John 8:1-11
Jesus teaches us about judging others
1But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" 6They 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. 7When 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." 8Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
9At 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. 10Jesus 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."
The teachers of the law and the Pharisees bring a woman caught in adultery to Jesus...One question comes to mind immediately is "Where is the man?"...But that being said, the woman has sinned...According to the Law of Moses, if she were tried and convicted the man and woman would be stoned...
The teachers and leaders and Pharisees have judged the woman...At times man can be quick at judging others, without looking inward and realizing we too have and are sinners...
Jesus knew that the woman was afraid and humiliated with the crowd holding her (we do not know how long they had her captive, till they were able to bring her to Jesus)...Crowds, often expand into larger crowds, so her humiliation would be growing as would her thinking what could or would she do and what was this angry crowd going to do...
It appears the Jewish leaders are putting Jesus to a test...How can a sinful woman, caught in adultery be released by Jesus...He knows the Law of Moses and knows the punishment...The Pharisees are not followers of Jesus and the tone does not feel like they are truly asking Him for a solution...
Jesus bends over and writes in the dust...A second question comes to mind, what is He writing in the dust...
Jesus then tells the crowd, "If any of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her"...Again He writes more with His finger in the dust...
Then the oldest ones leave first...The older ones in the crowd realize that they too have sinned (in their lives)...Then everyone leaves...Only Jesus and the woman are left...One who is actually sinless and the sinner...
Jesus asks where are the people...Has no one condemned you?...She answers "No one sir"...Then Jesus tells her that He to will not condemn her...But He adds, "Go now and leave your life of sin?...
When Jesus says let the first to sin throw the first stone, He is the only one who is sinless...He is the only One who can throw the first stone...He is the only One who can rightfully judge her...
We need to keep this in mind, when our thoughts start judging others...Jesus and the LORD are the ones without sin...What rights do we have or this crowd have in judging others...We condemn ourselves when we judge others, because all of us have sinned...Jesus is there, sinless full of mercy with a frightened woman thinking I am full of sin...His grace allows her to be pardoned, but tells He tells her leave your life of sin so she still must repent to keep the pardon He gave her...
By His mercy He saves us...He did not come to condemn this world but to save us...We need to follow Jesus and repent...
When the girl looked around that day, she saw an angry crowd... If she looked completely around her, she saw One who could save her, even in this most dismal of situations...Jesus was there and He did save her...
We often look and pray to Him in times of our trouble...
After He saved her from this terrible circumstance, and after we are helped in our lives, He tells us and not in a condemning way "Go and sin no more"...