A few weeks ago, I received a neighbor’s text asking if my dogs were out, yet as I looked, I realized two other dogs were loose and actively ransacking the neighborhood—a clear pattern that continued a few days later on our block. Yesterday, when those same dogs charged toward mine just as we began our walk, I was on high alert, having already endured a previous dog attack and a costly vet bill due to another neighbor’s negligence. Furious, I corralled my dogs and yelled at the top of my lungs at the unrestrained animals, desperate to prevent another blow, physical, emotional, or financial, I began feeling the strong urge to hold my neighbor accountable this time Today, for the second day in a row.. the same thing happened, 2 bigger dogs were somehow out of their yards and unrestrained, although the owner was out with them, he couldn’t get them restrained, I physically picked up my 2 dogs and carried them home. In that moment of intense frustration, the idea of extending grace felt unreasonable, even offensive, in the moment, because I kept thinking about the chaos of living without laws, like the free-for-all seen in Judges 17:6. I certainly don’t believe we would do well in a society where everyone could do “as they saw fit.” Yet, this fierce demand for immediate judgment is the internal conflict that Jesus had to address in the passage we read today. He stands exactly at the collision point between human punishment and divine restoration.
“Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?”
~ John 8:10
True Justice in God’s economy includes compassion and offers a path of repentance and new life, not punishment.
In the passage we’re visiting today, there are several key players on the scene: the Jewish leaders, Jesus, and the woman who was “caught in the act of adultery.” According to Deuteronomy 22:22 & Leviticus 20:10, where we find the biblical laws on adultery, it is always the man who is addressed, being found in the act with another man’s wife; the law says both are to be put to death. Where is the man? Their selective outrage already exposes their motive. The Leaders of the law asked Jesus a question, making their agenda crystal clear. Quoting the law as grounds for accusing Him, Jesus ignored them and wrote on the ground. When they persisted in seeking a response from Jesus, they had to fall back on His wisdom, and we still marvel at His grace. When He finally stood up a second time, He was alone with the woman; she didn’t receive condemnation from Him, she received direction!
Mercy triumphs over judgment. That’s heaven’s legal system. We’ve already seen the man who had become an invalid as a result of sin at the Pool of Bethesda, in chapter 5. We can see evidence that God doesn’t judge by the same standards we do, since His ways and thoughts are unlike ours. However, we also see here that mercy does not deny sin; Jesus ultimately instructs the woman to “go and sin no more.” Mercy never excuses sin; it empowers repentance. Thus, we can conclude that God combines truth (sin is real/serious) with grace (forgiveness and new life) to produce a transformed life; there is no condemnation, only invitation.
If we were to tell the truth about the situation, who are we fooling, we live in a cancel culture. Especially with the rise of social media, public trials, call-outs, and instant judgment, many are living under the weight of the world’s condemnation. We are quicker to crucify than to understand; genuine justice or grace isn’t even offered. People are imprisoned by their worst moments with no hope of parole. The story in John 8:1-11 provides a powerful counter-narrative: when someone stumbles, the first, God-like response should be mercy, not anger; compassion, not stone-throwing. I marvel at how people judge others self-righteously as if they themselves are 100% pure, forgetting the principle that if we catch a brother in a fault, it’s our job to restore them with meekness. Let’s not forget we’re called to Restore Not Ruin!
This reminded me of the issue with my neighbor. When I think about the anguish I felt the first time the other neighbor’s dog attacked my dog, I stopped walking my dogs around the entire subdivision to keep the peace. I swallowed the cost myself, hoping peace would be preserved. I didn’t want it to happen again, so I backed down. But this time, I realized it affected the way I viewed another neighbor. One neighbor’s negligence contaminated my grace towards other neighbors. I realized that just as I had to receive freedom from condemnation, I had to release what I held against others to walk in what God released to me.
Time of Reflection:
** Mercy reveals the heart of God’s justice, not condemnation, but compassion.
** The cross demonstrates that our sins deserved the stones; instead, we received grace.
Heart-Probe:
** When I encounter a broken person, do I reach for the stones or for the open hand of grace?
Closing Prayer:
Father, thank You that You refuse to condemn but offer mercy. Cleanse my heart from judgmental stones and fill me with Your compassion. Help me see others the way You do, wounded, worthy of grace, and ready for a fresh restart. Grant me the courage to extend the same mercy You’ve shown me. In Jesus’ name, amen.
References:
John 8:1-11
Lev 20:10
Deut 22:22
John 1:17
Thomas Chronological study bible places this question at #51
