“Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” – John 8:10-11
The gospel of John gives us a story that displays Jesus’ heart of mercy towards the sinner.
While Jesus was preaching in the temple, a group of Pharisees caught a woman committing adultery and brought her to Jesus.
If there is anything that would be more shame-inducing than being caught committing adultery by a group of condescending religious people, drug through town, half-naked and then dropped before the perfect God of the universe, I’m not sure what is. This must have been the most terrifying moment of this woman’s life; not only was her sin exposed to everyone, but the law required that she be put to death.
Before the crowd, the group of Pharisees asked Jesus, “And what do you say?” At this moment, the Pharisees had Jesus right where they wanted Him. They thought they had succeeded in placing Jesus in a lose/lose situation. If Jesus didn’t agree that the crowd should stone this woman, He would be going against the Mosaic law. If Jesus ordered that this woman should be stoned, it would have been against His character as the Messiah – one who showed love toward the sinner. Jesus’ reply, however, surprised the crowd: “Let him who is with out sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”
At this moment, the group of Pharisees were reminded of sin in their own lives. Their secret sins and struggles were brought to mind. They were convicted in their own hearts. There was only one man in that crowd who was without sin. One man who could throw the first stone to punish this woman – our Lord Jesus Christ. Oldest to youngest, the Pharisees walked away until only Jesus and the woman remained.
Jesus asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
“No one, Lord”, the woman replied. Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on, sin no more.”
Jesus, the perfect and holy Judge, did not condemn this woman to death. This woman had committed a grave sin against God, and Jesus didn’t overlook it. Jesus told the woman, “go, and from now on sin no more.” Only a short time later on the cross, would Jesus (in an act of unimaginable love) take the punishment for this woman’s sin so that she could be ultimately redeemed.
Our lives are full of sin – but where sin runs deep, God’s grace runs deeper. Jesus offers you this true redemption; put your faith in Him for the forgiveness of your sins. Then, go, and from now on, sin no more. This is true freedom. Not a freedom from sin and temptation, but a freedom from the burden of sin – to live freely in light of the fact that One has already taken the guilt, the shame, the ridicule, and the physical sacrifice required for our justification as Christians. Therefore, we can truly aspire to Christ’s command to the woman in this story – to “go, and from now on, sin no more.” Because ultimately, His grace is more.
GREATER DEPTHS 