John 8:11…And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
(NKJV)
This message is the third in a series I introduced in a prior post. https://janetdecaster.com/encountering-the-truth/
She thought no one would know. But she was wrong. Her personal pain and reckless behavior had led her to one more bad decision, and now this! What a nightmare! Now, everyone knew about one of her life’s worst, most sinful decisions. Her worst fears were realized as she stood, ashamed, half-naked, and humiliated, in front of a group of religious leaders with stones in their hands. She’d been caught in the very act of adultery, and now she could face the penalty that the law of Moses required — death. Her worst decision, as it turns out, could be her last.
However, one of the religious teachers seemed so different from the others. He didn’t have a stone in his hand or shaming words on his tongue. When she glanced up, she saw only compassion in his eyes. While the others repeatedly shamed her and loudly accused her of this moral crime, he stooped beside her in the dirt in silent compassion, writing. The Pharisees repeatedly demanded an answer from the rabbi, Jesus, as to whether she should be stoned, according to the requirements of Jewish moral law.
Finally, he stood up. Instead of raising his voice, he simply stated, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first. “(v. 7), Dumbstruck by the power of the Holy Spirit flowing through the anointed words that Jesus spoke, they began to slink away. “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.” (v.9)
Then he spoke directly to the woman, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” (v. 10-11)
She was incredulous. Her shame began to lift, and incredulity turned to relief mixed with pure joy as she realized that this man DID speak for God, or was perhaps the long-awaited Messiah, just as the rumors she’d been hearing in her town had speculated! The compassionate but unadulterated truth that Jesus spoke seemed to break invisible chains off her spirit, soul, and body. Somehow, she knew that she would never be the same and that she would aspire to do exactly what he said: sin no more. It felt as if this could be the first day of the rest of her life!
Such may have been the thoughts of the nameless woman we find in the Gospel of John 8: 1-11 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+8%3A1-11&version=NKJV She is known only as the “woman caught in adultery” by Bible commentators. We can learn much from her encounter with Jesus if we lean into God’s word. Here, Jesus was both perfectly loving and unwaveringly truthful. He extended mercy while simultaneously calling her away from a sinful lifestyle and towards a changed, moral way of living. His words were the perfect balance of both total love and pure moral truth.
God hasn’t changed. His Word (found in the Holy Bible) and the Holy Spirit are still speaking* with you and me today, lovingly extending forgiveness while speaking truth to the human conscience and spirit. God still calls anyone who will listen to repentance (turning away from sin) and morally upright living. Like her, that choice is always ours to make.
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*For more of a Bible-based perspective on how God is speaking today, check out my Bible study curriculum, GOD SPEAKS: The Guidance of the Holy Spirit in the Book of Acts & Today available here on my website and on Amazon at HTTP://amazon.com/author/janetdecaster
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