A Brief Biblical Principle from our lesson on John 8:1-11:

NOTE: I am well aware of the debate as to whether or not this particular passage was in the autographs/originals when written by the hand of John.  I did cover this topic at length in class.  I will address it in a blog later on.  That said, let’s see what we can learn in this brief story.  nw

Amidst the scene of “the woman caught in adultery”, John records,

“They made her stand in front of [the crowd].” 8:3

The religious leaders caught the woman “in the very act” of adultery but conveniently excused the man (some scholars speculate the man was a fellow Pharisee.)  Nevertheless, they had already violated the very Old Testament law with which they were using to attempt to trap Jesus.  But I digress.

My point is this:  Who shamed and humiliated the woman?

The church people.

Chuck Swindoll once lamented,

If I were not a Christian, the reason I would choose not to become a Christian is because of the words and actions of Christians toward one another.

The 19th century philosopher and professed atheist, Friedrich Nietzsche, offered this stinging indictment:

I would believe in their Savior if they acted more like they have been saved.

Paul warned,

“Therefore you are without excuse, whoever you are, when you judge someone else. For on whatever grounds you judge another, you condemn yourself, because you who judge practice the same things”

I have long lost count of how many people I have counseled who’ve been hurt by the church.

Author, Philip Yancey, wrote,

Sadly, to a world desperate for this grace the church sometimes presents one more form of un-grace.

Did Jesus’ grace and mercy for the woman excuse her sin?  As Paul wrote, “May it never be!”  I covered that in my session.  My point in this brief devotional thought is simple:

Too often we more resemble the Pharisees than Jesus.

Nick