Let’s begin reading a powerful and familiar text from John 8:
“1 Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?’ 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, He straightened up and said to them, ‘Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’ 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’
11 ‘No one, sir,’ she said. ‘Then neither do I condemn you,’ Jesus declared. ‘Go now and leave your life of sin’” John 8:1-11.
This is one of the most important texts in Scripture today, in my humble opinion, because it addresses how we should treat others. The world-wide cultures of all humanity are resolving differences today, more than I have ever seen in my 70 years of life, by name calling, shooting and killing others, and condemning others for their lifestyles, philosophies, and theologies with which we disagree. Violence and the wholesale condemnation of other is destroying us as a human civilization. Leaders of all kinds refuse to listen and work together for the common good.
I love my new church because we welcome everyone to worship and to participate fully. Why? Because of this story and command of Jesus in John’s Gospel which appears above. Instead of going along with the other religious leaders in Jerusalem, Jesus instead points out that we are all sinners and we all fall short of the glory of God. Personally, I am sick and tired of being told in church that I cannot receive communion because I am not a member of the church or because I am not in good standing with the church or with God. In this story above Jesus asks us all the same question: Who among us is without sin? Who among us can stand up and say, “I am completely in sync with God, free and without sin, and so I am in a position to condemn others!” NOT ONE OF US!
Our political leaders across the world are doing the same thing. When is this going to stop? When will we have leaders who welcome other people, other cultures, leaders who listen and respect the opinions and philosophies and personal views without condemning others? We are progressively more and more of a broken world. My hearts is breaking as I watch thousands of innocent people massacred in Israel, Gaza, and the Ukraine, not to mention in our own back yards. 228 people have been murdered in Birmingham, AL, my home city, in the first ten months of this year! WHAT IS GOING ON?
Today in your prayer, examine your conscience and pray that you will take to heart these words of Jesus: “’10 Woman, where are those who condemn you? Has no one condemned you?’ 11 ‘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.
Pray to God today that you will leave your life of sin and follow Christ and love those with whom you live.
Lord Jesus Christ Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.
From the Bible:
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye” Matthew 7:1-5.
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23.
“Do not speak evil against one another. The one who speaks against a others or judges others, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, He who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor” James 4:11-12?
“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear” Ephesians 4:29.
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