“The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law of Moses brought in a woman who had been caught in bed with a man who wasn’t her husband. They made her stand in the middle of the crowd. Then they said, “Teacher, this woman was caught sleeping with a man who isn’t her husband. The Law of Moses teaches that a woman like this should be stoned to death! What do you say?” They asked Jesus this question, because they wanted to test him and bring some charge against him. But Jesus simply bent over and started writing on the ground with his finger. They kept on asking Jesus about the woman. Finally, he stood up and said, “If any of you have never sinned, then go ahead and throw the first stone at her!” Once again, he bent over and began writing on the ground. The people left one by one, beginning with the oldest. Finally, Jesus and the woman were there alone. Jesus stood up and asked her, “Where is everyone? Isn’t there anyone left to accuse you?” “No sir,” the woman answered. Then Jesus told her, “I am not going to accuse you either. You may go now, but don’t sin anymore.” (John 8:3-11 CEV)
Hopefully. the title of today’s meditation alone changed somebody’s plans just by those six short words. But nevertheless, read on.
I did not get off to a good start in my high school days. I traveled down paths that I should not have ever considered going down. I hung with the wrong people, played hooky to the point that after the first six weeks of school I probably held the record for cutting classes, and I was also handcuffed to the socio-economic conditions of my family at the time. There was also the strong peer pressures by street “friends: who actually never finished high school. My parents expected me to be in school, striving for a better life and taking advantage of the opportunities that many in the generations before mine did not have. As a side note, parents today should have that same expectation and encourage their children to strive for excellence. Back to the excerpt from my life. I had been trained to obey my father and mother, so I knew what I was doing was not just doing wrong, but what I was doing was sinful. In those days, with the absence of technology, report cards could be easily altered. I changed my hundreds of absences on my easy to erase IBM report card into a zero. At a glance, my parents probably assumed I did not have any smarts at all. Here’s the thing. Somehow, my parents found out. On the same day my sin was revealed, my father sat me down outside on the front porch steps and talked with me. It was a talk that changed my direction in life and my focus on the value of education. He discussed the consequences of my decision and surprisingly I did not get the living daylights beat out of me. At the conclusion of his talk, one that brought more tears to my eyes than any whipping could have ever produced, my father said, “Now, don’t do it anymore.” I followed his advice, Yes, I had some more areas to get it together over time, but I responded in a positive way to my father’s words in this true account, as he addressed a major area of “needs improvement” or necessary correction.
You read the Biblical story above, one I am sure you have surely been exposed to before. I’m sure you pulled out a variety of lessons from your spiritual vault of teachings. However today, I want you to focus on just one of those lesson treasures. The woman caught in adultery was not accused by Jesus. She experience His compassion, His mercy, His understanding of what she was going through in her times. The woman experienced Jesus’ forgiveness and His looking past her faults and seeing her need. Sometime to bring about change, a person only needs counsel from the right person. Jesus is always the right Person. The woman in the text above did not have to be accused. She had to be pay attention when Jesus said to the crowd, “If any of you have never sinned, then go ahead and throw the first stone.” Hearing those words, she had to think of her own sins! Here’s another side note: Those who departed after hearing Jesus’ words and seeing whatever He wrote on the round with His finger left one by one, starting with the oldest. From the oldest to the youngest, we all have sinned and fell short of the glory of God, and we have to work on cleaning up our own lives. Side note finished, and back to the highlight of the story that I am heading towards.
Look at what Jesus does. He does not condemn her, He communicates words to change her, “Go and sin no more.” We ought to hear those words as if Jesus is talking to us. Whatever sin we committed yesterday, or regularly to this point; sins of commission and/or sins of omission, know that if you confess your sins, truly confess the, really recognize your mess ups, major or minor, listen to the Lord’s words, “Go and sin no more,” you can have a turnaround in your life. Now don’t pretend that there is no application for you. Didn’t you read, in so many words above, “All sin and fall short of the glory of God.” Just embrace integrity, apply the lesson, and follow the advice: “Go and sin no more.” Every time you experience forgiveness for what the Lord has brought to your attention as being sin and the need for change, “Go and sin no more.” Now I have taken up a lot of your Saturday time, but I believe it is well worth it. Speaking of things “well worth it,” if you missed worship service last Sunday, don’t miss it tomorrow. You are expected not to forsake the assembly of the saints. “Go and sin no more!” Be blessed!
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (I John 1:9 NKJV)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King