“Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him.”—Jeremiah 18:7-8
A group of religious leaders dragged the woman caught in adultery before Jesus to see what He would do.
Imagine this woman’s humiliation, rounded up like some prize catch.
As she stood surrounded by her accusers, Jesus knelt and wrote in the sand with His finger. When He finished writing, He stood up and said, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first” (John 8:7). The men withdrew, stricken by their conscience, until Jesus and the woman were alone.
“Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” He asked.
“No one, Lord.”
She acknowledged Him as Lord – something the Pharisees certainly had not done.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” He said. “Go and sin no more.”
She had been saved from a horrible fate. And, He called her woman, a term He had only used for His mother and later for the other Mary on the morning of the resurrection.
He restored the dignity of her womanhood, bestowing upon her the name Eve was given. This implied a respect she had not received from men for a long time, if ever.
I’m sure it had been a long time since this woman thought of herself as pure or lovely. But now, through the saving grace of Jesus, her purity and loveliness had been restored.
Jesus said next, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12).
Being caught in our sins is like having a spotlight turned on us. It can be embarrassing. Humiliating. Painful.
Sometimes we aren’t caught so blatantly, but eventually our sins will find us out. There are consequences. When God tells us not to behave in certain ways, He’s not out to ruin our fun. He knows what will lead to healthy, fruitful lives, and what will wreak destruction.
What would have happened to this woman if her life had continued as it was? If she had never encountered Jesus? Nothing good.
Have you had an encounter with Jesus? Are there aspects of your life that you know will hurt you and lead to nowhere good?
Jesus understands our frailties and sees through hypocrisy and judgmental accusers. We too can step out of darkness into the light, into a new life.
We can be clean and pure once again.
“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).
