1 BUT JESUS went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Early in the morning (at dawn), He came back into the temple [court], and the people came to Him in crowds. He sat down and was teaching them, 3 When the scribes and Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery. They made her stand in the middle of the court and put the case before Him. 4 Teacher, they said, This woman has been caught in the very act of adultery. 5 Now Moses in the Law commanded us that such [women–offenders] shall be stoned to death. But what do You say [to do with her–what is Your sentence]? [Deut. 22:22-24.] 6 This they said to try (test) Him, hoping they might find a charge on which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger. 7 However, when they persisted with their question, He raised Himself up and said, Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her. 8 Then He bent down and went on writing on the ground with His finger. 9 They listened to Him, and then they began going out, conscience-stricken, one by one, from the oldest down to the last one of them, till Jesus was left alone, with the woman standing there before Him in the center of the court. 10 When Jesus raised Himself up, He said to her, Woman, where are your accusers? Has no man condemned you? 11 She answered, No one, Lord! And Jesus said, I do not condemn you either. Go on your way and from now on sin no more. John 8:1-11 AMPC
I have to acknowledge that this post was inspired and confirmed from a sermon last sabbath by my pastor. This is a common passage that many are familiar with, but as I sat and listened to the sermon, it became clear in my spirit that this was the next part in this series. This passage follows with previous posts where we should be able to clearly see ourselves as collateral damage in satan’s ongoing battle (one that he has already lost) against God. As you read the topic passage and read the post I want you to place yourself in the place of the unidentified woman in the passage, and see yourself at the mercy of Jesus, but as the target/prey for satan. As I’m writing this, a spiritual download is occurring and I’m seeing the importance of each person that Jesus performed a miracle for with the exception of Lazarus and Mary Magdalene (please read The Gospels to verify that), were unnamed; I believe that was to help us place ourselves in the position of the person because each one of us like them are in need of a spiritual, mental, physical, and/or emotional healing.
Jesus in this passage is doing what I believe he enjoyed most, teaching. I would like to imagine that Jesus was exercising exceptional crowd control with everyone eagerly anticipating his next word, and realizing that what they were experiencing at that moment was what their ancestors had prayed and believed for. In the midst of the crowd having this mountaintop experience with Jesus where they are being spiritually fed, the religious elite interrupts the moment while thrusting a woman before Jesus AND the crowd to be tried by the court of popular opinion and Jewish law. The religious elite cuts off Jesus while he is speaking to inform him AND the people that the woman has been caught in the act of adultery, and before Jesus even has an opportunity to respond, they state to him AND the crowd what the consequences of her actions are…..death. Now notice the common theme in this scene that is identical to the other posts in this series; the woman has not had the opportunity to speak a word in her defense, she is simply caught in between accusers, and Jesus. The woman has been brought before Jesus by force, not by her own choice, yet it is here where she will receive the greatest gift available to humans. The religious leaders have only brought her before Jesus not because they actually want to hold her accountable for her actions, but because they actually want to condemn/shame Jesus. This scene has nothing to do with the woman. Yes, she is guilty of committing adultery, yes her SIN is punishable by death, yes the law is perfect, but what the religious elite don’t realize is that they are approaching a MERCIFUL advocate with their MERCILESS intentions. The religious elite by their own actions and words revealed that they were still ignorant, like many people throughout history and today, of a savior who came not to condemn the world, but to save the world.
For God did not send the Son into the world to judge and condemn the world [that is, to initiate the final judgment of the world], but that the world might be saved through Him.
John 3:17 amp
Jesus being aware of satan’s tactics, allowed the accusers (remember that term) to state their case as he listened silently. Notice that even when they finish Jesus doesn’t start a defense of the woman, he doesn’t deny her sins, or the consequences that her SIN deserved; he merely reminds the accusers that he AND God’s law are impartial. So as they are highlighting her sin’s, they should first consider their own life and sin’s. That is a new standard. Jesus doesn’t spend time explaining or creating a hierarchy of sins like man does, he simply articulates that the standard is that if you are guilty of breaking any commandment, you are guilty of breaking them all, regardless of the action, and irrelevant of human standards. See something important here, Jesus was aware of her sins/actions, but that didn’t matter because he knew that he would cover the tab/cost of HER sins, AND ours later. Jesus spoke possibly his greatest message in a short exchange with the woman
And Jesus said, I do not condemn you either. Go on your way and from now on sin no more.
John 8:11 AMP
JUSTIFIED!!!! That is what Jesus offers each of us that have been washed in his blood, that has accepted his free invitation of salvation, and that choose to live a life dedicated to him. He offers us freedom from condemnation. In their short exchange Jesus never accuses her of anything, neither does he even ask or care what her action/sin was, he freely forgives her, and blesses her with a directive to sin no more with her newfound freedom. We are instructed to do the same, go in peace and sin no more. Sin is fed when we feel condemned, because condemnation is a burden that leaves us feeling overwhelmed, shame, abandoned, and hopeless. When Jesus sees this woman, he didn’t see someone that deserved death or condemnation, instead he saw someone who needed a savior, and release from sin. When Jesus is advocating on our behalf to God, he is not making a case to JUSTIFY our sins, neither is he even mentioning our sins, he is simply reminding God that he already covered the tab/cost of our sins. Each time satan voices his accusations of our sins and unworthiness to God, Jesus steps in between and reminds God that he covered it, so God forgives it. Because satan doesn’t have the power to condemn us to death on account of our sins, remember that Jesus doesn’t condemn us either, instead he releases us to go and sin no more.
Reflection Time
Do you feel condemned for what you have done? Why? How do you handle your feelings of condemnation and shame? Do you believe that you are forgiven for what you have done? What prevents you from living and believing that you are free in Jesus? The next time that you have feelings or thoughts of shame, condemnation, and unworthiness I want you to reflect on this passage and the verses throughout, to remind you of what Jesus has done for you. I believe that it is important that we understand what Jesus did for us so that we don’t lose our gift when we make errors, or when satan comes around reminding us of our previous ways. Remember this: “I DON’T CONDEMN YOU EITHER, GO AND SIN NO MORE”
