Proven Guilty

{John 8:3-11}

3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst 4 they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. 5 Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” 6 This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. 7 And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9 But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more” (ESV).

     Judgment… hypocrisy… condemnation… All of these topics can find their way into a sermon on this Passage of Scripture. And while these themes can be drawn out of this portion of Sacred Text, understanding its truth goes way beyond the actions of the scribes and Pharisees – who were acting according to the Law.
     While these themes are applicable, perhaps it was more about the woman and Jesus. It was less about “throwing stones,” and more about her sin. The fact of the matter is, she was guilty. She was guilty sin – found, proven, and convicted. All that was left was for her was to suffer the consequences. In fact, she should have paid for her sin. It would have been just. As it stood, she broke the commands of the Scripture and drove the wedge of separation between herself and the Almighty. Her sin was the voice of insult calling out against a holy God, and the Pharisees where right in proclaiming judgment upon her.
     Despite what she deserved, however, Jesus stood between her and her accusers. Jesus knew what she did; Jesus knew the severity of her crimes. He knew
that she stood condemned before Him, and yet He plead her cause. For a moment… just a moment… as she stood before the Pharisees, she may have thought it was God’s people that were her accusers. In that instance, Jesus showed her it was not the religious figures that were her accusers, it was her sin.
     Sin, like a crown of thorns, mars the image of the King. And yet Jesus, still, offered the woman grace. He stood and acknowledged that sin had pronounced judgment upon her, and, in the same breath, He released her from the consequences of that judgment. Jesus, true to His title – Savior – saved her from the accusations of sin. He delivered her from condemnation. This was a true instance of God’s amazing grace.
     While the presence of sin demands justice, the presence of Jesus pronounces forgiveness. Sin decrees pain and punishment; Jesus offers healing and restoration. Like the woman in the story, we are all guilty of some-sort of sin. Also, we deserve to pay the consequences of our actions. However, it is Jesus who can pardon. Jesus has the power to justify the guilty, and it is we who need Jesus!

Hear the Whispers

One night, while my wife and I were mid-conversation, the sound of my son's cries caught our attention. Of course, due to the affect a child's tears have upon the heart of a father, I immediately stopped what I was doing and went to my son.

Picking him up, I wrapped him in my arms - intending to comfort him. I already knew the reason for which he was crying out for my attention, but he continued to cry inconsolably. As he continued wail and scream, I began to whisper, "Asher... Asher. I am right here; I have you. It is alright, Asher. I am here... Asher." Despite my gentle whispers, and my best efforts to comfort my son with my presence, he persisted to yell and howl - unable to hear my whispers over the sound of his own voice. I desperately wanted my beloved child to hear my voice, and know that I was there!

As I continued to whisper my child's name, I heard God whisper to my soul, "How often have you done the same?" This made me realize that I have done the same thing - over and over again. I began to wonder how often I, in crying out for the Father's attention, failed to hear the Most High whisper my name. Perhaps, we do the same thing; we drown out the sound of God’s voice with the vociferous dissonance of our cries and one-sided prayers. How often does our Heavenly Father whisper our names – and attempt to comfort us with His presence – and yet we fail to notice?

Often, we rest comfortably in arms of our Heavenly Father, yet we are content to keep our eyes closed to His presence and ignore the whispers of His voice. Let us hear the whispers; let us attune our hearts to the gentle voice of our Father. No matter what we are going through, God remains near His children! Though we feel like fussing and complaining, let us take comfort and find peace in the Presence of God – for He is always there and He calls us by name.