READ: JOHN 3:17 AND 7:53-8:11
The religious Jews brought a disheveled, likely half-clothed woman caught in the act of adultery and thrust her before Jesus and the crowd. She was guilty and humiliated, yet Jesus didn’t condemn her. Jesus loved her. To condemn her before He could love her would be contrary to what Jesus came to do. Jesus came into the world to save her.
Criticizing, condemning, judging non-Christians for not acting like Christ, whom they do not know, undermines the nature of the gospel and Christ’s work of saving people. First we are called to show mercy. We are not to separate from sinners but to welcome them into our presence and love them like Jesus. When everyone else was judging her, Jesus was standing by her and loving her. Everyone else was yelling abuse, and Jesus was standing beside her. We are called to make the gospel of Jesus attractive to others through our actions and words, introducing people to Jesus by first showing them the same mercy and love He showed us. My wise friend, Mary says, “Jesus never cleaned a fish before He caught it.” It was the love of Jesus that attracted people to Christ.
– Dr. Tim Thompson
The religious Jews brought a disheveled, likely half-clothed woman caught in the act of adultery and thrust her before Jesus and the crowd. She was guilty and humiliated, yet Jesus didn’t condemn her. Jesus loved her. To condemn her before He could love her would be contrary to what Jesus came to do. Jesus came into the world to save her.
Criticizing, condemning, judging non-Christians for not acting like Christ, whom they do not know, undermines the nature of the gospel and Christ’s work of saving people. First we are called to show mercy. We are not to separate from sinners but to welcome them into our presence and love them like Jesus. When everyone else was judging her, Jesus was standing by her and loving her. Everyone else was yelling abuse, and Jesus was standing beside her. We are called to make the gospel of Jesus attractive to others through our actions and words, introducing people to Jesus by first showing them the same mercy and love He showed us. My wise friend, Mary says, “Jesus never cleaned a fish before He caught it.” It was the love of Jesus that attracted people to Christ.
– Dr. Tim Thompson