Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.”

                                                                                                            John 8:10-11

Today: Read John 8

Because Jesus is God, it should come as no surprise that He handled situations better than any other. Today we see Jesus demonstrating His ability to silence an angry mob while simultaneously addressing the spiritual needs of a sinful woman.

The mob was set on one thing, the woman’s death. They referenced the Law as the foundation for their lethal demands. “Now in the Law Moses commands us to stone such women” was their plea. Jesus paused for a moment and then addressed all of the accusers. His declaration was clear and succinct, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” One by one they left, beginning with the older ones. Jesus directly spoke the truth to them and it caused everyone to reevaluate their stance regarding the woman and her sin.

If we could only learn from the wisdom of Christ, the church would be free to declare the truth, that all of us are equally in need of a Savior. No one is spiritually superior. James echoes this truth in the following:

For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not commit murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 

                                                                                                                   James 2:10-11 

He goes on to say: 

For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.

                                                                                                                 James 2:13 

This can be difficult for the religious but it is music to the ears of sinners. In the eyes of God, all of humanity is in need of Jesus’ intervention in our lives. Apart from Christ, we are spiritually dead. Apart from the saving power of Jesus in our lives, we are spiritually bankrupt. The only way that we can be declared righteous in the eyes of God is for us to jettison any thought that our own effort grants us clout with Him and to freely receive the gift of salvation wholly based on Jesus’ obedience, not ours. Again, this is difficult for those who are trusting in their own “works” but for the sinner, there is no sweeter or powerful message.

The litmus test for determining whether or not we side with the angry mob is simple. How do we view the sins of others in light of our own? More importantly, how do we respond to people engaging in sinful activity? Our response should be one of thankfulness and humility. The thankfulness is that, as believers, we have already been forgiven and now possess eternal life and humility should come as we realize that, apart from God’s work in our lives, we would be in the very same situation. This is the Divine wisdom that Jesus was providing to these accusers and it seemed to take.

Having dismissed the mob, Jesus is now ready to exemplify the very wisdom that He just imparted. Jesus was indeed the only One in the courts that day who could claim perfection yet He was still willing to exercise mercy in the life of this sinful and broken individual. Just as her accusers had vacated, so too was any condemnation that would come as a result of her sin. Jesus forgives the woman by declaring, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.”

The Bible is full of scriptural evidence that Jesus did not come to condemn rather to save. Consider the following:

For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.

                                                                                                                        John 3:17 

Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”

                                                                                                                     John 8:24

Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.”

                                                                                                                   John 8:34-36 

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.”

                                                                                                                   John 11:25-26a

Jesus’ interaction with this woman is a great example of these truths.

Have you found forgiveness and healing in your life as a result of calling on the Savior? Do we treat other people as we would like to be treated understanding that we are all equally in need of a Savior? Have we effectively driven out any remnant of a judgmental and condescending heart? Let’s be a people who exemplify the mercy and manifest wisdom of Jesus!