The One without sin actually didn't throw a stone

The way God accepts us

John 8: 1-11

Verses 1-6

Here we have the religious bringing a woman before a crowd of people and before Jesus to point out her flaws and sin and attempt to get Jesus to say something they could use against him. The motives of the religious are always impure! It’s always about stepping on someone else by seeing their wrongs or trying to reason with God why they are deserving. Religion always sees the sin and flaws in everyone else.

Can you imagine this woman? How did they catch her? I’m sure they knew where to look and I’m sure she probably had a reputation. The interesting thing about people is there are always outward behaviors that are prodded by inward feelings. There is always an outward display from some harbored feelings on the inside. Many times the outward is a weak attempt to cover what we’re really feeling. But we don’t know any better so we do our best. It started with Adam and Eve attempting to cover themselves with what they had available.

What’s really going on INSIDE of this woman?

You see we always stop after we see the outward behavior. Only God knows why. People, especially religious people, see the outward and immediately draw conclusions and judgment. That’s the beauty about God. He see’s what’s being felt on the inside and then He steps in to mend it!!!

The American Journal of Public Health published a study a few years ago reporting that kids who are “ostracized” by their peers or—get this—“picked on by their teachers” are more likely to have sex early.

Was this woman picked on? Was she ostracized? Did she know her daddy loved her? Was her dad even there? We don’t know for sure but what we do know is that she sought affirmation by giving herself away. She sought someone telling her or showing her she was good enough even it meant giving her body away.

Verses 7-8

Once again, Jesus gives the perfect answer. We see it all through the NT as the religious attempt to catch Jesus saying or doing something wrong and he cuts right through their question with an unexpected response.

Verses 9-11

One by one they start to leave, the oldest ones first. The only person left standing is Jesus. He questions her, “Does no one condemn you?” Then he, the only one who had the right to even throw a stone says, “Neither do I.”

And we like this woman seek as hard as we can to earn the affirmation and the affection of the PEOPLE who are ready to kill us! The ones who are just as jacked up as we are! The ones who will never fulfill us the way we need fulfilling and we search as hard as we can to earn their favorable opinion!? We do anything! We give our bodies, we give our money, we change the way we talk, change the way we dress and do things we never thought we’d do to earn their approval.

Meanwhile, Jesus is standing over here watching and says, “I like you just like you are.” I already accept you. Like, you don’t have to earn or prove anything.

**Thanks to Nick Wright for the rich conversation sparking this journal entry