Forgiveness is better than condemnation!

Each one of us has read the passage in John 8:1-11 where the scribes and pharisees brought to Jesus a woman caught in adultery. They dragged this woman before Jesus so that HE would condemn her. With Jesus' condemnation, these men could then proceed to stone her to death as per the laws existing in that era. These men claimed that she was caught in the act of adultery. Have you ever wondered how they got these intimate details? Possibly they were at her window spying on her. It is even possible that one of these men was the one with whom this woman had been caught in adultery?

In any case, she found herself trembling at the feet of Jesus. Can you imagine the terror she must have felt knowing the repercussions of her adultery? There she was on the ground alone, surrounded with her accusers and Jesus. She must have been feeling completely desperate thinking her situation would end in a negative solution. But out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Jesus had bent down and was writing with His finger in the sand. He was calm, not looking at the adulteress or at the men that brought her to His feet. Meanwhile, the scribes and pharisees were waiting for Jesus to condemn her so they could start to stone her with stones they already had in their hands. There was certainly no room for forgiveness in their hearts. 

In John 8:7 we read: “When they kept on questioning him, He straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”  

We all know what happened next. This verse always touches my heart because of the demonstration of kindness, the compassion, but above all, the forgiveness that the Lord has for each and every one of us. If Jesus forgave this woman of her sin of adultery, who am I not to forgive my children, my family members, my friends, brothers and sisters at church and even strangers. Really who am I to retain forgiveness from anyone? 

As children of God, we must learn to ignore our accusers. Instead, we need to fix our eyes on Jesus. We must learn to forgive every accuser, everyone who has hurt us in any way. We must let go of the rocks of judgment and let the Holy Spirit invade our heart and fill it with the same compassion that Jesus had for the adulterous woman. Not only is this what the Lord wants from each and every one of us, but a change of attitude brings us peace and makes our witness more effective towards those who have offended us. We all know people who have not yet learned to forgive. As time goes on, they become more and more bitter; they are easily offended. They are angry people. Anger makes them negative and certainly there is no joy in their hearts. However, we know people who have learned to forgive, to forgive small offenses and some have learned to forgive big offenses. These people have peace, they have beautiful smiles and always positive words. In the case of this adulteress, Jesus unveiled His complete forgiveness to a very undeserving sinner. 

After her accusers left, Jesus spoke these words to the woman who was still on the ground:“Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

Conclusion: Forgiveness brings peace to my heart! Because Jesus is always ready to forgive me, my heart must be set to always forgive others. To me, there is no other way to live a happy & fulfilling life.

Denise

A few Scripture references from the Amplified version. 

Colossians 3:13: “ bearing graciously with one another, and willingly forgiving each other if one has a cause for complaint against another; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so should you forgive.”  Ephesians 4:32: “ Be kind and helpful to one another, tender-hearted [compassionate, understanding], forgiving one another [readily and freely], just as God in Christ also forgave you.”   Colossians 3:13: “ bearing graciously with one another, and willingly forgiving each other if one has a cause for complaint against another; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so should you forgive.”