Judgement

 At dawn he 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 in 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?”  They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

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, “Let any one of you who is without sin 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 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.” John 8:1

Most of your life you have hear, "he who is without sin, cast the first stone.", which is an important part of this event.  However the main ideal of this passage, are the actions and responses of Jesus to sin.

You see the ONLY being to judge in the matter of sin, is God.  Jesus being fully God and fully human, has this ability. In which, He does with the women. Does He react as the Pharisees and kills her?  NO, He tells her, "I DO NOT CONDEMN YOU".  You see Jesus, God, wants ALL of humankind to be saved.  

Take a look and the grammar, (this is also true in the Greek). Jesus did not tell the women, leave your life of sin and then I will not condemn you.  He tell the women, I do not condemn you, I love you and I will help you to clean up your act.  

This is where the stone throwing comes in, many of you, as myself, were adults when you,"followed Christ".  It is easier for you to see this illustration, because you are not the same person you were then, and you know that the trip and education is not over until you take your last breath. This is sometimes harder when you have been raised in a Christian home and you asked Jesus to come into your life at 6 years old. But remember that faith is a growing, changing thing. Salvation does not stop or end on the day we choose to walk with Jesus, it is only the begining of the journey.

If Jesus asked you to clean up your act before following Him, how many of you would be Christian?  Kid believers, He was working in your lives as well, changing you.  He,(Jesus) did not say, "stop wanting that new toy, then I will come into your heart". So the question remains, who many?  How many of you were able to clean up your acts, to be acceptable in front of God the Judge?

This is the sin of the garden, the sin in our lives.  It will be with us until the day we die.  Sin will keep us from loving, from growing and living. The difference is, we have a judge advocate, to help, to give us strength. But we will never be without it, and this is why we need Christ, Jesus. 

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."  Romans 3

That's right, it is only through the knowledge of knowing that we are ALL sinners and the action of coming to Jesus for help, we are saved. 

Romans telles or warns us about judgment, and how it condemends us, because we condemend others.  

So before you tell someone to stop doing what they are doing, remember this, is impossible without Jesus.  It is impossible for you, it is impossible for me, it is impossible for eveyone.  

So, anyone who is without sin - - please step forward!