Tuesday the 9th

John 8: ⁶ They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.    But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. ⁷ When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” ⁸ Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.   ⁹ At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. ¹⁰ Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”   ¹¹ “No one, sir,” she said.  “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

 

We all know this story well, and I could write at length at how Jesus forgives each and everyone of us just as willingly, and freely as he did with this woman. However, there is another point to this interaction that bears our focus. How did Christ act? Here we see Christ again in a tight situation (at least one we would find difficult) The Pharisees have found a woman guilty of adultery….not suspected of, not rumored to be, but guilty for sure of adultery. Now the teachers of the law want to use this as a way to trap the Christ. How does our savior respond? He bends down to start writing in the sand. What was He writing? Was He writing anything? Was He writing down the names of those present?  Maybe He was just doodling….one thing is for sure He was not giving a lot of attention to the people who were trying to trap Him. The people who are trying to make a scene, the one who would try to force Jesus into action….Jesus simply ignored. Undaunted, they kept after Him. Yet Jesus is unaffected by their taunts. He stands and tells them Hey, great guys, if all of you are so perfect, if any of you have done nothing wrong….go ahead be the first to throw the stone…..and then He goes right back to ignoring them! The crowd of men are floored, they don’t know what to do. Each of them know full and well they too have sinned on some level, so they do the only thing they can. They leave. Then a beautiful things happens. Jesus does not take this time to remind the woman of all she has done wrong. He does not use the time to explain how close her life choices have brought her to death. No, Jesus does what He always has done, He forgives, and tells the woman to change her life. How many people just like this woman do we come in contact with everyday? How often do our friends, co-workers, or loved ones try to turn us against someone, or try to harden our hearts? What will we do? How will we react? Will we pick up that stone and join in the fray, or will we find some sand to write in? We know right form wrong, the person doing the sinning typically is aware of it as well. These opportunities that arise in our lives are the chance to be Christ like. It is a chance to offer forgiveness, and love, instead of condemnation, and hate. Joining in with the pack is always the easy thing to do. Going with the flow, is always what is expected. Be the change, be the love, be the forgiveness. Choose to be the person that makes a positive difference in a persons life today. No, you might not have the opportunity to literally save their life, but you might just be a large part of saving their soul. How many sinners do you know? How many people are going to be crucified around you today, instead of forgiven? Will you write in the sand, or will you pick up the rock? For a sinner like myself, I will choose the sand today, I will choose the forgiveness; not just because others need me to, but because I need it for myself as well.

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

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www.thenewcovenantchurch.com

 

www.theworkweekwithchrist.blogspot.com