TWO THINGS JESUS DID NOT DO
John 8:7-11 NKJV
7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” 8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
Our verses for today are taken from the famous passage of the woman who was caught in adultery. And in this interchange, we find two things that Jesus did not do.
Jesus did not convict the conscience of the men who accused the woman. This was a group of guys who supposedly caught the woman in the act of adultery but somehow allowed the man to get away. It’s impossible to commit adultery by yourself. These guys were pressuring Jesus for an answer as to what should be done with this lady. The Jewish law said to stone her. So they continued asking Jesus what He said about her situation.
In the strictest sense of the law, stoning someone caught in adultery was a viable option. If Jesus had said not to stone her, then He would have been breaking the law. If Jesus said to stone her, then the multitudes would turn on Him for being just like the Pharisees. These men thought they had Jesus between the proverbial rock and a hard place.
Jesus got an answer from God and challenged the accusers to throw their stones, providing they had never sinned in their lives. Verse nine said that the accusers were convicted by their own conscience and went out, starting with the oldest. Notice that Jesus did not convict them. They were convicted by their own conscience. Convict means to show to be wrong and convince of error. Their own hearts or conscience convinced them of their error. Their own heart, not Jesus, showed them to be wrong.
And Jesus did not condemn the woman who was caught in adultery. To condemn is to judge and pronounce a sentence against. The woman’s accusers did not stay around long enough to condemn the woman. Because they were gone, they could not. Jesus was right there, and He would not. If anyone could have condemned this woman, it was Jesus who never had sinned. But He did not. Jesus was not in agreement with her sin because He told her to go and sin no more. But His refusal to condemn her gave the woman another chance to get it right.
APPLICATION
You may have heard people talk about the Lord condemning them in their heart. Or the Holy Spirit convicting them of sin. But the Lord still does not do that.
The Lord corrects us when we are wrong. And He forgives us when we confess our sins. He is not the one condemning us to live a life separate from God. His instructions are still the same: go and sin no more.
The Holy Spirit does not convict believers of sin. He convicts the world of sin because of not believing in Jesus. But the Holy Spirit’s ministry is to strengthen and help us live apart from sin. When we do miss it, it’s the Holy Spirit who comes to guide us into truth and show us the way back into fellowship with the Father.
This is why when we sin and feel bad about it, we should run to God, not away from Him. When we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us.
Jesus has not changed. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
PRAYER
Lord, thank you for showing me the way back into fellowship with You when I have messed up. Thank You for Your correction and help.