John 8:1-11 (KJV) Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.
And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned; but what sayest thou?
This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, “Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
She said, No man, Lord.
And Jesus said unto her, “Neither do I condemn thee; go, and sin no more.”
Rarely do I write out lengthy passages for devotionals however today my heart told me it was important not to leave out any of the details we so often overlook in this passage. My format for this devotional will also vary from its usual style, but I honestly believe you will be able to glean some golden nuggets of truth to ponder. Today, I will choose to use a simple bulleted style of writing and let you go back through the verses asking the Holy Spirit to guide you in your understanding of God’s Word. Take your time. Let it soak in.
- It was early in the morning. Jesus was doing his job—teaching God’s truth to all who would listen.
- The scribes and Pharisees are still up to their old tricks of trying to trap Jesus in controversy.
- The scribes and Pharisees still need something concrete to blame Jesus, what better than an adulterous woman? Especially one caught “in the very act” (Which also might beg the explanation from the scribes and Pharisees of where were they and what were they doing? But that’s another story.)
- The woman was placed in the midst—right up front and center, for all to see and condemn—nobody could miss this show.
- Jesus doesn’t speak. He bends low to the ground. They accuse publicly—Jesus responds privately. Dirt became his power point presentation.
- We have no clue what Jesus wrote. Most biblical scholars agree it could quite possibly have been a list of sins. Whatever the words or symbols…the power point presentation achieved its intended purpose. One by one…they ALL left.
- Do not miss this point: (v. 9) And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, and even unto the last… The eldest, those who should have known better, were the first to be addressed.
- The woman is still standing in the place originally intended to shame her. She hasn’t moved an inch. But Jesus speaks directly to her—He speaks directly to her heart.
- She answers Jesus’ question by calling him Lord! She “gets it!” She understands who her Lord and Savior is!
- Jesus gives her first of all a reassurance of forgiveness: “Neither do I condemn thee…” and secondly a new path to follow: “…go, and sin no more.”
Psalm 139:23-24 (KJV) Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Gracious Heavenly Father,
All too often we place ourselves in the seat of judging others by their looks, by their appearance, by rumors, by political affiliations, or by any number of other reasons. Forgive us, Lord. For those of us willing to hear your voice speaking to our heart, let us be convicted by our own conscience. Let us go and sin no more. For this we humbly thank you.
In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, Amen.
The devotional Casting Stones appeared first on Write From My Heart at writefrommyheartblog.blogspot.com
email: Dotty Willmon, writefrommyheartblog@gmail.com
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