To start this off I’ll give you the context of the title. The Pharisees show up to Christ with this woman and tell Him she has been caught in the act of adultery. She was messing up with a guy she shouldn’t have been. They state that in the law of Moses, she is suppose to be stoned. I looked what the other translations of “stone” meant. It also means gossip, so in other words to just say fowl things to her. This got me thinking this week about myself. I have this wonderful woman I know that always praises her husband, I never hear her say mean things about him. They have been married for over 30 years and she still misses him when he is gone at work. I then got thinking about how I talk about the people I love. Do I cast stones at then, even behind their back? Am I treating them the way she was treated, being dragged out and made ashamed. I then took it upon myself to not do that and to change the conversation when others were.
Back to the story, Christ stays peaceful and just leans down and starts writing in the sand. They ask him what he has to say. He then basically says, “Who ever here is absolutely perfect and never messes up can say whatever they want to her.” Which, by the way, HE could have. But instead, they run away and is gentle with her. He asks her who has anything mean to say about you? She replies with, no one Lord. He then, being perfect and justified to say whatever He wants to her, sees her. He saw HER! Not just the sin, He saw her brokenness. Instead, chooses to tell her, “I have nothing mean to say to you. Now, go, and become better. Try again.” And in a Bible Video that I will include the link to, He holds her. He picks her up off the ground, and helps her walk forward. This story changed my relationship with my Savior so much. He died for the sin already, go forward and let Him heal you. “Neither do I condemn thee.” What sweet words to use. He knows what she did was wrong, but He also knows she knows, and what she needs to feel love in order to move forward. John 8 holds so much of Christ’s true character in it. Just John the book across the board shows Christ’s light and hope better than anywhere else in my opinion.
One more word I want to focus on before I finish is “condemn.” With the context the word is surrounded by it means “benevolent.” The beauty of this, is that He could have said anything to her but instead Christ was kind. I want to be this in all of my future relationships, I want to choose the harder thing and be king. I can know peoples flaws and not have to say them. I want to love not be right.
Sister Hattie Lyn Carr 