We are on day 30 of our 40 day journey through the season of Lent. Glad you're here, friend!
Day 30
Our Bible passage today is John 8: 1 - 12 ...
But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 At dawn He went to the temple complex again, and all the people were coming to Him. He sat down and began to teach them. 3 Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, making her stand in the center. 4 “Teacher,” they said to Him, “this woman was caught in the act of committing adultery. 5 In the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do You say?” 6 They asked this to trap Him, in order that they might have evidence to accuse Him. Jesus stooped down and started writing on the ground with His finger. 7 When they persisted in questioning Him, He stood up and said to them, “The one without sin among you should be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Then He stooped down again and continued writing on the ground. 9 When they heard this, they left one by one, starting with the older men. Only He was left, with the woman in the center. 10 When Jesus stood up, He said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 “No one, Lord,” she answered. “Neither do I condemn you,” said Jesus. “Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.” 12 Then Jesus spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows Me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.”
In today's world of social media, keyboard warriors and TikTok battles, it's easier than ever for us to judge one another. You only have to open an app to find someone to ridicule, or to be biased against, or to pass judgment on. And the algorithms behind these platforms work hard to gather us into groups or feeds that exclude others that don't look like us or have different beliefs.
In today's Bible reading, the legal experts and the Pharisees brought the woman to Jesus as a test to see what he would do - would He condemn or condone sin?
I can only imagine how the woman in this story must have felt - and maybe you've felt that way too? Isolated, exposed, with sense of belonging, and no one on your side.
I love this passage, because the only person who had the right to judge her, decides not to. He decides that her worth and value are not defined by one sinful act, and without saying a word He reminds the members of the crowd that neither is theirs!
This is the picture of grace!!
Today I want to encourage us to be extenders of grace. Look for moments where we can help a friend in need, stand up for what's right, or be the first one to offer mercy and grace to another. I pray that we will have the courage and compassion to stand up for what's right and just, and strive to live in a way that we will see people as Jesus does, and treat them the way He treats us.
I've adapted my mother's motto, "If I can help someone along the way, then my living will not be in vain." (Deborah Johnson)
Photo Credit: Pamela Bennett