Following Jesus in the 20'sSample

Day Two

As recorded in the Gospel of John (specifically John 8:1-11), Jesus was teaching at the temple and was interrupted by the religious leaders of the day. In front of a crowd, they brought a woman to Jesus who had been caught in the act of adultery. The religious leaders challenged Jesus and asked, “The Law of Moses says we should stone this woman. What do you say that we should do?” Instead of answering immediately, Jesus stooped down and began to write on the ground.

Because Jesus is omniscient—meaning that He knows everything—He knew exactly what the religious leaders were trying to do. So He sat there, unfazed by the question of the religious leaders, which must have infuriated them. And as the religious leaders continued to ask Him, Jesus stood up, and spoke the truth in love: “Whoever is here without sin can cast the first stone.” Then Jesus went back to His former position and continued to write on the ground. As the voice of truth pierced the religious leaders' hearts, they began to leave one by one, until it was just Jesus, the woman who had been caught in adultery, and the bystanders. Jesus then looked at the woman and said, “Where are your accusers? Has anyone condemned you?” “No, Lord,” she replied. “Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.”

Just as Jesus knew the woman would sin again in her lifetime, Jesus knows that you will too. We’ve all fallen short of the glorious standard of God, because we’re imperfect. What He was saying then, and what He is saying to you now, is this: Be free from your lifestyle of sin.

This doesn’t mean that you have a free pass to keep deliberately living in the sins so clearly identified in your fleshly, sinful nature by the Holy Spirit. Instead, what this should do for you is give you peace that Jesus knows you won’t be perfect. Yet, those same words that comfort you in knowing that Jesus doesn’t condemn you, should also empower you to seek Him daily.