Left Speechless

And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. John 8: 3-11

This story has been a source of controversy, and debates as to whether the event really took place-those who put together the King James version of the Bible has included it, I believe for good reason; and I believe it really took place. I'm not surprised there would be so much debate over it; it reveals the cunning wickedness of peoples intentions and cuts through the hypocrisy of peoples hearts.

This mob of self-righteous Pharisee's and Sadducee's along with the rest of the town's busybodies' dragged the woman to Jesus, who sat teaching the people. They openly accused her and brought up the law of Moses, that she should be stoned-and tempting him, asked Him what should be done to her. Their outrage didn't come from a sincere heart of purity, but from a cold calculating attempt to trick Jesus, and cause him to stumble in His judgement of the situation. They knew that Roman law would override the Law of Moses, and she would be spared, but perhaps be banished by her husband, if married. Jesus was very familiar with the decadence and heathen degradations of daily life in his day. He also knew and discerned the hearts of these serpents, that they were accusing her of what many of them were guilty of themselves.
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The motive for them was to trick him into casting a sentence on her, that could not be upheld. Jesus knew this, and his response was perfectly fitting.

​As he sat writing in the sand and each of them watched, one by one they dropped their stones and walked away, until there was no one left. What had he wrote? Many down through time have guessed and have given long analogies of what he wrote and why-but no one really knows. This leaves room for speculation. My thought is, many of the names of the Pharisee's and those with stones in their hands-had also been with this woman, and also the sins written out of some of them, for public view. I think he also could have asked -"where is the man?". They would have to produce the man she was supposed to be caught in the act with.

I'm guessing, but, I can see how this would get the reaction that happened-and I believe Jesus would do it. When he told them "he that is without sin among you cast the first stone", they all dropped their rocks and walked away. God knows how to stop the mouths of his enemies, and yours. He knows the strategies, and manipulations of our enemies, and how to deal with them. The best weapon we have against our enemies, is prayer, and giving them to Jesus-He can handle them.

When they had all left, he took the woman, stood up and said "Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?" "No man, Lord"-then Jesus tells her  "Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more."
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That is the answer to everyone who sincerely comes to Jesus, with a repentant heart, seeking His forgiveness, and mercy.

There's nothing we can do about our past. We can't go backward and change anything. We may be able to go to someone who we've wronged, and apologize, and repay a debt, and make restitution to a degree. But, our past sins can only be atoned for by the precious blood of Christ, and by coming to Him with an honest heart, confessing our sins and receiving His forgiveness. He has paid our sin debt, we need to humble ourselves and be willing to come to the cross and ask for his forgiveness, like this woman. In His eyes, we are all the same, sinners in need of a Savior.

His warning to go and sin no more is something many do not want to hear, but it's there for good reason. The devil never stops trying to destroy us. Living out our walk with the Lord is a life-long process, and staying in line with Jesus and His word is necessary to overcome. When we fail, and fall into sin again, be quick to repent, and turn away from it, Jesus will not reject you just because you stumble. Get back up, turn away from the sin again, and get back in His word, this is how we gain victory over sin in our lives. 

When people, or the devil comes to you and condemns you of your past, use these verses and others that go with them to put him in his place, under your feet:

Joh 5:24  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
Rom 8:1  There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 
Gal 3:13  Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
 1Jn 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 
1Jn 1:10  If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Isa 54:17  No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD. 

You could spend weeks studying and cross-referencing these verses, to build your faith, and relationship with Christ, I recommend taking the time, it's worth it. The only way to learn to know who God is, and what is in His mind, is to spend time with Him.

Whatever your life has been like, regardless of what sin you may have allowed to overtake you, Jesus knows about it, and has the power to help you change. His blood washes away our sins, when we confess them, and forsake them. When God forgives us, He never condemns us for it again, His word tells us He forgets them, and we can too:

Psa 25:7  Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness' sake, O LORD.
Psa 103:12  As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. 
Isa 43:25  I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins. 
Heb 8:12  For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
Heb 10:16  This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; 
Heb 10:17  And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. 

The devil does not want people to know these truths', nor what God's word tells us about righteous living. He is out to kill, steal and destroy.  It takes diligence and discernment, to stay close to the Lord in these perilous times. But, God also says, those who seek Me with all their heart, will find Me.

Jesus stands waiting and is more than willing to take you, forgive you, and make you into the person he created you to be. He's waiting for you, to make the choice, to reject the world and turn to Him. He loves you, he gave His life for you. 

May you come to know, and receive that love, and make Jesus-the Lord and King of you life.
Lorna Couillard