I am following the read the bible in a year plan with Donna over at Soul Survival and the following was one of my readings during the week.
John 8:2-12 Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say? This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.
So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them,“He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it,being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?”
She said, “No one, Lord.”
And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
Now I know that I have read this passage before, I don’t know how many times but it wasn’t until this morning that I actually READ IT.
This woman was caught in sin and the normal punishment was stoning. That sounds quite severe but it was how it happened back then.
They brought her to Jesus for judgement and he came back with the statement about those who are without sin casting the first stone.
Everyone went away and the woman was left with Jesus, no one was capable of throwing that stone because no one is without sin.
The only one capable of throwing that stone was Jesus. The only one who knew no sin and had the right to judge her and condemn her to stoning was Jesus.
But Jesus said to her “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
Makes me wonder what right I have to judge and condemn others around me.
Definitely something to contemplate…
You will find this post linked up at some of these wonderful blogs.
This is SO true! I love the way you brought this out…the only one who really had the right to judge her, did not judge her. So, if He didn’t, should we? Such a great way of stating this. So thankful for your insight, Terri! God bless you. 🙂
Thanks Cheryl for your encouraging comment and actually for all your encouraging comments, you are such a blessing to me and so many others. Blessings
I was listening to NPR the other day and there was an interview stating that the number of people who identify themselves with a Christian church is getting smaller at an alarming rate. I believer that is because Christians have become known more for judging others than for their own good works. This is what this passage in the bible speaks of…let he who is without sin cast the first stone. I know that for myself, it is all I can do to walk the correct path. I have little time to judge the path’s of other people.
Thank you Kara for stopping by and for your comment. I agree with you in that all we can do is to walk the correct path and if we are striving to do this we have little time to look at others and judge. Thanks and blessings.
Sometimes we need to stop looking at others and we need to look at OUR sins and go to our Savior for forgiveness. He is merciful!
You are so right Emily, keep our eyes on ourselves and our God. Thanks for stopping by. Blessings
This is fabulous. Jesus was never one for public shaming of sinners by the religious elite and yet I see this happening all over social media. If we could focus on loving people and praying for them (and realizing how much WE need God’s grace) perhaps we might be better at following the path of Jesus.
You are so right Jen, it is something about removing the log from our own eyes before judging others. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us and stopping by and commenting, it is much appreciated. Blessings to you.
Great passage and commentary…. the more I read the Bible, the more it means to me and the more God seems to allow me to understand… what a rich book. 🙂 Thank you for your thoughts.
Hey there, thank you for stopping by and for your comment, and I so agree the Bible is so rich, full of wisdom and guidance. Thank you Lord. Blessings
thankyou…..its a verse that has guided me for years
Thank you Kaye for stopping by and sharing with me. Blessings
This passage shows the humanity and deity of Jesus! thank you for posting this in TGI Saturdays!
Thank you Terri for your encouraging comment, blessings to you and have a great weekend.
Thank you for sharing! I want to be like Jesus and be quick to forgive and not cast judgment on others.
Oh yes Barbie, if only we could all be like that. I so want to be like that too. Thanks for stopping by and sharing and also for hosting. Have a great week. Blessings