Of all the gospels, I have to say unequivocally, my favorite to read is John. For me, there is a certain poetic quality that I love about the way that John writes.
While the Gospel of John may not be as comprehensive in terms of chronicling every detail of the ministry of Jesus, there is no doubt in my mind that His writing conveys accurately the heart of Jesus Christ as it is put on display during His earthly ministry.
If you are a believer, I think it is safe to say that everyone loves and appreciates the story found in John, chapter eight where a woman found in adultery is brought before Jesus to test Him as to what judgement He would give her. I think that even people who don’t identify as Christians or believers can even appreciate the compassion and mercy showed by Jesus to the woman who obviously was trapped in the lifestyle she was found in.
In my column today, I want to share the story with you with scripture. I think John tells is so beautifully and at the end of each column, if my words fall short, I know that God’s words never will.
Take a moment and read the following scriptures that give the account, I promise you won’t regret doing so:
John 8:3-11 NKJV
3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, 4 they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” 6 This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.
7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” 8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
When we read this account, there is a lot we might miss if we just read the text. What I want to draw from John’s writings and turn your attention to is not only the demonstration of the love and grace of Jesus, but the command given with it and the result that mercy and grace produces when we believe upon Jesus.
Obviously, we can see that the woman is caught red handed in the act of adultery. Each of those who had a part in bringing her to Jesus, wanted to test Jesus, but also to see that justice, as the law demanded, was given. However, instead of giving punishment, Jesus gave mercy.
This mercy was a direct outward demonstration of what Jesus meant when He said:
Matthew 9:13 NKJV
13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
The default position of the heart of Jesus is to give mercy and to love in order to reconcile humanity to the Father in Heaven.
The second point that I want you to notice is that Jesus subtly establishes that not one person in humanity has the right to pronounce judgement on sin. That right alone belongs to Jesus! Paul echo’s this sentiment in Romans when he writes:
Romans 3:23 NKJV
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, As believers, we have the right to judge one another, but we judge with righteousness, in the same manner as the Holy Spirit. When a believer falls, we do not pronounce them a “sinner” trying to superimpose an old existence that was crucified with Christ, having been made a new creation.
Instead, like the Holy Spirit, we speak to them about their new nature and identity, reminding them of who they are in Christ, regarding them not after the flesh but the Spirit. This is what the church is to do for one another as believers, with the same mercy and grace that Jesus has shown us for our own transgressions. Freely we have received and freely we should give.
When Jesus makes this point, the conscience of each accuser begins to stir and one by one they understand the truth of the statement Jesus has made. Then just as they, one by one, come to this conclusion starting with the eldest, each drops their stone and walks away. The revelation of sin and guilt is a powerful and humbling thing. When we realize just what a monumental thing our sin and evil is, it gives us an unprecedented revelation of the mercy and grace of Jesus.
The last point I want you to see is that Jesus addresses the woman personally. He doesn’t ask bystanders their input. Jesus alone is in a position to rightfully execute the judgement of the law, instead, He does two things; He tells her that He has no condemnation for her and commands her to go and sin no more.
This is the last point I want to make as I wrap this up. You see the mercy and grace of Jesus does not condone us to continue in the sinful state we were in. It has in fact freed us from it. The command that Jesus gives us to sin no more is not something that we alone accomplish, it is a byproduct of God’s love and grace at work in our lives.
The glorious kindness and grace of Jesus Christ causes a reciprocation in our hearts that compels us to want to obey Him and be pleasing to Him. This command that Jesus gives is not simply a rote task - “go and sin no more” Jesus in fact is pronouncing the characteristic behavior of one who has been made a new creation in Him by grace through faith.
The mercy and grace of Jesus Christ, nor the commands that He gives us, will lead us into sin, give us a desire for sin or justify and excuse to sin. If you have truly encountered the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ as this woman did, you cannot be the person you were before. You also will not embrace the desires you had before nor can you in good conscience justify the deeds of your former life.
The mercy and grace are not just lifechanging, they are existence changing, in our psyche and our metaphysical reality. The outward demonstration becomes the vindicating truth of what Jesus Christ has done for us.
