Monday, October 10, 2022

October 10, 2022

John 8: 11 (NIV)
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
Mercy stands higher than the law as the guiding principle of God's relationship with men.*
Jesus was all about change. The status quo was persona non grata. From calling his disciples to leave their lives behind; to his new way of looking at the law; to the Sermon on the Mount where he introduced a radical new worldview, Jesus changed the world. The woman caught in adultery – a pawn in the Pharisees’ attempt to trick Jesus – was told to leave her life of sin.

The world is not just quick to condemn Christians for being judgmental, they seem to take joy in finding us being intolerant. Well, good for them. I am intolerant of sin because Jesus is. Judgmental? It’s an overused, misused, and abused word. The woman was caught in the act of adultery (assuming her accusers aren’t being caught in the act of lying) – what’s to judge? Maybe you think there’s nothing wrong with adultery. Isn’t that a judgment?

Read the whole passage concerning this poor woman’s mock trial, in verses 3-11. Listen to what Jesus did and didn’t say.

· He didn’t say that what she did was not sin. 
· He didn’t say what an awful person she was. 
· He did say, in the absence of accusers, that he didn’t condemn her either. 
· He did say to leave her life of sin.

If we regard sinners the way Jesus does, the world will still criticize and accuse. But when Jesus says, “I don’t condemn you; leave your life of sin,” he’s talking to me, too. And I’m okay with that. Go ahead and call me judgmental.
You want to shine light in their life, but you don’t want to stick a flashlight in their eyes. I don’t see that Jesus forced himself on people. He just gave them truth.*

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