August 26, 2024
Melissa Valerio
John 8:1-12
Because the sin of adultery deserved a punishment of death, the leaders of the law shoved this woman in Jesus’ face and in-effect said “You’re the wise teacher, tell us… what should we do with this woman?” They already made up in their minds that she should be stoned, but with Jesus touting mercy everywhere He went, they wanted to trap Him into saying something against God’s own rule. And yet with a beautiful blend of judgement AND mercy, He sidestepped their attack and glorified the heart of God.
The truth was YES, she sinned. And YES, she deserved death. God cannot approve of sin because He is righteous, yet He is not unsympathetic to the sinner that He made. In verse 7 we read “They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” (NLT) Slowly we see them drop their stones and walk away. Here’s what I realized — Jesus is the only person that could have thrown a stone, because He was the only one that had never sinned. But He chose not to punish her. He made the law, yet He chose not to follow through with the punishment on her. He chose mercy for Her and judgement for Himself, knowing the price would be paid on the cross. Our mistake is thinking that God is either just or merciful – not both. But Jesus on the cross shows us both mercy and judgement. Due payment for sin, mercy for the sinner. He is not a God of either/or, He’s a God of both. Oh, what a Savior we have in Jesus!
Prayer: Father in Heaven, Your heart is the purest there is. To love us so deeply that You would pay the price for the laws we break against You. Who would do such a thing? We forever praise Your name, the name above all names. Thank You for saving our souls. In Your son’s holy name, Amen.
Action: God’s judgement is essentially reestablishment of order. It can come in the form of change and as we know, change can be painful to us if we’ve been living in our own “order” for so long. If there is change happening in your life, consider that it may be God reestablishing order. When He changes things, it is always for our good. Trust Him, allow Him, and thank Him through it.