“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.’” – John 8:7
When confronted with a hard choice between enforcing the Law or ignoring it, Jesus took a third path… the way of grace. Jesus didn’t deny her sin, ignore her sin, or excuse her sin. But He recognized that killing a woman for her sin would leave no opportunity for her to repent and live a transformed life. There’s no glory in that. God takes no pleasure in the death of a sinner. He is most glorified by transformed lives and that’s what grace makes possible – transformation.
Jesus challenged everyone present to slow down their blood lust and consider the past sins for which they’d been forgiven. Were they so different from this woman? All sin rebels against God. All sin deserves death. Jesus reminded them that God had been gracious toward them. Shouldn’t they be gracious toward this woman found in sin? Why was her sin so different from theirs?
After her accusers all walked away, Jesus was very direct with the woman. She was to go and sin no more. She was to live a life changed by unexpected grace. But changed it must be! Let us be slow to pick up the rock of condemnation and quick to point sinful people like ourselves toward holy lives transformed by grace. Let us share the Gospel as we actually live the Gospel. #FollowJesus