First to Throw a Stone

[Jesus] 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.” (John 8:7, NIV 1984).

My Musings – The woman caught in the act of adultery. An account that is not included in the earliest manuscripts, likely from oral tradition that was handed down and added later. Nonetheless, it seems consistent with the teachings of Jesus.

“The teachers of the law and the Pharisees…made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?’ They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.” (John 8:2–6, NIV 1984). Would He fall on the side of Moses and the Law, or on the side of the publicans and sinners that He was associating with. Either way, they had Him trapped. A law breaker or lose favor with those He came to seek and to save. A bonafide Catch-22.

But as He had done before, Jesus outwitted them. “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.” (John 8:9, NIV 1984). Adultery is not the only sin mentioned in the Law, and all were lawbreakers of one sort or another. “Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left.” (Joshua 23:6, NIV 1984). None had obeyed all.

My Advice – No sin is so great that it cannot be forgiven, and no sin is so small that it need not be forgiven. But only Christ is able to justly condemn or forgive. So, Christians should not be too hasty in dishing out judgement against those who sin differently than we do. For they were once just as guilty as others in the sins they committed. The only difference is Christians have been forgiven and have received God’s grace. Non-Christians are still in need of the Savior, just like Christians once were.