"For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." John 6:33
I was reading a familiar story in my devotions today, and the precious truth of it hit me afresh. It spoke of God's tender love and mercy toward us. It reminded me that Jesus came to give us life. It emphasized the reality that He always has a better way for us than we have for ourselves...
At dawn Jesus appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery. They 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?"
Stop for a moment and imagine this woman's fear, humiliation, and pain. She has been taken from who-knows-where and thrust before a crowd where her secret sin is exposed for all to hear. Alone. In front of Jesus, whom she may or may not have heard about; but still, He's a rabbi. A man of God. Wow. Talk about being up a creek without a paddle. Or rather, in an ocean with no boat. Her life is in jeopardy here--literally.
She probably didn't know this, but she is being used as a pawn, as the next sentence in the narrative tells us: They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him (Jesus). Jesus doesn't give in to their tactics, however. He has a point to make. A very important point. And He makes it...
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 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." Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
At this, those who heard began to to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"
"No one, sir," she said.
"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."
I find it interesting that the ones who initially accused this woman of wrongdoing ended up feeling convicted of their own sins and left in defeat, while the woman who had been accused was able to leave in forgiveness and restoration. Isn't that just the way of Jesus? When we think we're so right, He tells us differently. And when we know we're wrong and think we're doomed, He tells us otherwise. Either way, He is always right. But the question is, what do we do with that?
I'm a little miffed that John doesn't tell us what this woman did following her encounter with Jesus. Perhaps he didn't know. Perhaps he never saw this woman again. Or maybe she became one of Jesus' disciples too, and he fails to mention that. But since we don't know, here are the two possibilities: She continued on with her life as it already was, or she did as Jesus told her, to go and leave her life of sin, and her life completely changed. Notice that Jesus didn't question whether or not she had done something wrong. He knew what kind of life she was living, but condemning her for it wasn't on His agenda. He simply wanted her to be free.
I'd like to think that she did go and leave her life of sin. That she chose a better path for herself. That she began to live a life of purity, dignity, and hope. That she was restored, made whole, and found the life God had for her. That she took back what the "thief" had stolen from her and found the abundant life Jesus said He came to give.
"Go now and leave your life of sin." What do those words mean to you? What things do you need to leave behind? What has you caught in an endless cycle of shame, regret, anger, disappointment, fear, discontentment, pain...etc. Where can you go from here? Jesus isn't seeking to condemn you. He just wants you to choose a different path for yourself. He called himself the Bread of God who gives life to the world. He came to give this woman that life. He came to give you that life. I pray that you will live forgiven, loved, and free.
"I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly." --Jesus (John 10:10)
I was reading a familiar story in my devotions today, and the precious truth of it hit me afresh. It spoke of God's tender love and mercy toward us. It reminded me that Jesus came to give us life. It emphasized the reality that He always has a better way for us than we have for ourselves...
At dawn Jesus appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery. They 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?"
Stop for a moment and imagine this woman's fear, humiliation, and pain. She has been taken from who-knows-where and thrust before a crowd where her secret sin is exposed for all to hear. Alone. In front of Jesus, whom she may or may not have heard about; but still, He's a rabbi. A man of God. Wow. Talk about being up a creek without a paddle. Or rather, in an ocean with no boat. Her life is in jeopardy here--literally.
She probably didn't know this, but she is being used as a pawn, as the next sentence in the narrative tells us: They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him (Jesus). Jesus doesn't give in to their tactics, however. He has a point to make. A very important point. And He makes it...
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 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." Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
At this, those who heard began to to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"
"No one, sir," she said.
"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."
I find it interesting that the ones who initially accused this woman of wrongdoing ended up feeling convicted of their own sins and left in defeat, while the woman who had been accused was able to leave in forgiveness and restoration. Isn't that just the way of Jesus? When we think we're so right, He tells us differently. And when we know we're wrong and think we're doomed, He tells us otherwise. Either way, He is always right. But the question is, what do we do with that?
I'm a little miffed that John doesn't tell us what this woman did following her encounter with Jesus. Perhaps he didn't know. Perhaps he never saw this woman again. Or maybe she became one of Jesus' disciples too, and he fails to mention that. But since we don't know, here are the two possibilities: She continued on with her life as it already was, or she did as Jesus told her, to go and leave her life of sin, and her life completely changed. Notice that Jesus didn't question whether or not she had done something wrong. He knew what kind of life she was living, but condemning her for it wasn't on His agenda. He simply wanted her to be free.
I'd like to think that she did go and leave her life of sin. That she chose a better path for herself. That she began to live a life of purity, dignity, and hope. That she was restored, made whole, and found the life God had for her. That she took back what the "thief" had stolen from her and found the abundant life Jesus said He came to give.
"Go now and leave your life of sin." What do those words mean to you? What things do you need to leave behind? What has you caught in an endless cycle of shame, regret, anger, disappointment, fear, discontentment, pain...etc. Where can you go from here? Jesus isn't seeking to condemn you. He just wants you to choose a different path for yourself. He called himself the Bread of God who gives life to the world. He came to give this woman that life. He came to give you that life. I pray that you will live forgiven, loved, and free.
"I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly." --Jesus (John 10:10)
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