Judgement

 JOHN 8:1-11

 Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, ² but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. ³ As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd.

 ⁴ “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. ⁵ The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”

 ⁶ They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. ⁷ They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” ⁸ Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.

 ⁹ When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. ¹⁰ Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”

 ¹¹ “No, Lord,” she said.

   And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”


This is one of my favorite Bible stories. This shows Jesus' amazing acceptance. It conveys the acceptance of even the most looked down upon sins. This also shows Jesus' wonderful holiness. Every person didn't have the right the cast a stone. But Jesus did.

 And he did NOT.

He had mercy on her. He loved her despite her sin. The Pharisees were taught a lesson: they too had faults. Not one of them were free from sin. They were all imperfect human beings. Jesus didn't judge her or them. He simply wrote in the sand. He didn't point a finger or get mad. It's amazing to me how Jesus can say everything perfectly without many words. He is different. He doesn't accuse people, condemn them, or act like a jerk. He is holy. He is merciful. He is everything that is good.

My Devo book "Heaven Calling," has a wonderful little paragraph about the judgement of others:

"...it is easy to point the finger at someone else's sin...But I urge you, don't be quick to judge. That is my job. I alone am holy. I alone can see into a person's heart. I alone know their motives. I judge with wisdom and with justice. I judge with love. When I judge, I don't do it to point a finger or condemn. My desire is that everyone will come to me, repent, and turn from their sin. Remember that I love you even when you fail and your behavior is less than perfect. Extend that love to others, and leave judgement to me."