In desperate need to know forgiveness, she was dragged through the streets as a public spectacle. Kicking and screaming…everyone staring her down. It was pitiful. Disdainful. Nobody wanted her near. Her sins protruding loudly for all to hear, and yet haunting her day and night deeply within.
Her sins were no secret. There was dust left in her wake.
The onlookers gazed with disgust. You could feel the hatred abound.
No longer could she hide from her sinful past. No longer could she skim from her accusers. It was clear to everyone now. She was a sinner. But wait…not the acceptable kind.
We all sin. Yes, we sorta know that we do. Romans 3:23 tells us so. But yet, we find a way of rating our sin. Some acceptable. Some making the headlines. We think to ourselves that our sin is no big deal. It’s the kind of sin that everyone does. A little white lie. An outburst of anger. C’mon…does God care?
The sin of this woman was beyond the norm. She deserved the strictest of punishments. What she had done was outrageous! Ridiculous! There’s no way someone like her should be allowed to get away with it!
The accusations were endless.
The stones were found in their hands.
You could feel the pressure mounting.
One wondered, who would throw the first stone?
They brought her to Jesus thinking he would join in on their game. Not realizing, that they were just like her. Their threats. Their anger. Jesus could see through it…and got right down to the heart of the matter.
When we get to a place where our sin is no big deal. Look out! We’ve taken our grace for granted.
If we find ourselves reading this story of old like an antiquated tale, then oh boy, we’ve missed the point entirely. There is great wisdom to be found here. We are either joining the crowd in pointing our fingers or finding ourselves bearing a label titled, “GUILTY.” We all need to know forgiveness.
Jesus reaches out his hand, and freely grants mercy. One by one, the stone-throwers walk away. The woman comes to discover the label, “FORGIVEN.” (See more in John 8:2-11).
And you are forgiven as well for all of your sins. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every single morning. We serve a faithful God. “The Lord is my portion, says my soul, therefore I will hope in Him” (Lamentations 3:24).
Maybe you need to put on the label, “FORGIVEN” today. There you will find freedom. Or maybe you need to stop throwing stones. It’s not your job anyway. When you discover the gravity of your sin and come to realize what Jesus has done for ya…it wakes you up to the reality of MERCY. A game-changer. You walk away with immense gratitude!
HAVE YOU EVER FELT LIKE YOU DON’T MEASURE UP? THAT ALL OF YOUR FAULTS…YOUR SIN…IS DEEPLY EXPOSED? LIKE STONE THROWERS ARE LINING UP, WAITING THEIR TURN? HOW DOES IT FEEL TO KNOW FORGIVENESS? GO AHEAD AND SHARE ABOUT IT, BECAUSE MY FRIEND, YOU ARE!