Just saw another article on the 'infamous couple' this morning and was feeling a little outraged.
Who gave these people the right to condemn them? Who do they think they are? God? My anger is not because he is my friend, but the at the judgemental attitude of society. Too often we are ready to accuse others unjustly of wrongdoing. We fail to see that we, ourselves, are guilty of sins. Judging is necessary in life, but it must be done fairly. Even as we judge, so we shall be judged (Matthew 7: 2). Sometimes, our motives for judging are for improper purposes. Putting someone down makes us feel superior but it is actually a manifestation of pride. When we enjoy besmirching another, we become "stone throwers" and we lose grace.
If you look in the Bible at passage (John 8:1-11), Jesus didn't condemn sinners but extended outrageous grace.
The scene is the temple courts where Jesus was teaching. The Pharisees, unable to get the ushers to get rid of Jesus for his purported blasphemy, decided to take matters into their own hands by way of a sting. They bring to Jesus a woman caught in adultery and made her stand in front of everybody. That meant she was caught in bed with a man who was not her husband and by at least two witnesses given the high burden of proof Deuteronomy 17 demands in such a case. Basically, she was a dead duck; though you have to wonder: What happened to the guy? Did he somehow manage to escape? Or was this simply the ancient double standard on display? Of course since this was an engineered trap, the Pharisees may have let the guy off with a handshake, thanking him for his assistance, the woman being no more than their disposable pawn.
The Pharisees presented their clear cut case. A woman caught in the act. The law unambiguous. Leviticus 20 states: “If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife, both the man and the woman must be put to death.” Now you’ll note that that the law clearly implicates the man in such cases too. Since both had to be present for any sentencing to occur, it was fully within Jesus’ prerogative to let the woman off on a technicality. But this was a kangaroo court. The Pharisees’ intent was to force Jesus into a no-win decision. Capital punishment was the sole prerogative of the Roman government. To advocate stoning would violate the law of Rome. But to absolve the woman would violate the law of Moses. What would Jesus do?
The crowd leaned in. Everyone knew Jesus had an incurable soft spot for the disreputable of society, even to the point of eating dinner at their houses. There was also his long-running feud with the religious leaders. He had proven completely indifferent to their interpretations of the law thus far. Would he do so again? How could he be indifferent to a blatant A-felony sin?
It appeared the Pharisees had him cornered. The smart thing to do would be to keep your mouth shut; which Jesus initially did. He simply stooped down and started doodling in the dirt. What an odd thing to do. It’s the only instance we have of Jesus writing anything, which of course has led to all sorts of guesses as to what it was he wrote.
But what Jesus wrote not only can’t be known, it’s not important. What is important here is that he wrote with his finger. Whether the Pharisees would have picked up on it or not, Jesus symbolically signaled that He as God incarnate is the author of the law.
Not that anybody cared about this here. All anybody cared about here was a verdict. So Jesus gave them one. He went with the law: “Go ahead and stone her....BUT...let those who have never sinned throw the first stone.” In one fell swoop, Jesus forced their attention away from the woman’s sin and onto their own. In doing so Jesus exposes our own deceptive tendency to criticize and disparage the faults of others as a way of exonerating ourselves.
One by one, beginning with the oldest, the crowd dissipated leaving Jesus alone with the woman. “Has no one condemned you?” He asked. And she replied, “No one.” Jesus declared, “neither do I. Go and sin no more.” This is an astounding turn of events. From being caught in adultery, shamefully dragged out into the public square, humiliated before the entire community, your sin displayed for all to see, threatened with execution, your fate resting upon a reputably righteous man who would have no choice but to find you guilty—only to have him pull off some unbelievably clever verbal judo that disperses your accusers after which he says go home and don’t let it happen again. Wow!
Given Jesus’ reputation as soft on sinners, this passage can be read like some permissive parent’s reaction to a child who’s done horribly but is simply loved too much to punish harshly. Jesus lets you go as long as you promise to be a good girl. While this is unbelievably good news for the sinner, it stinks for her betrayed husband and family. And how can Jesus forgive her so freely?
This is the outrageous nature of God’s grace. While forgiveness is free, it is not without cost. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, but there is obligation. In Romans 8 Paul also wrote, “If the Spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you. Therefore because of this, brothers and sisters, you are indebted, under obligation.”
Even though I may not approve of what they did because of my beliefs in following the standards set in the Bible, as recipients of God's grace, we’re still not free to judge and condemn, even if our cause seems just. After all, I am also a sinner saved by grace, no better than the rest. We must be prepared to extend grace and help people who are ignorant of many things in life as Jesus did here.
Transsexual drama queen?? Sinful couple??
