Friday | Week 7
The scene from John 8:1-11 is familiar to many. The Pharisees could care less about socially scorning the woman guilty of adultery. They knew she deserved death (see Leviticus 20:10), so their real ambition that day was to put Jesus to the test. “What do you say we do with her, Jesus?” Letting her live would break the Mosaic Law. Letting her be killed without witnesses testifying in court would break the Roman law. One commentator refers to this scene as a “First Century Private Investigation” set up by the Pharisees. 1
Jesus stooped to the ground and wrote in the dirt with His finger. Why did He do that? We don’t know. What did He write? We don’t know that either. What we do know is that Jesus’ next statement was unexpected by the Pharisees: “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her” (v.8).
Jesus leveled the playing field that day. Proud, righteous men were now on the same ground as the woman they’ve accused of adultery. Moments before, they glared with disgust in the woman’s direction. With one brief comment, Jesus forced them to look in the mirror and see their own depravity. The application for us today is to look in the mirror ourselves. When we do, we see that our sins are no better or worse than the sins of everyone else. All sin is gross, and all sin is treason against our loving Savior.
Jesus told the woman that He did not condemn her, and that she should go and leave her life of sin. His mercy reigned that day, and the woman was offered a gift of total transformation. She may have anticipated a slow and painful death, and instead, she was surprised with love and forgiveness.
God is amazingly kind to all of us. He is patient with our shortcomings and character deficiencies. He is merciful. When God gives mercy, He is not tolerating our sin. He is inviting us to change. To be transformed. To live like a new creation should live. If God has been kind to you lately and extended mercy, take time to thank Him today, and renew your devotion to Him. Declare to Him: “Lord, thank you for your mercy. Help me to go and sin no more.”
1 Kenneth Gangel, Holman N.T. Commentary—John (Nashville: B & H Publishing, 2000), vol. 4, p. 159.