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They pushed through the crowd. Anger and righteous indignation flared through them. As they finally broke through the gathered people, they threw the woman to the ground where everyone could see.
Barely clothed, she tried to cover her shame; her eyes were full of fear and terror.
The crowd was in shock. Gasps were heard throughout the group gathered to listen to the teacher.
Harsh words slurred from the religious leaders’ lips as they hurled accusations at her with such force that spittle accompanied every word. They reached to the ground, dust swirled around them, and they picked up stones.
“This will teach her. And him. This will be a lesson for everyone here.” The thoughts ran through their minds as they prepared to ask the question they knew would trap him.
“This woman was caught in the act of adultery! Our law, which Moses gave us, says to stone her for her immoral actions. What do you say?”
Without a word, the teacher bent down and, with his fingertip, began writing in the dirt.
The slurs continued, and the anger of the crowd and the noise level rose.
He stood.
“Let the one who has never sinned cast the first stone.”
He bent down and continued writing in the dirt.
Silence.
You could hear the first thud of a stone dropping to the earth, sending dust swirling once again.
And then another and another. The men, one by one, the oldest first, turned and fled—their deadly weapons left in a heap on the ground where they had once stood.
Only two people remained in the middle of the crowd. The woman and the one everyone had come to hear.
He stood and looked her straight in the eye. Filled with shame, she turned her head.
“Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”
She looked around. None of the men who had dragged her here were left.
Astonished, she replied, “No, Lord.”
And the teacher, standing in the midst of the crowd, compassionately replied, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”
This is the account from John 8. Who was that teacher? Who had the authority to say whether she was condemned or not? Who had the power to forgive? Who would she call Lord?
He alone has the power to save us from our sins. And because of His sacrifice on the cross, we all have the offer of salvation. When we accept His offer, we can stand before a Holy God, just as this woman did, and be told that we are not condemned.
Romans 8:1-4
“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. 3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So, God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body, God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4 He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.”
There is now no condemnation.
You are free.
We are freed from the power of our sinful flesh. We can overcome it and live out lives that are holy for God. The Holy Spirit guides our thoughts, our words, and our actions. He points us in the right direction, towards the Father, and keeps our feet on the straight and narrow path.
He saw us at our worst and still chose to pay the debt we owed for our sins.
Jesus.
Do you know Him?
The law condemns us. It drags us front and center of a crowd, hurling insults and accusations. And it’s true, all of it. We have been caught in the very act of sin.
So, God did what the law could not do.
Forgiveness is available through Jesus.
Let me show you. Go to follow.lifeword.org and learn more about the One who can forgive you of the horrible sins you’ve committed. Let me introduce you to what it means to surrender to the Lord, the King of Kings.
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