Hosanna Restoration Church

Aren’t you glad that Jesus refused to condemn this woman? Would you condemn her? There were obviously many there who were anxious to take part in stoning her, but when confronted with their own sin they decided to walk away and spare the woman’s life. Jesus wanted more for her than that. He wanted her to have life. He assured her that He did not condemn her, and He also told her to stop what she was doing.

There are two important lessons we can learn from the way Christ handled this. First of all, we need to get rid of judgmental attitudes that freely condemn people. We need to remember that we were not always perfect and even now we have room for improvement. Secondly, we cannot be content to just leave people in their sins.

According to the law, the woman deserved to be stoned. She knew the law and the penalty for breaking that law, but she went ahead anyway. Her life was no doubt one filled with lots of guilt, shame, and pain, with brief moments of pleasure woven in. Does that sound familiar! By the time they caught her, she may have been thinking the stoning would be a way out. But Jesus changed all of that. He gave her an opportunity for a new life.

We may think it is enough not to condemn people but if all we do is drop our rocks and walk away, we miss a God made moment. Let’s face it, many people fully expect Christians to stone them. It is not just the people outside of the church that have been stoned, but it is often said that Christians have a reputation for shooting their own wounded. Jesus said that He came into the world to save it not condemn it. He told us to go into the world the same way. See the sin. Love the sinner. Shine the Light. Sow the seed and trust God to produce the harvest.

Jesus presence stopped the people’s actions long enough for them to consider what they were doing. The men with stones considered their own sins and the woman stood considering hers. The men considered the authority that Jesus spoke with, while the woman considered the pure love that poured out of Jesus. Never underestimate what the presence of God can accomplish no matter what the situation is.

Jesus did not question whether she was guilty or not. He was more concerned about her than her sin. The same is true of every person in the world. Jesus loves people. He does not overlook sin. He came to take it away. He is always ready to forgive and save those who will call on Him. Are we always ready to prepare the way for people to call? Do we allow the love of Jesus to flow freely through our lives? Do our lights shine brightly in the darkness? Do people know that even though we do not condone sin, our love for them compels us to care about them more than we care about their sin? That is what Jesus did for us. We should go and do likewise.