February 19
Bible Reading: John 8:1-11
John 8:4-7, “They said to him, ‘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?’ This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, ‘Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her’.”
We’ve all done or said things that we shouldn’t have, “for all have sinned” (Romans 3:23). And, apart from the love of God, there’d be no hope for any of us. This account exposes, in dramatic fashion, the hazards associated with attempting to bolster one’s own self-righteousness by exposing the sin of others. There is only One who is qualified to judge, and fortunately for us, He is One who is full of mercy.
In bringing forth the woman caught in adultery, the scribes and Pharisees set a trap for Jesus. In cases of adultery, Jewish law called for stoning (Deuteronomy 22:22). If Jesus refused to follow through with that, they would accuse Him of breaking the Mosaic Law. On the other hand, the Roman government held authority over such punishments. If Jesus allowed her to be stoned, then he would break the Roman law, thus giving the religious leaders occasion to accuse Him.
The scribes and Pharisees cared nothing about the woman. She was a mere pawn in their devilish plot. If it was true justice they were seeking, they would have brought the man as well. They were sinners too, and that was their undoing. They were unqualified to exercise judgment, and Jesus exposed that. He intervened on the woman’s behalf and told her, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more” (John 8:11).
There is a right way and a wrong way to admonish others. Jesus’ warning, “Judge not, that you be not judged” (Matthew 7:1), found fulfillment in this account. If we are lovingly concerned for someone caught up in sin, there is a better way to deal with that: “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted” (Galatians 6:1).
“The Law is like a boomerang: You aim it at others and it comes back and conks you on the head.”—Steven Cole
THERE IS A WIDENESS IN GOD’S MERCY
There’s a wideness in God’s mercy,
like the wideness of the sea.
There’s a kindness in God’s justice,
which is more than liberty.
There is welcome for the sinner,
and more graces for the good.
There is mercy with the Savior,
there is healing in his blood.
But we make God’s love too narrow
by false limits of our own,
and we magnify its strictness
with a zeal God will not own.
For the love of God is broader
than the measures of the mind,
and the heart of the Eternal
is most wonderfully kind.
If our love were but more simple,
we should rest upon God’s word,
and our lives would be illumined
by the presence of our Lord.
LookingtoJesus 