This afternoon, I was sitting in the office. As I began to prepare my station for the work I was about to begin, I just felt a necessary pull toward getting into the scriptures before starting anything. The last place I left off was in John 8 when the Pharisees brought Jesus the woman caught in adultery, as they’ve been looking for a reason to imprison him. It goes like this:
“But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
At dawn, he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery.
In the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 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. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let anyone of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her. Again, he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
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. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
“No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
As I was reading this, I just began seeing it play out in my mind. Some questions began to arise in my mind as I began seeing it play out. How was she caught? Where is the other person? Imagine the shame that she must have felt. Surrounded by a crowd of people, she was probably somewhat exposed since she was caught in the act. Standing there, covered in shame and embarrassed, terrified as those around her are speaking of stoning her in the very moment.
Most likely crying, terrified, on the floor, in her knees trying to cover herself from exposing herself and from the stones that are about to come her way. Just the darkest of darkest moments in this woman’s life. I’m sure that regret filled her as she began to see all her sins pass before her eyes while standing in front of the one they call the Messiah, the spotless one.
In a moment, this woman is found to be on trial. Hoping for the one they call the Messiah, the Son of God, to save her from this darkness, he opens his mouth and speaks, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Or as other translations put it, “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” Imagine how frightening a moment this must have been. As she looks back and forth to see where the first stone was going to come from. By the words spoken, somebody present is without sin and has the authority to throw the first stone.
Then, in an instant, one by one, the people begin to leave. Now they’re the ones that are beginning to see their sin pass before their eyes as they realize they themselves are disqualified from throwing the first stone. Out of nowhere, the woman realizes that it is just Jesus and her standing there. It is then that she probably realizes that she is standing there with the only one who is able to cast the first stone, yet… his response to her is the very miracle and glimpse of hope.
“Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
“No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
The only one who was legally justified to cast the first stone at her chose to have mercy on her and chose not to condemn her. This, my friends, is the beauty of what Hope looks like; what Mercy looks like.
Where in your life have you been in the place of this woman? Filled with shame, embarrassment, regret, fear, and just knowing you messed up?
Just like her story, Jesus today provides a way to be free and forgiven, but most importantly, reunited with him, being one with him. If you would simply take a moment with him (whether you close your eyes or not), just look at him and surrender all! He’s died and risen from the dead because he’s overcome sin and death. Now he’s waiting with his hands open, reached out toward you for you to grab him, because he’s got you.
Trust me on this, there’s no bigger or better decision than to give him your all. Because there’s nothing better than walking day in and day out hand in hand with the Creator of All. Jesus loves you, and he’s waiting for you.
UntoGod 
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