When they persisted in questioning Him, he stood up and said to them,  “The one without sin among you should be the first one to throw a stone at her.”   Then he stooped down and continued writing on the ground.  When they heard this, they left one by one, starting with the older men.  Only He was left, with the woman in the center.  When Jesus stood up, He said to her,  “Woman where are they?  Has no one condemned you?”

“No one, Lord,” she answered.

“Neither do I condemn you,”  said Jesus.  “Go and from now on do not sin anymore.”  John 8:7-11 HCSB

The story of the woman caught in the act of adultery allows us to wonder about several things here.  First of all, where was the man?  I mean it takes two to tango, right?  The scripture says that she was caught in the act.  So, where were they?  Were they in the town square or did someone walk in on them?  But there are a few things that are certain here and are told to us in the scriptures. First of all, we know that this was not so much about this woman getting caught in the act of adultery, but this was about the Pharisees trying to trap Jesus.  You see, Jesus had been preaching all about this wonderful mercy and forgiveness of sins.  But the law says that if someone is caught in the act of adultery, they must be stoned to death.  So they think they have Jesus in quite a conundrum here.

But this is Jesus, silly Pharisees, you can’t fool Jesus.  In fact Galatians 6:7 says that we are not to be fooled into thinking that we can mock God for we will sow whatever we reap.  So here are the Pharisees with Jesus when this woman is brought in who has been caught in the act of adultery.  The scripture passage tells us that Jesus stoops down and writes something in the dirt.  It doesn’t say what He is writing, but as they continue to press Him he gets up and tells that the one without sin should cast the first stone.  Who is in the conundrum now?  Hmm.  So what do they do?  They leave.  Leaving just Jesus and the woman in the center.  Now Jesus knows that this woman was just caught in the act of adultery. He is without sin, so by the ground rules that he just set, he could certainly throw a stone. But instead of condemning her, he tells her to go and sin no more.  He gives her a complete do over.  Wow!  He actually lives out this mercy and forgiveness stuff that he has been preaching about.

Now I don’t know where you fit in in this story.  Maybe you have been caught in the act of some sin that you wish you could erase.  Maybe the devil is trying to get you to slip up.  Maybe he is trying to destroy your witness and get you to go against the actual thing that you preach to others.  Maybe you need a do over.  Maybe the devil is trying to get you to judge others where you have no business judging others.  Maybe the devil is trying to get you to gossip about what someone else has done or is doing that is really none of your business.

Whatever the case, know this.  You are eligible for a do over with God.  Man may judge or condemn you, but God is a God of mercy.  He wants you to come to him.  He wants you to repent of your sin and most importantly He wants you to go and sin no more.  Now Romans 3:23 tells us that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.  We know that as human beings it is impossible for us to not sin.  But we can strive to live a sin free life.  We can strive to imitate Christ to the best of our ability.

God gives us a do over.  Make the best of it.  Use it to witness to others.  If you have been redeemed by God, don’t shy away from sharing your testimony with others.  Psalm 107:2 tells us to Let the redeemed of the Lord proclaim that He has redeemed them from the hand of the foe and has gathered them from the lands— from the east and the west from the north and the south.   

If you are caught up in sin, turn to God and repent.  Know that He will forgive you and redeem you.  Use this opportunity to go and do your best to sin no more.  Take full advantage of the forgiveness and mercy that God offers us.

Have a great day!