“Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” John 8 v 7
“What do you say?” They were trying to trap Jesus into saying something incriminating so they could accuse and bring charges against Him.
This was in John’s gospel written 2000+ years ago When the Pharisees were out to find fault with Jesus when they brought the adulterous woman to him.
I love it that Jesus with so few words could:
Silence the judgement.
Draw the line in the sand.
Could restore a broken life and bring hope.
Have no condemnation.
What a breath of fresh air!
What could that look like today? Unrecognisable from what we do see in much of the world of 2020.
How wonderful would it be to know no judgement.
To not be driven by judgemental bitterness.
To not feel condemned or punished.
To be forgiven.
To have no condemnation or shame.
To be reborn and have a second chance.
To be loved unconditionally.
To feel love for others not resentment.
To know honesty.
To know respect.
To know openness.
That breath of fresh air is exactly the hope Jesus brings today.
The life where Jesus rules. His Kingdom comes on earth as it is in Heaven.
We choose who we believe in.
We choose if we ask to be forgiven for our past.
We choose to accept forgiveness.
We choose to be forgiving.
We choose to believe the promises.
We choose to follow give loyalty to and obey.
We choose Jesus.
What we choose is what we are given.
He breathes His Holy Spirit into us.
The breath of fresh air we yearn after in this world of blame and revenge.
The illustration is the reminder that no one threw the stones because we have all sinned and fallen short and therefore cannot claim the right to judge or condemn others.
Jesus who had no sin chose not to condemn either but to love.
His love transforms a sinner to a saint and heir with Him in the Father’s Kingdom.
Three scriptures which come to mind:
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.” Matthew 7:1-2 ESV
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”Jeremiah 29:11 ESV
“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.””Luke 6:37-38 ESV
The song chosen is Matthew Webb. Forgiveness
Lessisgreater 