Grace, Not Condemnation

John 8:10-11 (NRSV)Jesus straightened up and said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" She said, "No one, sir." And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again."

This passage comes from the end of the story of the woman caught in adultery. In it, the scribes and Pharisees come to the temple where Jesus was teaching, bringing a woman who was caught in the act of a sin that is punishable by stoning. Many of us are familiar with this story, or at least we're familiar with the famous line Jesus says to the crowd just before the verses I read a moment ago: "Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her."

This is a powerful reminder that we are all sinners. It's a powerful reminder to hold our judgment, since we are not above reproach ourselves. It's a powerful reminder that Jesus intercedes for us when we are facing our hardest times.

But the way this passage concludes is the most dramatic of all its lessons. After saying that whoever is without sin could cast the first stone, of course none in the crowd could throw a stone. But there was one person without sin there — Jesus. And his response is "Neither do I condemn you." The very one who could have cast judgment and condemnation instead chooses to show mercy and grace. He tells her to go on her way and do better — he chooses to encourage rather than to punish.

More often than not, we see ourselves as the Pharisees and scribes, reminding ourselves that we are sinners, too (even if we try to mitigate our sinfulness by telling ourselves it isn't as bad as that of others). Or maybe sometimes, we see ourselves as the woman in this parable, standing in the need of mercy and grace. And that's understandable. We all mess up, and I would venture a guess that we all mess up lots. But there is still more to be learned from this lesson. Sometimes, we are Jesus in this story. Sometimes, we are the ones who have the power to extend grace and mercy and compassion. The really humbling thing about God's grace is that we don't deserve it and we certainly didn't earn it. But so often, people in our lives are going to mess up. They're going to do something that really lets us down, disappointing us or even frustrating us. In those moments, we as followers of Jesus are supposed to dig deep to not only forgive them but to find encouragement for them like he gave the woman here.

That's tough for me. I'm sure it's tough for many of you, too. But the irony is that when we struggle with extending grace, we end up back in the position of the woman caught in sin, standing in the need of grace ourselves. So, let's do our best to always be in the position of Jesus here, giving grace generously, even when it isn't earned or even deserved.

Prayer

Merciful, gracious, and loving God, your compassion for us is truly awe-inspiring. Help us to do better at being your people by offering grace to those in our lives, too. Let us not be stingy with it but lavish, just as you are with us. And may doing so help us to remain grateful for the mercy you show us, too. Amen.

This devotion was written and read by Dwight Dockery.

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