John 8:1-11 (NRSV)
Read John 8:1-11 on biblegateway.com
Chapter 8while Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Verse 2Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him and he sat down and began to teach them. Verse 3The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them, Verse 4they said to him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Verse 5Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" Verse 6They said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. Verse 7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." Verse 8And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground. Verse 9When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Verse 10Jesus straightened up and said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" Verse 11She said, "No one, sir." And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again."
Devotion
I appreciate the part of the liturgy that begins with the confession and absolution of sins, but I don't often get it. Sometimes I routinely mutter the words, quickly rushing through. Other times, I recognize my sin and get stuck in the confession part. Neither response recognizes the power that comes from that brief order. In John's Gospel we read about a woman about to be stoned for her sin. At the last minute, the Pharisees invite Jesus to weigh in on the issue. Jesus, the one without sin, has this woman's future in his hands. He knows the law, as do the Pharisees. Jesus turns the tables. Brothers and sisters in Christ, the one without sin, Jesus, says these words to you today, just as he did then: No sin, no wrong doing, is too great. You are not condemned. Go and leave your sin behind.
Prayer
...Go now and leave your life of sin.
(John 8:11 NIV)