Have you ever had a time where you did something or something happened to you in front of a large group of people and because of that people made fun of you or labeled you because of that event?What happened and how did it make you feel?
Read the story of the Woman Caught in Adultery
The Bible says that the teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought her in and made her stand in front of the whole group. Now we don't necessarily know just how many people that was but let's be serious, when we've done something that we know to be wrong, who really likes to have to stand in front of a whole crowd to admit it?
This was a huge group of people that were judging and criticizing her lifestyle and who she was. They were going to stone her. Let's be honest, we may not "stone" people with huge rocks these days but we can sure "stone" them with our words which probably causes more damage emotionally to a person than what physical damage may cause. I think there is a very important message in this passage for us to learn and apply.
We see Jesus step back and instead of judging or condoning the lifestyle of this woman he makes a completely different statement to these people and tries to get them to see from a different perspective. Was what the woman doing wrong according to how God would want her to live? Yes. But Jesus saw these teachers of the Law and Pharisees judging and criticizing her as if they had no fault or sin in their lives. Jesus said, "In any of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." He knew that no one, except him, would be able to do that. Jesus knelt down and wrote in the sand. Although we don't know exactly what he wrote we do know that it made that group think and one by one they left.
Jesus was trying to teach them about a heart of compassion and forgiveness. When people sin, are different from us, look different, act different or just ARE DIFFERENT FROM US . . . sometimes they become an easy target for us to judge them. In those moments I truly believe Jesus would have us step back and have a heart of compassion for them. Not judge them, make fun of them or say false things about them that we know aren't true.
Jesus had the chance that he could have stoned the woman. It was lawful and he was the only one sinless there in that crowd. Jesus, however, choose not to stone her or condemn her. With compassion he pointed out that he no longer wanted her to live in sin but to live as God would want her. Because he handled things this way I believe she received his message and it made more of a lasting impact on her than anything the teachers of the Law or Pharisees could have ever done.
Next time you feel the need to judge or criticize someone. . . .STOP and THINK. Take the route of being compassionate to that person. How can you help them become better?
Has there been a time where you have verbally "stoned" someone that you can think of in the last day? week? month? year? Maybe the next step that God is asking you to take is to go and apologize to them and ask their forgiveness. Imagine how it could change their life and yours.
Share your thoughts with us . . . .
5 comments:
just today i was riding my buddys bike and i wrecked, sure enough it had to be in front of a group of people. I think it might make people think im clumsy or crazy or both!
on the way home on our bus , there is a kid who is overweight alittle and i call him a fatty and other stuff so i think the next time i see him, i should say that i am sorry and to ask for forgiveness.
A few years ago, i got stabbed in the back and everyone beleived what this person said. It destroyed our friendship and now we prettymuch hate eachother. I mainly ignore him, but he constantly makes comments in my direction. Im still dealing with the remnants of what he said, and people still label me a looser.
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