One By One


"They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, 'All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!' Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman." John 8:7-9

Our world reminds us everyday that it is so much easier to write "offensive" people off than it is to take time to understand them and treat them with grace. I talk with people all the time who are convinced stones will fly if they are honest about their past or current struggles. I need to find a big empty bag for my office just to let them know I don't have any stones to throw. I am in no position to be anyone else's judge.

A woman caught in adultery was dragged before Jesus. She was humiliated, brought in front of the crowd facing the very real possibility of death by rocks. What would Jesus do? The law said, "Death!" Everyone waited for his response. Did he deny the law? No. Did he excuse the sin? No. Did he throw a stone? No. He directed the accusers to the holiness of God. In his presence, they realized they were in no position to be anyone else's judge.

People are easy targets. They do stupid stuff all the time. If we were so inclined, we could unload bags and bags of rocks at people all day long. Likewise, people could unload rocks at us too. Jesus modeled a different plan. Leave judgement in the hands of God. Meet people with grace and truth. Don't use others' failures as a smokescreen to avoid dealing with ours. As James says, "Mercy triumphs over judgement."

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