Neither Do I
“She said, ‘No one, Lord.’ And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.’”
At the beginning of John 8, Jesus gets interrupted on his way to the temple. Scribes and Pharisees bring a woman they say they caught in the act of adultery and put her at Jesus' feet. They begin to claim the requirement of the righteous law to stone her. They are challenging Jesus' interpretation of the law, always looking for a way to trap him.
Jesus responds with such grace. Maybe you know this story. He says, "If you don't think you have any sin, then go ahead, punish her." But he starts writing in the dirt. One by one, they abandon their plan and leave the scene. Only Jesus and the woman remain. Jesus says in John 8:10, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"
In this encounter, Jesus reminds us that there is no human authority that can pass condemnation on us. Only God, the righteous judge, can bring condemnation. And he rules with mercy and justice.
Of course, if the woman really was caught in adultery, then she really was worthy of condemnation, but those religious leaders were just as far off. While Jesus was getting up early to spend time in the temple, the pastors woke up looking for someone to trap and judge. Jesus did not have to do much to remind them of the shamefulness of their behavior. In the end, they were the ones who experienced condemnation. They were at odds with Jesus and then suddenly aware of their own hypocrisy and unworthiness.
That poor woman was being used as a pawn in the hands of scheming leaders. She had to sit there in the dirt while the authorities played their game. But Jesus brought dignity to the outcast woman. He got in the dirt himself where the woman was. He wrote in the mud, and his heart was set on restoration.
I think of Psalm 3:3 (ESV), which says, "But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head." Jesus became a shield around that woman, and he lifted her head in forgiveness and restoration.
Jesus never pretended the woman was innocent. We will never know the back story of how this woman ended up in this lifestyle, but we know what Jesus says. He says, "go, and from now on sin no more." Freedom often begins when God intervenes in the lowest moments of our lives.
Today you can hear his voice as that woman did. You can come to him with vulnerability and depend on him to lead you. He will lift your head and lead you into a life of holiness.
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