Who gave these people the right to condemn them? Who do they think they are? God? My anger is not because he is my friend, but the at the judgemental attitude of society. Too often we are ready to accuse others unjustly of wrongdoing. We fail to see that we, ourselves, are guilty of sins. Judging is necessary in life, but it must be done fairly. Even as we judge, so we shall be judged (Matthew 7: 2). Sometimes, our motives for judging are for improper purposes. Putting someone down makes us feel superior but it is actually a manifestation of pride. When we enjoy besmirching another, we become "stone throwers" and we lose grace.
If you look in the Bible at passage (John 8:1-11), Jesus didn't condemn sinners but extended outrageous grace.
The scene is the temple courts where Jesus was teaching. The Pharisees, unable to get the ushers to get rid of Jesus for his purported blasphemy, decided to take matters into their own hands by way of a sting. They bring to Jesus a woman caught in adultery and made her stand in front of everybody. That meant she was caught in bed with a man who was not her husband and by at least two witnesses given the high burden of proof Deuteronomy 17 demands in such a case. Basically, she was a dead duck; though you have to wonder: What happened to the guy? Did he somehow manage to escape? Or was this simply the ancient double standard on display? Of course since this was an engineered trap, the Pharisees may have let the guy off with a handshake, thanking him for his assistance, the woman being no more than their disposable pawn.
The Pharisees presented their clear cut case. A woman caught in the act. The law unambiguous. Leviticus 20 states: “If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife, both the man and the woman must be put to death.” Now you’ll note that that the law clearly implicates the man in such cases too. Since both had to be present for any sentencing to occur, it was fully within Jesus’ prerogative to let the woman off on a technicality. But this was a kangaroo court. The Pharisees’ intent was to force Jesus into a no-win decision. Capital punishment was the sole prerogative of the Roman government. To advocate stoning would violate the law of Rome. But to absolve the woman would violate the law of Moses. What would Jesus do?
The crowd leaned in. Everyone knew Jesus had an incurable soft spot for the disreputable of society, even to the point of eating dinner at their houses. There was also his long-running feud with the religious leaders. He had proven completely indifferent to their interpretations of the law thus far. Would he do so again? How could he be indifferent to a blatant A-felony sin?
It appeared the Pharisees had him cornered. The smart thing to do would be to keep your mouth shut; which Jesus initially did. He simply stooped down and started doodling in the dirt. What an odd thing to do. It’s the only instance we have of Jesus writing anything, which of course has led to all sorts of guesses as to what it was he wrote.
But what Jesus wrote not only can’t be known, it’s not important. What is important here is that he wrote with his finger. Whether the Pharisees would have picked up on it or not, Jesus symbolically signaled that He as God incarnate is the author of the law.
Not that anybody cared about this here. All anybody cared about here was a verdict. So Jesus gave them one. He went with the law: “Go ahead and stone her....BUT...let those who have never sinned throw the first stone.” In one fell swoop, Jesus forced their attention away from the woman’s sin and onto their own. In doing so Jesus exposes our own deceptive tendency to criticize and disparage the faults of others as a way of exonerating ourselves.
One by one, beginning with the oldest, the crowd dissipated leaving Jesus alone with the woman. “Has no one condemned you?” He asked. And she replied, “No one.” Jesus declared, “neither do I. Go and sin no more.” This is an astounding turn of events. From being caught in adultery, shamefully dragged out into the public square, humiliated before the entire community, your sin displayed for all to see, threatened with execution, your fate resting upon a reputably righteous man who would have no choice but to find you guilty—only to have him pull off some unbelievably clever verbal judo that disperses your accusers after which he says go home and don’t let it happen again. Wow!
Given Jesus’ reputation as soft on sinners, this passage can be read like some permissive parent’s reaction to a child who’s done horribly but is simply loved too much to punish harshly. Jesus lets you go as long as you promise to be a good girl. While this is unbelievably good news for the sinner, it stinks for her betrayed husband and family. And how can Jesus forgive her so freely?
This is the outrageous nature of God’s grace. While forgiveness is free, it is not without cost. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, but there is obligation. In Romans 8 Paul also wrote, “If the Spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you. Therefore because of this, brothers and sisters, you are indebted, under obligation.”
“Go and sin no more.”But how do you do that? It’s an obligation you can’t keep; a debt you can’t ever pay. Therefore grace enslaves you in service to God. Freed from sin, grace binds you to Jesus. You have been bought at a price, the price of Christ himself, you now belong to Him—His Spirit in you giving you the power to follow His ways. For the adulterous woman I’d like to think this meant she not only repented but went on to attempt amends with her husband. It may be very difficult to restore that trust again. But grace obligates you to do whatever it takes to try. I’d like to think that the woman did that.
Even though I may not approve of what they did because of my beliefs in following the standards set in the Bible, as recipients of God's grace, we’re still not free to judge and condemn, even if our cause seems just. After all, I am also a sinner saved by grace, no better than the rest. We must be prepared to extend grace and help people who are ignorant of many things in life as Jesus did here.
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