JOHN CHAPTER 8
Read: John 8:1-11
Unable to
overcome Jesus' testimony about Himself or disprove the miraculous signs He
performed, the Pharisees developed a plan to trap Jesus. They found a known
adulteress, caught her in the act, and brought her to Jesus just like they
found her -- naked. The plan was simple and would force Jesus to either deny
the Law of Moses or agree with the Pharisees' interpretation of the law and
condemn this woman to death. His accusers would have welcomed either response.
If He denied the Law of Moses, He could not be from God. If He condemned the
naked woman, the people would reject His fundamental teaching of grace and
forgiveness as hypocrisy.
Instead, Jesus
did what no one expected: He held a mirror up to the woman's accusers and
invited them to judge her using their reflection as the standard. This was a
dangerous ultimatum. The woman cowered in fear expecting the rocks to begin
flying at any moment. But the rocks never came. Slowly the accusers left, one
by one. They were unable to reconcile their own sin with Jesus' standards for
passing judgment on this woman.
On another
occasion, Jesus taught, "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not
condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven"
(Luke 6:37). When teaching the disciples how to pray, Jesus included this
phrase: "And forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our
debtors" (Matthew 6:12). These verses and the story John retells in
chapter 8, should be enough to convince any serious Jesus follower to avoid
passing judgment on others. Why then do so many people believe Christians are
judgmental? Is this an unfair stereotype or have we so deviated from this
fundamental teaching of Jesus that we more closely resemble Jesus' accusers
than Jesus Himself?
Perhaps the
stereotype is undeserved and is only used as a weapon to silence Christians.
Our culture's bent toward permissiveness rarely aligns with the core teachings
of Jesus. Wouldn't it be just like Satan to try to use Jesus' warnings against
passing judgment to silence His teachings on holiness?
On the other
hand, maybe the reputation is deserved. Christians sometimes excuse away Jesus'
warnings against judging others as if Jesus would understand, given the
severity of sin in the world today. After all, "Things have never been
this bad!" Maybe so, but let me ask you: when was the last time a naked
prostitute was thrown at your feet? The reality of this woman's sin was never
in question. Sin has changed little in two thousand years. If Jesus could make
such a radical statement in the midst of such a blatant violation, can we
imagine any scenario in which Jesus would have thrown the first stone?
The reality is
that sin is tricky, both for the one who commits it and those tempted to pass
judgment on it. Perhaps the best thing to do is to follow the advice Jesus gave
the Pharisees -- take your eyes off the naked woman and look in the mirror.
Sinless Son of God,
Forgive me for accepting Your grace and mercy, and failing to pass it on to those around me. Help me see the sin of others in the light of my own without using it as an excuse to permit sin to claim any victory. You, Lord Jesus, are the only One worthy to pass judgment. I lay naked at Your feet. Thank You for inviting me to leave my life of sin. Thank You for Your grace. May I take it and give it away to others who are cowering in fear.
Amen
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