“Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “This woman was caught in the act
of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”
John 8:4-5
Leave it to the proud, self-righteous rabbis and religious rulers of Christ's day…
of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”
John 8:4-5
Leave it to the proud, self-righteous rabbis and religious rulers of Christ's day…
…to look for ways to find fault with the average person. Their pride and intellectual knowledge put them, or so they thought, above the common folks whom they viewed as “wicked sinners” worthy of punishment, and even of death.
These self-righteous men couldn't wait for the opportunity to pick up stones and slam those stones into this unfortunate woman's head. They were eager to take her life and splatter her blood and brain matter all over the ground right outside of the holy Temple. For them, it was a righteous act of divine retribution. In their minds, they pictured the God of Israel sitting on His throne in Heaven, looking down at them with nods of approval.
But not so fast. Jesus was at the helm. Our merciful and faithful Savior and High Priest was keeping watch. Bending down, Jesus writes with His finger on the ground. Then He stands up and says, “He who is without sin, let him cast the first stone.”
That was all it took to put a stop to what would've been a hideous, horrifying, bloody event. As there stood a terrified woman who, shaking and crying and pleading for her life, was about to be pelted with stones by a bunch of arrogant, exceedingly proud, self-righteous “holy” men. Who, as it turned out, were not as holy as they thought.
As it is written in the Scriptures, “There is no one who is perfectly righteous, not a single one” (Romans 3:10). And God's word goes on to say, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23 KJV).
The Bible says it all. In God's eyes we are guilty. We are all sinners. And this being the case, we need a Savior to save us from the ultimate penalty for unforgiven sin, which is eternity in hell.
While the number one accuser in the universe is none other than the devil himself. The word of God calls Satan the “accuser of the brethren.” And if we think those self-righteous religious rulers were cruel and unmerciful, the devil is a million times worse. If it was up to him, he'd accuse us of every sin we've ever committed. He would never let us forget a single one of them.
Satan loves to bring shame, guilt, and condemnation to the Christian whenever we stumble and sin. But the good news for us is, as God's word declares, “If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
Yes, those of us who belong to Jesus have been forgiven of all our sins — past, present, and future. Yet we may have to face the human consequences for those sins and transgressions like me. I'm doing prison time for my crimes, and rightfully so. But God has completely forgiven me. He will never remember my sins and crimes anymore.
Thanks to Messiah Jesus, I am free from the eternal penalty of hell. My misdeeds have been paid for by the Messiah's sinless blood. Therefore, I need not live with the guilt and shame for my criminal acts. What an amazing and loving Father is our God. Amen!
Ending on a good note, that precious woman's life was spared. Without her accusers, who took off before they could give their sworn statements for the record, Jesus had to release her. And that's just what He did. She was free to go.
In one swift act, Messiah Jesus forgave her sins, and He took away her shame, forever. He will do the same for you. See: The Good News.
D.B.
These self-righteous men couldn't wait for the opportunity to pick up stones and slam those stones into this unfortunate woman's head. They were eager to take her life and splatter her blood and brain matter all over the ground right outside of the holy Temple. For them, it was a righteous act of divine retribution. In their minds, they pictured the God of Israel sitting on His throne in Heaven, looking down at them with nods of approval.
But not so fast. Jesus was at the helm. Our merciful and faithful Savior and High Priest was keeping watch. Bending down, Jesus writes with His finger on the ground. Then He stands up and says, “He who is without sin, let him cast the first stone.”
That was all it took to put a stop to what would've been a hideous, horrifying, bloody event. As there stood a terrified woman who, shaking and crying and pleading for her life, was about to be pelted with stones by a bunch of arrogant, exceedingly proud, self-righteous “holy” men. Who, as it turned out, were not as holy as they thought.
As it is written in the Scriptures, “There is no one who is perfectly righteous, not a single one” (Romans 3:10). And God's word goes on to say, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23 KJV).
The Bible says it all. In God's eyes we are guilty. We are all sinners. And this being the case, we need a Savior to save us from the ultimate penalty for unforgiven sin, which is eternity in hell.
While the number one accuser in the universe is none other than the devil himself. The word of God calls Satan the “accuser of the brethren.” And if we think those self-righteous religious rulers were cruel and unmerciful, the devil is a million times worse. If it was up to him, he'd accuse us of every sin we've ever committed. He would never let us forget a single one of them.
Satan loves to bring shame, guilt, and condemnation to the Christian whenever we stumble and sin. But the good news for us is, as God's word declares, “If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
Yes, those of us who belong to Jesus have been forgiven of all our sins — past, present, and future. Yet we may have to face the human consequences for those sins and transgressions like me. I'm doing prison time for my crimes, and rightfully so. But God has completely forgiven me. He will never remember my sins and crimes anymore.
Thanks to Messiah Jesus, I am free from the eternal penalty of hell. My misdeeds have been paid for by the Messiah's sinless blood. Therefore, I need not live with the guilt and shame for my criminal acts. What an amazing and loving Father is our God. Amen!
Ending on a good note, that precious woman's life was spared. Without her accusers, who took off before they could give their sworn statements for the record, Jesus had to release her. And that's just what He did. She was free to go.
In one swift act, Messiah Jesus forgave her sins, and He took away her shame, forever. He will do the same for you. See: The Good News.
D.B.