He That is Without Sin Among You

Merry Christmas!

I don't want to spend a ton of time Blogging this morning because there's lots of Christmas to enjoy, but since the other members of the household are still in bed, I figure I probably shouldn't start the party without them, and blogging is an excellent alternative. Besides, I have to. I haven't missed a day yet, and I'm sure not going to start now!

Last night, we did something that I probably shouldn't talk about too much because I think it might be a surprise for someone. But without giving away many details, it led to a discussion of the scene described in John chapter 8. While Jesus was teaching in the temple, the Pharisees brought in a woman that had been taken in adultery, and they asked him what they should do with her, reminding Him that the Law of Moses says that a person like her should be stoned. But Jesus said, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her."

Here, I believe, Jesus was basically saying that unless we're perfect, we have no right to judge others of their imperfections. The Pharisees seemed to get the message, because after hearing what Jesus said, they all left.

But here's the interesting part that I didn't notice until last night. Jesus basically just said, "Unless you're perfect, you have no right to judge her," then He, the only perfect person to ever set foot on this planet, was left alone with the woman. He, the only being with the right to judge the woman was immediately handed the perfect opportunity to judge her. In fact, by the way He phrased His answer to the Pharisees, He might have been saying "Yeah, sure, let's stone her, but I get to throw the first rock." But, of course, He didn't. As soon as He was alone with her, He said, "Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? ... Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more."

I love that just after saying that He was the only one with the right to judge her, He didn't. He basically forgave her of her sin, though He did instruct her to "Sin no more." It's pretty comforting to know that the only being who has the right to judge us is more forgiving than judgmental. Still, the charge to "Go and sin no more," is undeniable. I think that though Jesus is very forgiving of weakness and imperfection, He feels more strongly about willfully sinful behavior. I think that if we're trying to repent, He'll forgive us and help us repent, but if we're not really trying... then we've made our decision.

The moral of this story, besides the "sin no more" part, is the same as in most New Testament stories: Don't be like the Pharisees. The Pharisees thought they were extra-righteous (which they weren't), which meant that they were in a position where they could judge the woman (which, again, they weren't). And neither are we. None of us are perfect. When we see imperfection in others, we should try to be understanding and cut them a little slack. At the same time, we should all be trying to overcome our imperfections and to help each other do the same. We should be building each other up, rather than beating each other down. We're all human. Perhaps we should show a little more human kindness rather than judging each other for being human.