#TuesdayTruth John 8:7, 10 & Romans 8:33
John 8:7,10
“…‘Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’
…‘where are they? Has no one condemned you?’
‘No one, sir,’ she said.
‘Then neither do I condemn you,’ Jesus declared. ‘Go now and leave your life of sin.’ ”
As I read this, I couldn’t help but consider being on either side of this interaction.
First, the woman- caught in a most embarrassing situation and, not only that, brought before everyone, so that they could all see her shame, her sin, her downfall. If we are honest with ourselves, we could consider just how humiliating this might be, in order to relate to her situation. For me, I consider “What if everyone were allowed a sneak peak into my life? What if they could see the things in my past that caused me deepest shame? What if they knew exactly who I was before I knew my identity in Christ?”
Then, the “group”- those who find out about another’s deepest shame. I can also imagine being in this position. If you hear of another person stumbling, it’s easy to jump to conclusions, to say, “I can’t believe someone would say/do that.”
However, look at Jesus and how he responds to this situation. What grace! What mercy! What love!
I pray that we would all have the self-awareness to be able to look inward and realize that none of us is without sin, none of us deserves to throw the first stone. I know that I certainly could not.
And guess what- the “size” of the sin does not matter. Jesus did not say that whoever had the smallest sin could throw the first stone. Sin is sin. We have all fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). We are all deeply in need of His mercy, His grace, His love. With that, we have hope!
And you know what else? If someone did actually know my deepest, darkest secrets, the things that caused me deepest shame, the only thing that would do is demonstrate just how deep, how wide, how all-encompassing and complete is the Father’s love. Because, you know, He does know all of that about me, and yet, He left the 99 for me anyways (Luke 15)! He redeemed me! He called me His own! And thanks to that, I have a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11)!
Romans 8:33
“Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.”
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for sending your Son to seek and to save the lost- namely me. Thank you for your unexplainable, unending mercy, grace and love. Thank you that there is no one on earth who can “throw the first stone.” Thank you for the realization of just how deep, how wide, and how complete your love is for all of us.
We love you Father, Amen.