John 8:1-11 tells a story that many of the earliest manuscripts do not have, yet it is such a beautiful story and to me, it sounds like something that could have actually happened. The story is of the adulterous woman who was caught in the act by the Pharisees and brought to Jesus. The Pharisees are trying to catch Jesus in a trap, so they ask him in verse 4, "Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?"
Bold move, Pharisees. Yet you fail to understand that you are up against the Creator of the Law. Surely you are not going to be able to fool Jesus here. And as we see, they don't even come close.
After hearing this question, Jesus basically ignores them. He bends over and begins drawing in the dirt on the ground with His finger. The Bible says that the Pharisees kept questioning Him, trying desperately to get Him to say something He would regret. Not going to happen, guys.
Eventually Jesus speaks. I can just picture all of these Pharisees raising their voices and arguing, yet once Jesus opens His mouth, everyone goes silent. This is the moment they have been waiting for. They are going to get Him here.
"Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her."
Without any other words, Jesus bends over and begins writing in the sand again. I only wish I knew what He was writing. Immediately there is a sense of conviction among the Pharisees because one-by-one they all begin to leave. After all, how can they argue with that statement?
After a little while, only the woman stands there. I can picture her face splotchy and her eyes red from crying. Or maybe she was more defiant. Maybe her hair is a mess and her clothes are torn or wrinkled. Not exactly how you would want to find yourself standing before Jesus.
Jesus stands up again and asks her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" To this, she replies, "No one, Lord." I can picture Jesus smiling right here, His face beaming with eternal love for this poor woman. "Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more."
What a beautiful story. Here is a woman caught in the act of adultery. This basically means that the Pharisees found her sleeping with a man who was not her husband. How embarrassing! She is probably yanked around and dragged to the temple courts where Jesus is teaching the people. The Pharisees then proceed to make the woman stand before all of the people. Now everyone in town knows of her adultery.
Imagine her making eye contact with Jesus. He looks into her soul and sees every wrong thing that she has every done. He has every right to accuse her and punish her for her sins. He, being sinless and perfect, could have cast the first stone.
But He didn't. It like He says elsewhere. He did not come here to condemn us but to give us life. To show us the way to Heaven. To give us a taste of a love that can only come from the Father.
I love this story because it puts things in perspective for me. If Jesus Christ, the Lord and Savior of the world, did not condemn this woman or throw a stone at her, why should we judge and condemn our fellow man? Why should we cast stones at each other? Aren't we all sinners? Aren't we all destined for the same eternal fire should we refuse to accept Christ as our Savior?
Jesus will not condemn us. He asks only that we do an about-face. That we see where we have been and we run far from it. That we leave our lives of sin and start living for His glory and honor.
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