Jesus said to [the adulterous woman], “Neither do
I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
(John 8:11)
Thoughts… If I were writing this story instead of John, I would have had Jesus calling down fire from heaven to fry these mean-spirited Pharisees. At the very least, he would have snatched this poor woman from their grasp and beamed over to Galilee to set her free. That would have made a great story.
But as we’ve come to expect of Jesus, he does the unexpected. Instead of special effects and edge-of-your-seat drama, he simply stoops over and writes in the sand.
Do you ever wonder what he wrote? “Jesus was here!” or perhaps the Ten Commandments, or better yet, a list of the Pharisees’ secret sins or the names of their mistresses?
These religious Nazis kept pressing him until finally he said, “Look, if any of you are without sin, you can be the first one to throw a stone at her.” Then he began to scribble again. And with those words, Jesus lobbed a grenade into their midst, exploding their self-righteousness, and one-by-one, from the oldest to the youngest, the Pharisees walked away, leaving only Jesus and this sinful woman.
I wonder what she expected next: A sermon, condemnation, more humiliation and rejection? Instead, Jesus gently asks, “Where are your accusers? Has no one judged you guilty?”
She replied, “Sir, they’re gone…they didn’t judge me guilty.”
Then Jesus lobbed another grenade—this one a grace-grenade that utterly exploded this sinful woman’s self-condemnation and turned her sad world right-side up: “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
So just what was it that Jesus wrote in the sand? I think it is highly likely that he bent over and with his finger, etched these words:
“Not guilty!”
A few weeks later, Jesus again wrote those very same words in the sand. This time it was not with his finger, but with blood that dripped from his nail-pierced hands and feet, leaving an eternal stain on the ground at the foot of the cross. This time it wasn’t just meant for an adulterous woman, it was meant for you and me:
“Not Guilty. Paid in full. Completely forgiven.”
I don’t know what that grace-grenade does for you, but it makes me want to “go and sin no more.”
Prayer… Lord, I am overwhelmed and undone by your grace. It is more than enough to cover my worst sins and bring eternal life to this undeserving sinner. I will be forever grateful!
One More Thing… “This is the mystery of the riches of divine grace for sinners, for by a wonderful exchange our sins are now not ours but Christ’s, and Christ’s righteousness is not Christ’s, but ours.” —Martin Luther
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