DAY #157: John 8:1-20

The teachers of religious law and Pharisees brought a woman they had caught in the act of adultery. The religious leaders did not bring this woman to Jesus to promote justice; they used her to try to trap Jesus. Though indignant toward this woman’s sin, the religious leaders brought her to Jesus with political, not spiritual, motives in mind. They forgot the obvious fact that catching someone in the very act of adultery involves catching two people. Their devaluation of the woman (while ignoring the man’s sin) made her no more than a pawn in their efforts to trap Jesus.

The Jewish leaders had already disregarded the law by arresting the woman without the man (Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 22:22). Both were to be stoned. But the proceedings before Jesus had little to do with justice. The leaders were using the woman’s sin as an opportunity to trick Jesus and destroy his credibility with the people. If Jesus were to say that the woman should not be stoned, they could accuse him of violating Moses’ law. If he were to urge them to execute her, they would report him to the Romans, who did not permit the Jews to carry out their own executions.

But Jesus was aware of their intentions and did not give either of the expected responses to the dilemma they placed before him. He simply stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. Many have speculated what he wrote: maybe he was listing the names of those present who had committed adultery (and scaring them to death that he knew it); he might have been listing names and various sins that each person had committed; maybe he was writing out the Ten Commandments to point out that no one could claim to be without sin. In any case, Jesus made the accusers uncomfortable.

When Jesus invited someone who had not sinned to throw the first stone, the leaders slipped away one by one, from oldest to youngest. Evidently the older men were more aware of their sins than the younger. Age and experience often temper youthful self-righteousness. We all have a sinful nature and are desperately in need of forgiveness and transformation. None of us would have been able to throw the first stone; none of us can claim sinlessness. We, too, would have had to walk away.

Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Apparently no one could claim sinlessness so as to stone this woman. Jesus had exposed their hypocrisy and embarrassed them, and there was nothing for them to do but go back and try to think of some other way to trap Jesus.

No one had accused the woman, and Jesus kindly said that he would not condemn her either. But there was more—she was not simply free to go her way. Jesus didn’t just free her from the Pharisees, he wanted to free her from her sin, so he added, “Go and sin no more.” Jesus didn’t condemn her, but neither did he ignore or condone her behavior. Jesus told the woman to leave her life of sin.

SO WHAT? (what will I do with what I have read today?)

Lord, put to death in me and those at COV this notion of superiority. This idea that we are better or more accomplished. This waked out though that we are more on top of it. Help us do way with all judgementalsim and casting aspersions upon another' character.


Make us humble and rive the pride and self-righteousness from our lives. Lord, everyday, help us take the log out of our own eye, so we may clearly see the speck in another's eye.


"Don't condemn others, and God won't condemn you. God will be as hard on you as you are on others! He will treat you exactly as you treat them. You can see the speck in your friend's eye, but you don't notice the log in your own eye. How can you say, "My friend, let me take the speck out of your eye," when you don't see the log in your own eye? You're nothing but show-offs! First, take the log out of your own eye." Matthew 7:1-5 (CEV)


Lord, help me today to see people like You see them. Help me see their potential. Help me see their giftedness. Help me see that they are a person that You died for.