“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.”
John 8: 2- 11
Whew!!! Can you imagine the wide range of emotions this woman must have felt? At first, was she embarrassed for being caught in the act, for being brought into the court full of men and for everyone to know her sin? Was she outraged that the man she committed adultery with had not been dragged along with her? Did she know who Jesus was? Did she wonder what he would say? What if he said “yes, stone her”? Was she scared that she was about to die? Did she feel awe when the men started to leave? Did she feel relief when He said that He would not condemn her? How do you think she felt when he instructed her to sin no more?
What do you think she choose to do next?
After speaking with Jesus, she had a choice to make… continue on the path she was on or take a different path… Continue in her life, continue sinning or make changes to her life. We do not know any more about this woman. Did she continue her life of sin or did she make changes?
Let’s say that she did choose to start walking a new path. Sounds easy right? But all of us know that sin in one’s life brings consequences. Even if we make changes, we still have to deal with those consequences. For this woman, making changes to sin no more may have been very hard. First she would have had to “cold turkey quit” the relationship she had with her lover. She may have had to mend relationships with family, possibly her husband or her father. This may have brought loneliness, trepidation, and possibly left her without a house to live in. This is all a lot of speculation, but the point taking a different road, while at first sounds exciting and refreshing (and it is!), can be full of emotions and hardships. Sin that “easily entangles” (Hebrews12:1) can be hard to untangle. Mark 14: 38 says “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is week.”
Do you realize that Christ also tells US to “sin no more”? We all have sin in our life that we should rid ourselves of. How does it make you feel when Christ tells YOU to “sin no more”? More importantly though, is how do you respond? We too have the same choice the adulterous woman had. And God is just as merciful to us as he was to this woman. Do we take that mercy, and go on our merry way, failing to truly repent and honor God? Or do we humble ourselves (knowing that we deserve death) and choose to live a new life, one that brings glory to God?
It takes determination, commitment, and most importantly, reliance on God to truly repent of sin and walk a new path. The rest of Mark 14:38 says “keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation.” We must keep watch over ourselves and pray for God’s help for He is faithful to help us.
“Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4: 16. And Ephesians 6:10 says “ Finally, Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.” With God’s strength, we can overcome sin and start fresh. So what will you choose?
The easy road back to sin and eternal death
or
The harder, more challenging road that leads to freedom, blessings, and
eternal life.
The choice is yours to make.
