“When the scribes and Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery. They made her stand in the middle of the court and put the case before Him. Teacher, this woman was caught red-handed in the act of adultery!” (John 8:3-4)

The woman in the scripture above had been caught in the very act of adultery. Her accusers thought they were taking her to be judged and then stoned to death for her sins!  Back then, that was the law.  She was caught committing adultery and she should be punished according to the law.

This woman’s accusers brought her case before Jesus!  They wanted to hear Him say she was guilty. At first, it appears that He is ignoring them.  When they persist on hearing Him accuse her of being an adulteress,  Jesus simply responds with:

 “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”(John 8:7)

Wow! That is such a powerful statement and it should resonate among us even today. We all have sinned.  Some of us have shameful secrets.  Yet, even in spite of our own messes, we continue to point fingers at others and we are quick to  judge.  We continue to pick up rocks to throw at others.

Put the rocks down!

 We need to be more like Jesus, compassionate and forgiving.  Perhaps, if we take into account our own sins and change our ways, we just might set a positive example to the one who is committing adultery, to the one who is stealing, to the one who is gossiping,  or to the one who is selling drugs. Many of us have experienced at least one moment in our lives where our sins and transgressions have led others to judge us or ridicule us.  This is not a good feeling. So think about how it may make someone feel to know that you are judging them.

Put the rocks down!

Eventually, in the scripture, it tells us that the woman’s accusers left her with Jesus.  Jesus told her that he did not condemn her for her sins.  He told her to “go on your way and from now on sin no more.”  Imagine her joy when she realized she had been set free by the Master!

Sometimes those of us who are believers in Jesus Christ are so quick to judge that we often miss out on bringing a lost soul to Christ.  We often miss out on an opportunity to say He will forgive you for your sins. We miss out on telling them, that we know this because He has forgiven us!   The scribes and the Pharisees missed this opportunity because they were judging her for her sins and they were testing Jesus to see what He was going to do.  But even in her brokenness, she was led to Jesus and He freed her from her accusers and most importantly, He freed her from her sins!

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Dear  Heavenly Father,  forgive me of my sins and transgressions. Thank you for not condemning me even when my accusers did.  LORD, I ask that you use me to be a blessing to someone who is lost in sin.  Please allow me to speak words of love, compassion and understanding to them so that they will have a desire to draw closer to you.  God, if I should attempt to pick up rocks to condemn someone, I ask that you gently remind me that you have forgiven me of my sins and that I should put the rocks down. I thank you for your grace and mercy. In Jesus’ wonderful name, I say Amen!