FORGIVENESS....that's the VERDICT

Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, ² but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. ³ As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd.
⁴ “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. ⁵ The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”
⁶ They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. ⁷ 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!” ⁸ Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.
⁹ When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. ¹⁰ Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”
¹¹ “No, Lord,” she said.
And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.” John 8:1-11

So here we find our dear Lord speaking at the Temple, delivering a much needed message, to a group of people who needed to hear a word from the Lord, only to be disrupted by sinful act.  An act that on the outside appeared to be a simple OPEN & SHUT case.  Adultery in the culture was punishable by death, and here a woman was caught dead to rights.  Here you have the teachers of the religious laws coupled with the Pharisees poised to mete out judgment, but before doing so since Jesus was  in town, they thought they'd kill two birds with one stone.    They desired to stone this woman for breaking the law, and trip/trap Jesus into breaking the Law of Moses....but what happens in the moments following not only messed up those ready to mete out judgment it also did a number on the crowd, and the accused. 

Notice what was done/said:  THEY kept demanding an answer......(this is a familiar narrative)

Notice what HE did/said:  All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” Then he stooped down and wrote in the dust.

Notice what they said/did:  THEY SAID NOTHING, and one by one they slipped away til it was only the guilty woman left. 

Simple observations...nothing prophetic.....just an observation, my observation.   We never find out what Jesus was writing in the sand/dirt, but whatever it was it didn't need to be interpreted or disclosed to us (the readers) because it wasn't important.  What was important was how did JESUS handle a situation where the law had been broken, where an injustice had occurred?  I believe we live in a day in age where we want what we don't truly/fully understand.  See the teachers of the religious law & Pharisees were guilty too.   They were guilty of esteeming themselves over others, which is an offense to GOD as well, being that the woman caught in adultery was as equally precious in His site, and the "person" whom she was engaging in that adulterous act with.  NEVER ONCE does JESUS mention or ask for the head or hind parts of the other offender, He simply turns to those who are demanding and answer and says ".....let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone." 

Here's what I know we are all guilty!  LET ME SAY IT AGAIN, WE ARE ALL GUILTY!  Jesus, the one I read about, teach about, speak about, and as broken as I am attempt to live solely for, calls and compels us (especially the PEOPLE WHO ARE CALLED BY HIS NAME) to respond in situations in a way that demands our hearts to be one with His.  This means meting out forgiveness, when the law and or culture says differently.  I know that at some point we'll have to forgive _____________________ (you fill in the blank) or we will face the judgment of Christ at our appointed time, to which He said:  If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. (Matt. 6:14-15) 

If we are all honest, we know our guilt, and we too have been forgiven by Christ so this demands a response in kind.   From a personal vantage point, I've been humiliated, called things beyond my birth name, overlooked, as well as looked over, harassed, discriminated against, abused, falsely accused, and even wrongly persecuted but at the end of the day I'm called to not only forgive, but love others, especially those that hate/despitefully use me (Luke. 6:27ff).  Jesus knew that in the crowd of onlookers, as well as religious teachers, and Pharisees that there was no innocent amongst them, no not one (Romans 3:10) so He challenged them to look within, and determine the proper response.   They dropped their stones.....what will we do? #LGLP365