Who should throw the stone?

Charity Faith Love Podcast: Season 2 Episode 4

Today, I want to talk about the woman that was caught in adultery and how her story is relatable to all of us. I am not saying we are all adulterers, but the main point is that she committed sin. Which we all know every single one of us does that daily. I am jealous that this woman had Jesus physically next to her and showed her grace and mercy completely in person. Now, I know he does that with me daily and I see it, but to physically look at him while he just accepts her sin and forgives like nothing, had to be so epic to experience. And I think it’s even more special that he did it with just her and him there. He didn’t need the crowed to see how he reacted; he just accepted her as is.

So, some background to this story, just in John chapter 7, prior to the one we are going to discuss, people were conflicted with how they felt about Jesus. People were thinking he was a great guy but then others were saying he was a fraud. Jesus was doing some teaching in the temple and there were people questioning if Jesus is the Messiah, the Pharisees of course didn’t like it and tried arrest Jesus. Then Jesus is telling him he is the living water, which that just confused their small brains. So of course, they are like, “who is this guy?” But the fact of him being the messiah is really being tossed around for thought right about this point.

But I think the best way for you to understand where I am going with this, its best we just jump right into the scripture.

John 8 1:11 NLT
Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd.

“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?”

They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.

When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”

“No, Lord,” she said.

And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”

So, let’s unpack this, Jesus is in a temple and is surrounded by people, he has this crowed just listening and watching his every move. These people who were highly ranked in their time, knew, and followed the law in everything they did. I am talking they were very black and white, followed the rule book. So, they decide to question Jesus in hopes to getting him to “mess up” so they can blame him and throw him in prison or something. I mean they were basically offended at how much Jesus knew because he was this man who held no title according to them and should not be so knowledgeable.

How the Pharisees looked at this situation is whether he said to stone her. He would have been breaking either Moses law or the Roman law, which would have opened the door for them to potentially kill him… but we know it wasn’t his time yet. So, what does Jesus do? Ignore them and draw in some sand. Now I don’t know why that part was added in there, but I like it because it’s like Jesus may be thinking like “Yall are so dumb I’m just going to ignore you and draw me some pictures in the sand.” Once they force something finally out of Jesus, what does he say? All who have NO sin, throw the first stone. Guess what, NO ONE threw anything. Actually, the first ones to leave were the oldest, why? Because they have been around longer and probably felt they have sinned more than the youngsters in the group.

But what I love about this whole story, is the end. Where Jesus said,” neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.”

He didn’t question her about what she did or why. No one was there with them so he could have asked her questions or gave her a lecture on why she should do better next time. But he didnt. He literally showed her complete grace in that situation.

Let’s look at her on her side because we can all relate to her, why? Because we sin every day. So, let’s picture if we are her. We just broke a law and sinned, now these crazy people who are expertise in the law are dragging us in front of everyone we know at the temple to call us out and tell everyone our business. Expecting to die may I add. In front of the most powerful man that everyone is raging about. So, it’s fair to say we are probably completely embarrassed, terrified, feeling hopeless, unloved, who knows what else. Then all of a sudden Jesus gives them an answer no one was expecting, and Jesus then is alone with us only to show us, his love, mercy, grace, and just calmly says, go and don’t sin.

I know things in my past I have done, and I am sure you have plenty in yours as well. Which those things we have done totally qualify us to be called out in front of everyone and potentially be stoned if we lived in that time frame (Thank the lord we don’t). But my point is, Jesus does the exact same for us now as he did for her at that moment. He may not be physically standing in front of us to tell us what he told her. But he died for us, which to me is so much bigger. He died so that we can be forgiven and be able to be washed from our sin so we can reach heaven. That is the most important thing I want you to understand. Just because we read these great stories in the bible about Jesus, does not mean that is not for us now. It literally is all of us currently with our sin. He is still with us, graciously forgiving us, and not condemning us and doing for us just as he did for the woman.

What does that mean for us and others? Jesus says in Matt 22:37-38 “You must love the lord your god with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’”  So, you know where I am going with this, what if this was your spouse who committed adultery? Or a friend who upset you or did something bad? Or your child who was arrested for committing a crime?

First Jesus says to love God, if you feel like you cannot do anything further in your day, just love gods for all he has done for you, not what you want him to do for you. Second, Jesus says to love your neighbor as yourself. Which if we did something bad, we would hope for redemption and forgiveness from others as well as from Jesus, right? So, same goes for you. I am not saying you must stay with them or be best friends with someone who has done something bad or hurtful, but I am saying you have to forgive just as you would hope for the same. Jesus loves them just as much as he loves you.  He does not pick and choose as you do. There is no sin worse than the other. Jesus isn’t going to be like “oh you didn’t sin as bad as them, so I forgive you but not them.” No, he forgives us all just as he forgave the woman that everyone said should have been killed.

My point is, next time someone you know who does something bad, and remind yourself, you cannot throw any stone if you have any sin.

Which you do, so maybe instead of talking bad about them, gossiping, ignoring them by drawing in some sand, being rude, or unloving. Maybe they just need you to show them some grace and love them in their hard time and move one, just like Jesus did.

Because I can guarantee you, we are all going to mess up again. We are going to do dumb things and even maybe go as far as adultery (which I hope not) but if you do or someone you love does, remember to love your neighbor as much as you love yourself. And if you are going to tell me the whole, well I don’t really love myself, so I don’t have to love them much, pshh don’t even start with that. You know what I am talking about. 1 Corinthians 16:14 “Do everything in love”. Don’t make things more complicated than you need to. Be loving and show grace like Jesus, and remember Jesus is showing you grace every day.

Much Love,
Charity