Go, and Sin no More!

If someone were to ask me what my favourite passage of Scripture would be, It would have to be John Chapter 8. I love the first 11 verses of this chapter. 

Now, some of you, when reading from a physical copy of the Bible might notice that it is “set apart” (for lack of a better term) from the other sections of Scripture.

Most, NIV Bibles will offer a statement, saying something along the lines of “most ancient manuscripts do not contain Mark 7:53-8:1-11.” 

These passages are included in our bibles today, because they are in accordance with Jesus and His teaching on Grace and Mercy…. So, here is the passage:

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.” (NLT)

Notice a few things about this passage…

I’d always wondered about the chaps who caught this woman in the act… how did they know? 

How long had they been watching her?

Were they hiding outside her house, waiting for her to mess up? 

Did they follow her on twitter and know where she would be spending her time? 

If so, wouldn't they be guilty of sinning as well? 

If they had caught her in the act… then they had to be watching the act going on, and, well, what about their thoughts? Were they thinking things they shouldn't have been?

I realize that I am speculating here, but the main point i’m trying to make is they had were just as “guilty” as this woman was…

So this woman was brought out into the open, and thrown down in front of Jesus and Jesus was told to make a decision…. the Law said stone her. What do you say?

(What about the man she was committing adultery with? Why wasn't he brought out as well…?) 

Jesus was in a conundrum. If He said stone her, He would be in a mess, but if He let her go, He would be in a mess… (talk about your ultimate no win situation) 

Of course, this was all a set up by the religious elite, trying to get Jesus to mess up so they could find reason to kill Him.

Instead of making a judgement call— which He could have done— He simply stoops down and begins writing in the sand. 

While we don’t know what Jesus wrote, we do like to speculate, and many people think that Jesus was writing people's sins on the ground. As He was writing in the sand, the crowd  “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. 

This is awesome. Jesus never has to say a word.. The people gathered there, dropped their stones and slowly went away, one by one. Probably confronted with their own sin— this is something Jesus did often—- they walked away, leaving Jesus and this woman to talk.

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.” (NLT)

Notice, that Jesus condemn her, like other people had done. 

He forgave her and told her not to continue on sinning.

No matter what place of life you find yourself in, Jesus will not condemn you. While He will not overlook the sin in your life, He will not condemn you. He will forgive you and cleanse you and then tell you to Go and Sin no More. 

Our God is not a God who condemns; He is a Loving God who forgives! He invites all of us to come to Him and experience His grace and mercy, to help us in our time of need. Which is each and every day. 

So, what's holding you back from coming to Jesus? 

Don’t be scared, Jesus will love on you, too.