John 8: 1 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.”
Do you find yourself condemning people who desperately need Jesus? You are not alone, and the tendency for forgiven people is to put a certain level for which sins Jesus will forgive and how I should look at those sins. Keep in mind Jesus died for the "sins" of the world, and that is for all sins, no matter what. That statement will cause some people to question the Lord when He forgives sins they can't. The woman caught in her adulterous act or, more clearly, "caught in the act" of adultery and brought before Jesus definitely needed a life change, and the only true life change would be found in the Savior. The Pharisees had set themselves up as her accusers and used the law of Moses to make their point, hoping to trap Jesus and thus temper His love. Point in case: The love of God is far beyond our understanding, and that is why we must have a true change in our lives about loving others as Jesus does.
The motive of the Pharisees bringing the woman to Jesus was clearly seen, and in their desire to "trap" Him, brought to the forefront what level His forgiveness will go to defeat the sin in our lives. All our lives. It does not matter what sin He is forgiving. That sin is covered completely by the blood of Jesus. The extreme amount of forgiveness for this woman made it possible for Jesus to bring everything to the surface for those Pharisee's.
Personally, I find it hard to forgive people completely. I need God to bring my sins to mind moment by moment so I can experience the refreshing freedom that only His sacrifice can bring. Jesus offers this love and forgiveness to all and not just to a select group that commits sins we don't mind. We are not the ones setting the rules for forgiveness, and putting ourselves in that judgment position is a dangerous act of the "natural man." Paul writes to this "natural man" way of reasoning, and he writes this in 1 Corinthians 2:13 When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths.
The keywords in the above verses are "spiritual" truths. The natural man will find chinks in the armor of God's forgiveness and try to use worldly reasoning to justify their point, much like the Pharisees tried to do with Jesus. Jesus used pure, spiritual reasoning to expose their prejudice and their dark hearts. Jesus brought up "their" sinful condition, and the argument was no longer an argument! They slipped away one by one, and the mob mentality quickly ceased to have its power, and they were gone. Then what?
Jesus had dealt with the hypocrites, but then He needed to address the sinful condition of the adulterous woman, and so Jesus said the following. John 8:10 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.” Time for her to change and live in the newfound freedom of His forgiveness. In receiving this forgiveness, there became a need for her reasoning to change so that she would also be able to see others like Jesus sees them. The "Jesus vision" was now going to change how she saw the world around her, and her forgiveness made her see the world around her differently. Do you? Then you have been born again. If not, check your heart and see what Jesus is saying to you. I know I had to do that myself. God's level of forgiveness is far beyond what we can do, and we only understand it in light of our forgiveness. Never forget that truth.
Today's Message,
David Warren
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