The ministry of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ

Jesus ministry shows his mercy. 

John 8:1-8 (KJV)

1 Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.

2 And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.

3 And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,

4 They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.

5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?

6 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.

7 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.

8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.

9 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.

10 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?

11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

There have been discussions as of late regarding stoning. I thought this passage in John 8 would be a good one to go over regarding how our Lord and Saviour deals with sinners. The scribes and Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery before our Master and the stark differences in their treatment of this woman becomes immediately apparent.

We see the zeal of the self righteous religious leaders in wanting this woman to get her recompence. They hearkened to the law of Moses  (Deuteronomy 22:22) with the intent of trapping Jesus in order to have an accusation against him. The scribes and Pharisees had a twofold intent, mercilessly see this woman get punished all the while not looking at the plank in their own eye. The other intent was to entrap the Son of God to say something contrary to the law. This would give them opportunity to also punish Jesus.

Jesus of course knew the evil intents of their heart and completely rebuked them in such a unique way that all they could do was drop their stones and leave. Jesus wrote on the ground twice, what he wrote we are not told. It could have been a list of the sins they were guilty of. The precious words of Jesus "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her". How sweet these words must have been to this woman! On one hand, she saw the unforgiving unmerciful religious white washed tombs seeking her death and on the other hand, the meek and humble Lamb extending his love and mercy to her.

Oh how safe this woman, precious in our Lord's eyes, must have felt being alone with Jesus after the self righteous religious men left after being convicted of their own planks.

Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ then gives the charge to this woman "Neither do I condemn thee go and sin no more."

John 3:16-17 (KJV)

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Brethen,

If our Lord andSaviour Jesus Christ didn't come to condemn, who are we to condemn others?  We offer them the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. Oh, there will be a day of reckoning and judgment for those who reject the Son of God, but the bible also says we are to judge nothing before it's time.

1 Corinthians 4:5 (KJV)

5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.

Paul the apostle said not to judge those outside the Christian Congregation.

1 Corinthians 5:9-13 (KJV)

9 I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:

10 Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.

11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolator, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.

12 For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?

13 But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.

Brothers and Sisters,

We can either be like our sweet Lord Jesus to the wretched sinner (we were all there at one point) or like the white washed tombs who because of their self righteousness thought they could determine the fate of a woman made in the image of Jehovah. 

Ask yourself this, who do you think the woman felt safe with, Jesus or the Pharisees?

Matthew 5:7 (KJV)

7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.