Go & Sin No More

"Jesus straightened up and asked her, 'Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?' 'No one, sir,' she said. 'Then neither do I condemn you,' Jesus declared. 'Go now and leave your life of sin.'" John 8:10-11

Recently I heard a remarkable message on this passage from John 8:1-11. Talking about the Scripture in its entirety first, let's go back a bit. If you remember, teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought this woman who was caught in the act of adultery to the temple courts. Making her stand in front of the entire group (probably as embarrassed as a person could be! and scared!), they questioned Jesus, reminding him that the law of Moses said that the woman should be stoned. They asked Him what He had to say on the subject, trying to trap Him by His answer. Verse 6 notes "But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with His finger." I never noticed this point before, but as we were reading the passage together, I wondered to myself "what was He writing."

Beth Moore obviously wondered the same thing (I was watching the very last video from her "When Godly People Do Ungodly Things" session). In her speaking, she went back to Exodus 31:18, which says "When the Lord finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, He gave him the two tablets of the Testimony, the tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God." When God gave Moses the "Law," He inscribed it with His own finger. Now we see Jesus, God Himself in the body of man, again writing with His finger. While we'll never know for sure exactly what He was writing, she said there were feasibly two audiences: either the woman or the accusers, and most likely the woman couldn't read because of the times. She said wouldn't it  be interesting if Jesus were again writing the law on the ground: You shall have no other gods before me; You shall not make for yourself an idol; You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God; Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy; Honor your father and mother; You shall not commit murder; You shall not steal; You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor; You shall not covet. John 8 continues in verse 7 by saying "When they kept on questioning Him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." And again in verse 8 we see "Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground." Beth Moore noted that Jesus knew these men, as He knows us. Wouldn't it be ironic if the very same law that these men were using to condemn these women was condemning them? None of us are without sin... and slowly but surely (the older ones first), each one began to go away one at a time until only Jesus was left.

Here's where these verses struck me. Jesus was without sin. But, He didn't condemn the woman who was caught in the act of sinning. However, just as Beth Moore also noted, He didn't excuse her behavior. He didn't make rationalizations. He didn't say "that's okay." He said He didn't condemn her, but He told her to "Go and leave your life of sin." Wow! What freedom!

As I was thinking of the sin of overeating and obesity, I thought about the feelings that woman would have had standing in front of the group. I've felt some of those same feelings as I'm in a group of thinner folks, especially. Picture being in a bathing suit with all skinny people around you. You feel embarrassed, ashamed, caught in your sin. You may not be as scared as the woman was, but I think I have been close as I've thought about the repercussions of obesity. My dad has diabetes, can't see very well, and the doctors told him that if he's not careful with his back and weight, he may lose his ability to walk. Since I'm very much like him, I've been scared of similar things happening to me. Scared enough to get on my knees and beg Jesus for mercy. I'm a sinner. I've done things I know are not right. I've eaten when I'm not hungry just because it tastes good. I've chosen bad things for my body. I've stood in front of the crowd and felt condemned.

But Jesus, the only One who will be left standing with us when it truly counts, tells us He doesn't condemn us. He doesn't tell us what we're doing is okay; instead He encourages us to go and leave our lives of sin. That's what I want today, more than anything. I want to walk away from the life of sin I've known and head a complete different direction with His help. Let's pray!

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word. Thank You for revealing new things to us every day in your holy Bible. I appreciate Your kindness and the way You show us grace. Father, thank You for not condemning the woman. Help us as Christians not condemn others who are caught in sin, but rather lead them to You so that they can go and leave their life of sin. God, I also ask in Your precious grace that You would help us leave our lives of sin. I confess that I've been an over-eater and lazy most of my life. Help me go in a different direction all for Your glory. May You not regret not condemning me. Please allow me and those reading this to be instruments used for Your holy purposes. We praise You and thank You! In Jesus' name, AMEN!