There is no condemnation…
John 8:1-11. We are all familiar with the story – the adulterous woman brought to Jesus, the “teachers of the law” and the Pharisees who are considering stoning her, and Jesus writing in the sand. This story is such a beautiful representation of who Jesus is.
I imagine Jesus sitting on the steps talking quietly with some local people and his disciples, maybe laughing or engaging in deep conversation. Suddenly there’s a shout and everyone turns their heads to see a woman being dragged roughly across the square by well-dressed, angry men.
“Hey Jesus!” they yell, pushing the woman to the ground at His feet, “Look here! We’ve found a real sinner for you. Someone you cannot deny is breaking the law, Moses’ law! She is among the worst of the worst, so offensive. You won’t believe how we found her…ugh…such a disgrace.”
One spits on her hair, “So disgusting.”
The people around Jesus shuffle as Jesus stands, walks down the steps, then kneels next to the woman. Her hair falls across her face as she looks down at the dirt, ashamed. She clutches her robe and pulls it tighter around her chest.
“So, Jesus, what are you going to do? In the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. What do YOU say?” The men look at Jesus, condescension and pride in their eyes.
The woman’s sobs break the tense silence and she bites the back of her hand to quell her shame and fear.
Beside her, Jesus writes something in the dirt. The woman feels His gaze linger and she looks up at Him out of the corner of her eye. His eyes are warm and kind, not at all like the men who brought her here. There is an understanding there, like, somehow, He sympathizes with her.
Above them, the men are getting angrier and more insistent, “What do you say, Jesus? Huh? Are you better than Moses? What do you think we should do with this slut?!”
Jesus stands, relaxed, and looks at the religious leaders before Him. His voice, when He speaks, is quiet but filled with authority. “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone.” Nonchalantly, He sits back down on the step and begins writing something else on the ground. The woman watches His finger as He writes. She is shaking with fear but Jesus appears totally unconcerned. She sees His feet in the sandals, the way His garments brush across the tops of His toes. She is memorizing every detail in an effort to try and calm her swirling mind. She hears the men behind her whispering and there is a scuffle of dust. She clenches her eyes and steels herself for the first hit.
Several minutes pass and finally she feels, not the unforgiving thud of a rock, but the soft touch of a hand on her shoulder. She lifts her head and slowly rises until she is standing next to Jesus. Gently, He turns her towards the square and asks, “Woman, where are they? Where did they go?” There is a slight amusement in His voice, as though hiding a smile. “Has no one condemned you?” She looks out over the plaza, where there are plenty of staring, gaping faces, but none of the hateful men who had stolen her away.
“No one, Lord,” she whispers, bravely turning towards Him.
And, then, He smiles. “And neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on, sin no more.” She stares down at His feet again, waiting for the lecture. Waiting for Him to point out all the ways she had been sinning… Moments pass. Finally, she peers up at Him. He just smiles again and gives her a knowing look. She nods, gathers her clothes around her, and slips off through the crowd.
Whenever someone comes to us in emotional or spiritual need, we have the option to look like the religious leaders or to look like Jesus. Tonight, I pray that you read this and feel, not that rough edge of a stone scratching your soul, but the gentle hand of someone standing beside you offering compassion and hope.
You are not condemned.
The only One perfect, without sin, who would have every right to condemn, chose instead to give His life for you, to be condemned for you. Jesus is still interceding for us today, standing between us and God, advocating for us, covering us, sheltering us in His righteousness. Even if you are already a Christian, we can forget that we can walk in freedom! We forget that we can walk away from the sins in our life with boldness and confidence and hope and power! Not because of anything we’ve done – we are just laying helpless in the dirt! but because of Christ’s spirit in us.
Whatever you are hiding, whatever you have done, this story reminds us that Jesus is standing between us and sin, between us and our accuser. He is not concerned with the outcome – the victory is won! – but He is concerned with our hearts. No lecture is needed. No hitting us over the head with scripture. Just a simple – go and leave that sin behind.
I don’t think that woman walked away and forgot Jesus. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that He left her a special word or symbol in the sand, something that she kept within her heart.
Maybe even a cross.
