical of other people.  Criticism of others is almost a natural instinct. We thrive on it, probably in an effort to bring others down to our level, or to elevate ourselves above the level we’re at. "I might be bad, but at least I’m not as bad as so and so." Criticism can be our weak attempt to justify ourselves. In this case, the woman was easily condemned by the crowd. She was caught in sin, they were found in church. It also reminds us that it’s so easy to forget our own sins. In order to be so adamant about stoning the woman for her sin, the would-be rock throwers had to forget their own shortcomings. They had be "holier than thou." A New England businessman well known for his self-righteousness once told Mark Twain, "Before I die I mean to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. I will climb Mount Sinai and read the Ten Commandments aloud at the top." Twain replied, "I have a better idea. You could stay in Boston and just try keeping them." But oftentimes it’s so easy to forget from whence we came - our lives before God got a hold of us.


The Pharisees were like religious bullies, slinging this woman down and saying essentially, "Watcha gonna do about it, Jesus??" Nowhere in the Bible does Jesus say so little and elicit such a powerful response. He starts by completely ignoring them. But bullies are persistent: " So when they continued asking Him..." I know from personal childhood experience, that bullies have to be stood up to. And that’s exactly what Jesus does. "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first."

As He so often does, Jesus cuts quickly to the heart of the matter...the real wickedness is not this poor sinner laying on the ground before him, but rather, the wickedness in these men’s hearts. Isaiah 57:21 says:  "There is no peace," says my God, "for the wicked."

And Numbers 32:23 reminds us  "... you may be sure that your sin will find you out."

These men’s sins had indeed found them out and the clinched grips they held on their rocks were quickly loosened.  Suddenly, the shame they had thrown upon this woman was thrust upon them. They had no right condemning anyone...and neither do we.  Ironically, the only one qualified to throw the first stone was the one setting the standard...Jesus. He was without sin, but you don’t see Him reaching for a rock. Instead, He reaches out to the woman.


10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?" 11 She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more."

In this short conversation with her, Jesus does three things for this woman and He does the same three things for us:

First, He redeemed her. Notice what He calls her: "woman" - a term of endearment, honor - like calling someone today "a lady." Jesus used the same term while hanging on the cross, as he addressed His mother. No doubt, no one had referred to this woman with honor for sometime. But that’s exactly what Jesus has done for our lives. He’s redeemed us from the "filthy rags" that we once were.
　
Secondly, Jesus offered her forgiveness. He lifts her up from the dirt and says "neither do I condemn you."  He’s opening the door to forgiveness - just like He’s opened the door to forgiveness to you and I.  Through His death on the cross, Jesus has paved the way for our forgiveness, that "while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."(Romans 5:)

　
And finally Jesus held her accountable. While payment for our sin cost Jesus the ultimate price, He reminds us that with forgiveness comes responsibility: He told the woman, "Go and sin, no more." Leave behind the life you once led, and follow me.


It’s the same pattern that He offers us:
1. He redeems us
2. He offers us forgiveness.
3. He holds us accountable.


Won’t you take Jesus up on His offer today? It’s so easy.