I do not condemn you

John 8:1-20 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. ² Early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people were coming to Him; and He sat down and began to teach them. ³ The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court, ⁴ they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. ⁵ Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?” ⁶ They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. ⁷ 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.” ⁸ Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. ⁹ When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court. ¹⁰ Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” ¹¹ She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.”

¹² Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” ¹³ So the Pharisees said to Him, “You are testifying about Yourself; Your testimony is not true.” ¹⁴ Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I testify about Myself, My testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. ¹⁵ You judge according to the flesh; I am not judging anyone. ¹⁶ But even if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and the Father who sent Me. ¹⁷ Even in your law it has been written that the testimony of two men is true. ¹⁸ I am He who testifies about Myself, and the Father who sent Me testifies about Me.” ¹⁹ So they were saying to Him, “Where is Your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father; if you knew Me, you would know My Father also.” ²⁰ These words He spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one seized Him, because His hour had not yet come.

Today’s text begins:  Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people were coming to Him; and He sat down and began to teach them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court,  they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?” They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. 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.” Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court. Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?”  She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.”    It says:  They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him.  They were hoping that Jesus would speak against the law; that He would embrace the woman’s sin. Look at Jesus response, He did not justify her sin, instead He said:  “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”  In Matthew 7:1-4 Jesus says:  “Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?”  the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.   Many people misunderstand and misrepresent what Jesus is saying here and what He did regarding the woman in today’s text. It is not that we should not take notice of sin; that we should tolerate and embrace sin. It is that when we judge we should acknowledge that we too are sinners. Here’s the thing, Jesus says we should first take the log out of our own eye so that we can see clearly. The only way for us to truly see clearly; to remove the log of sin from our own eyes and lives, is through the grace of Jesus. Only grace completely removes our sin. We then, seeing with eyes of grace, should give grace to others. It is not that we don’t recognize sin. It is that we don’t condemn them. In today’s text after all the accusers left, Jesus said:  “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.”  Jesus did not embrace the woman’s sin. He did not violate or contradict the law. He did also though not condemn her. Jesus showed her grace and called her to repent and leave her life of sin. In Matthew 7:5 Jesus says:  “You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”  We should not judge or condemn others, but rather, with the same grace we have been given, we should help them to see clearly and call them to repent.

Many people today say that the law is no longer valid or relevant because of grace. That idea goes against what Jesus did and said in today’s text. Even more, in Matthew 5:17-20 Jesus says:  “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”  The law is still valid. God has not changed or updated His standards. He is still opposed to sin. Jesus fulfilled the law by grace. The truth sin has not changed either. Every sin that our culture tries to accept, tolerate and embrace has been around from the beginning. The consequences of sin remain. Romans 6:23 says:   For the wages of sin is death. That has not and will not change. Jesus did not embrace sin through His death on the cross. He did not redeem sin, making sin acceptable to God. By grace Jesus redeemed people from sin. He made we who were sinners acceptable to God. Romans 6:23 continues:  but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.   Jesus says:  “I do not condemn you Go From now on sin no more.”

In today’s text Jesus says:  “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”  In Isaiah 5:20 God says: Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! God has not changed. We cannot call evil good and good evil and think that we have the light of life. The wages of sin are still death. But, by grace, the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. By grace we are not condemned to die, but rather can, through Christ, go and sin no more.

Thank You Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ and precious Holy Spirit; that You are unchanging. We don’t need to constantly learn what is acceptable. Sin has not changed in Your sight. But, by grace our sin is removed, so that we are not condemned, but can see clearly. Help me to see with eyes of grace, that I might help others to also see clearly, that by grace, both I and they might have the light of life, that we might go and sin no more.  Amen.