Jesus had a wonderful compassion for all. While the Pharisees and scribes did everything they could to trap Him, He kept ministering. Here they brought a woman who had been caught in adultery. The law said that someone caught in adultery had to be stoned for their crime. Surely this was something that Jesus could not get out of, He was stuck, either He would have to condone her stoning, which went against His compassion, or He would have to let her go, which went against the law.
As was usual, Jesus was not going to be trapped. He bent down and wrote something in the sand. Whatever He wrote it had some kind of impact. The law said that her accusers had to be innocent of the same crime and they would cast the first stone. So Jesus called on the first stone thrower, the innocent accuser. At that, everyone walked away – there were no accusers to throw the first stone.
What did Jesus do next? Was this an excuse for her to go on sinning? Did the fact that she had no accusers give he licence to continue on? Jesus lifted her up and told her to go on her way, but He first told her, “Leave your life of sin.”
While Jesus did not condone her sin, He also did not tolerate the judgemental attitude of the Pharisees who wanted her judged while ignoring their own. This reminds me of the mote in the eye illustration; we always are quick to judge others; but what about our own sin? Are we as quick to want our own sin judged as we are another’s? I am afraid not.
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