Day 43 - John

In the last Gospel, there are so many passages that stick out.  John is so unique.  Matthew, Mark & Luke form what scholars call the "Synoptic Gospels".  There are many parallels between those three.  There are a few stories that are common to all four, but John stands alone with unique accounts of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  John simply has a different perspective.  One of my favorite accounts in the book of John is one of the most well known stories about Jesus, probably because of its power, in John 8:1-11

But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.



But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”


11 “No one, sir,” she said.


“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

Two things stick out in this passage to me:

1. Jesus does not come to condemn.  We all want to cast judgment on those that have seemingly greater, nastier, dirtier sins than ours.  I guess it makes us feel better about our own sins.  This is not the way Jesus operates.  If there is anyone with authority to judge, it's Jesus, yet He comes in love, grace, mercy, forgiveness and compassion.  Jesus was the only one there without sin, but he didn't condemn her.  The lesson that day wasn't just for the woman, it was for all those around.  Everyone got to see something in Jesus they had never experienced in religion before.  Jesus was coming to in compassion.
2. Jesus does not come to condone.  It's the part of this passage that many miss.  Jesus doesn't just forgive the woman and send her on her merry way and pat her on the back and say, "Now, now, don't worry about it."  Instead, He says, "Go now and leave your life of sin."  One translation says, "Go and sin no more."  Jesus doesn't forgive us to condone us, he forgives us to transform us.  Though he offers grace in the face of our gravest sins, he calls us to a life of purity, faithfulness, and obedience.  We are forgiven to be faithful.  Why?  Because God's plan for our lives rests in our obedience to Him and His ways.  If we forever rebel against God and continue in a life tangled in sin, we will never experience the life God desires for us.  Sin will hold us back from our destiny in Christ.  So, Jesus tells us, "Your forgiven.  I'm not holding it against you.  You're free from the burden of that sin in your life.  Now go and leave your life of sin.  I've got such a better life waiting for you!"