Page 54 - Livin Light Issue 81

Wednesday August 2 - A flawless challenge
... he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” John 8:7
The Pharisees’ question Jesus over and over again – a tactic aimed at weakening someone and causing them to give in. Based on the experience of how the average person reacts, the Pharisees, no doubt, expect Jesus to stop protecting the woman. According to the Law, she has to be stoned.
Let’s look carefully at how Jesus responds. We’re told that he ‘bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger’ (John 8:6). Maybe the Pharisees thought he wasn’t interested because he was avoiding them. Far from it! Jesus straightens up and makes eye contact. The Son of God looks directly into them – what a challenge! He then speaks very plainly: “Let any of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone” (John 8:7).
They all knew they had sinned in some way – even if, in their eyes, they weren’t as bad as the adulterous woman. However, James 2:10 tells us, ‘...whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.’ So, whatever their sin happened to be, it was as bad! Jesus indicates that only the ‘perfect’ person, the one with no sin, should step forward and cast the first stone. The Pharisees didn’t anticipate Jesus’ masterful response to the trap they had so carefully set for him.
Lord, I ask that that you open my eyes to my sin and help me to repent before you. Amen.
Thursday August 3 - Pharisees’ vs Jesus’ reaction
At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman... John 8:9
By gazing at the ground Jesus automatically lessened the sense of shame for the woman. The eyes convey strong messages and to look at her directly would have been overwhelming. She needed space. Perhaps during this time she felt love and compassion: a feeling she had never encountered. The Pharisees would, no doubt, have noticed the interaction between the two: the kind-heartedness of Jesus and the impact on the woman. Have you had such an experience, where it seemed that everyone had given up on you and walked away, be it physically or metaphorically, and then someone stepped in and provided a way out of the ‘mess’?
In today’s reading, person after person left the group and the woman would have sensed the oppression lifting. The fact that the accusers and onlookers withdrew showed that Jesus’ actions disquieted them. Maybe some were convicted. All of us can ignore our sinfulness or label it as ‘not that bad’ – until spiritually God confronts us with the reality that our lives are far from how he intended us to live. We have lessons to learn, both in our attitudes to our own sinfulness and in our reactions to the sinfulness of others.
What do you feel God is saying to you personally today? Is there anyone you would like to share this with, for your benefit or theirs?
Father, I ask you to help me to see correctly my attitude towards my own sinfulness and that of others. Amen.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
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PRAYER FOR TODAY