Friday; March 31

The story of the woman caught in the act of adultery (John 8) is one of the best known stories in the life of Jesus. Even people who don’t know their Bible will make reference to “not being the first one to cast stones”. I think people like the story because they feel they can relate to two of the three groups. Some of us feel like the woman accused of an immoral act. We have found ourselves in similar situations – we know we were wrong and are looking for a second chance. Unfortunately, we often don’t get the forgiveness we want. Other’s of us feel like Jesus in that we find ourselves caught between two groups vying for our attention or maybe even seeking our affirmation and occasionally our wisdom. However, there are times we may be more like the third group than we’d like to admit, the religious leaders. These are the “bad guys” in this story because they condemned the woman and tried to use the situation to their advantage. The most telling act of their nature is found in verse 6 where it is said of them, “They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him”. In essence, they weren’t seeking the truth, they were manipulating a situation. Have we ever caught ourselves doing this? Have we ever tried to use people or their unfortunate situations to promote our own agenda? Rather than viewing others with compassion, have we ever set out to condemn them so that we can get our way?

Let’s be cautious in how we assess people. Let’s remember the fate of the Pharisees and Sadducees who will forever be remembered by this observation, “But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, ‘He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.’” (John 8:7).

Think About It!

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