He Who is Without Sin

 The scribes and the Pharisees brought before Jesus a woman who was caught in the very act of adultery. They stated to Jesus, “…Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” (John 8:5) It should be noted that they had no interest in keeping the law of Moses in this circumstance, nor were they interested in ensuring they were doing righteously before God. John made it clear what their purpose was. He wrote, “This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him…” (vs. 6)

They were correct in saying that the law of Moses stated that such should be stoned. However, it should also be pointed out that since the time of Roman rule, their rights of performing capital punishment was taken from them. Equally important, they had not performed such stoning for centuries before Rome came to power over them. So, this was clearly a set-up question designed to accuse Christ of wrong.

If Jesus were to confirm that they should stone her, they would have accused Him of rebellion before the Roman government.  If He had let her go, He would have been accused of rebellion against the law of Moses. However, Jesus answered saying, “he who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” (vs. 7) They were all convicted in their hearts as sinners, and they left His presence.

From this incident, we learn at least two important points. First, we have all sinned against God (Rom. 3:23; 1Jn 1:8-10) and we all stand in need of a Savior. When the scribes and Pharisees brought this woman before Jesus, they were not interested in her soul, nor her spiritual well-being. They only desired to defame Jesus and promote themselves in the eyes of the people. Jesus demonstrated that this type of behavior and attitude will never be accepted before God.

Second, Jesus forgives sins, but He never condones it. When all the others had left His presence He told the woman, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” (vs. 11) This unnamed woman found love and forgiveness in the heart of Christ. Some misuse the love and mercy of Christ to justify living in sin. However, Jesus told her to go and sin no more. We, therefore, should do likewise.

Christian have been forgiven but must not continue living in sin. Paul gives great discussion on this subject matter in Romans chapter six. Our attitude as Christians should be of love and compassion toward others who are lost in sin. We certainly should warn others about the consequences of living in sin. What we should never do is cast the first stone.

God Bless each of you,

Eric Hicks