Defender

John 8:^7-8 “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!” Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.”

Maybe when Jesus stooped down the second time, He was writing what would happen next. ‘They will drop their stones and run away.’ The Bible says in Prov.20:⁹ “Who can say, “I have cleansed my heart; I am pure and free from sin”? Jesus knew this and He said to them, ‘The one that has no sin, throw the first stone.’ With God, sin is sin. When Jesus made that statement and began to write in the sand, it was a risky move because Jesus was positioned between the woman and the stones. Jesus was putting Himself on the line and saying, ‘if none of you have sinned then the person should throw the first stone.’ Jesus is still putting Himself on the line for you and I today. How do you know? Heb.7:²⁵ “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” (NKJV]. Jesus is consistently putting Himself on the line for us. He is saying, ‘Have mercy upon Femi.’ He is consistently shielding and protecting us.

John 8:⁹ “When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders…” (NRSV]. Imagine the drama; every one that is accusing you, will drop their stones in shame and go one by one, in the Name of Jesus. Beginning from the elders; because experience makes people think deeper and the older a person is, the more he or she has committed. The New Living Translation of John 8:9b says, “…until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman.” The crowd, the people that came to hear the Word were still there. The group that came with stones was different. That group consisted of the chief priests and Pharisees. John 8:^10-11 Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, sir.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.” (NRSV]. Jesus will ask you, ‘Where are they, has no one condemned you?’, and you will say, ‘No one, Sir.’ Who can condemn when God has justified? Jesus did not come to condemn us.

When Jesus said, “Go your way, and from now on do not sin again”, Jesus was not only giving her an instruction, Jesus was giving her empowerment. The power in His instruction gives the woman the ability not to sin anymore. Very often, people want to stop sinning by their own strength. No one can, we all need enablement from Jesus, and He is saying to you and I today, ‘Go and sin no more.’ Interestingly, up until this point, this woman had not spoken a word. She did not protest or say they were lying; she did not even plead for mercy. She probably felt condemned by herself and felt she deserved what was happening to her. She probably felt that if she was not the one that was caught, she would be holding a stone. We often feel like we do not deserve much or even anything from God. But Jesus is saying to you, ‘I do not condemn you!’

Prayer [song]: Taking my sin, my cross, my shame. Rising again I bless Your Name. You are my all in all. Jesus Lamb of God, worthy is Your Name (2x). Amen!