The God of Second ChancesSample

Sentenced to a Life of Freedom

Have you noticed how social media has opened the floodgates on judging others? It seems that we are constantly judging or being judged. How many likes did I get? What do others think about me? What do I have to say about others? This is nothing new. In Jesus’ time, people judged and were judged, but not online. Their method was to bring the accused before the teachers of the Law to be judged.

One day, at dawn, people gathered around Jesus in the Temple courts to listen to His teaching. Suddenly He was interrupted. The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and pushed her in front of Jesus. They wanted to stone her to death, but they had an ulterior motive too (v. 5). They wanted to trap Jesus with their questions. The Romans did not allow the Jews to carry out death sentences, so if Jesus approved her stoning, He would conflict with the Romans. If he said not to stone her, He could have been accused of not supporting the Law.

After a few brief moments during which He bent down and wrote “on the ground with his finger” (v. 6), Jesus responded to the crowd with a simple yet convicting statement, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her” (v. 7). After a fleeting moment of silence, thud. Then another, thud. Stones dropped to the ground one by one, and the accusers dispersed. When it was just Jesus and the woman, He told her, since they did not condemn her, He wouldn’t either (v. 11). Jesus did not judge or excuse the woman, He offered something better: a second chance. He offers that to you and me today.

Could you imagine having to air your secret acts before a crowd, let alone Jesus? It is often difficult to sift through our world’s competing messages about us. Too often, society tells us we are not good enough, pretty enough, or intelligent enough to matter and receive a second chance. But here’s the truth: no matter how far you may have strayed, you hold immense value in the eyes of God. He yearns for you to come to Him, bringing your messy and flawed life. Rest assured, He will embrace you with open arms so you can move forward.