Morning had broken in Jerusalem. People headed in all directions, some sauntered toward to the temple to hear what the new teacher, Jesus, had to say. The smell of garlic, spices, and camel dung filled the air while swirls of dusty wind filled the temple courtyard. This morning in the temple, unlike others, an adulterous woman would know the touch of the Master’s hand.
Her hair mangled and matted, tears mingled with blood streamed down her checks. She felt the sting of shame as she struggled hard against her assailants. She had no idea where they were taking her but she knew they would eventually stone her to death. She yelled and screamed for mercy but this group, this crowd of religious hypocrites; vipers as Jesus referred to them, knew no mercy.
The woman had been caught, red handed, in the act of having sex with a married man in town. In fact, she was bait from the beginning. She was a tool, a pawn in their hands to test the Nazarene. He was becoming to powerful, the religious leaders felt threaten and wanted to attack His teaching on Grace, His Character, and the cause. They wanted to stop the rebellion before it became too powerful to stop. These men had a plan and this poor woman became trapped in the middle.
The angry, manipulative crowd of men, scribes and Pharisees, entered the temple where Jesus was teaching with the bait. They thrust her to ground in front of Jesus and all present in the temple. “Master” one man yelled. Jesus stood up and faced the furious throng of accusers. “Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what do you say?”
They kicked her and continued to call her names but Jesus remained quite.
Jesus looked up, his eyes filled with tears for the men who brought her and the woman now at his feet. The Master didn’t say a word He knelt down and started writing in the sand.
A deadly silence filled the temple. No one said a word. Swarms of angels circled, Satan watched in glee thinking this trap would stop the process of Grace but Jesus ruined the plan. Jesus in an act of compassion moved closer to the woman, He then reached out and touched the woman’s hand. Her eyes met his and tears flowed like a river from her eyes. She knew now what she had been looking for. She understood that sex wasn’t enough to satisfy her deep inner longing for a relationship with God, Jesus. His love, the Master’s love reached out and touched her and she would never be the same.
The men continued to yell, “What do we do with her? Stone her or not?”
Jesus acted as if the men didn’t exist. His full attention was on His mission, on His love for the outcast of this world. Finally, after a moment he knelt down and once again started writing in the sand. Suddenly he rose to his feet and stared at her accusers and said, “He that is without sin cast the first stone.”
Again, the silence, not one soul moved, wiggled, or spoke. It as if the world had stopped rotating, the ocean stopped its movement. Suddenly, as if cut to heart, with conviction of their sin, the oldest of the group turned and walked out of the temple and eventually the rest followed.
Jesus helped the woman to her feet. Her tears were gone and smile broke across her face. She realized she was in the presence of deity. She knew the hole in her soul had finally, been filled with the love of God. Jesus smiled back and said, “Woman where are those who accused you? Are there none who accuse you?”
She replied, “No, Lord, there are none.”
“Then neither do I condemn you, now go on home and sin no more.”
What a story. I know I added and left out a few words here and there but the principle of the story is still intact. God loves the unlovely. The focus of the story is on the woman but I really believed Jesus loved the men who brought the lady as much as He did the woman caught in adultery. He died for all of us regardless of who we are or what we have done. He died for the hypocrite, the religious, and the whores.
Regardless of where you have been in life God, through Jesus, loves you deeply. It doesn’t matter if you are a major phony, who stands in the pulpit every Sunday and commits adultery in between services. God still loves you. Now, He wants change in your life and He will supply the power to change, if you are willing. It doesn’t matter if you are a drunk, a thief, a whore or whatever God still loves you. His love for mankind can never be fully understood, only accepted.
When I realized God loved me, just as I am, it gave me a chance to change. I had tried numerous ways to change my behavior. I tried everything from self-help books, self-actualization, medication, counseling, and many other common methods of change, yet nothing worked. However, when I finally accepted His love for me I became willing to do whatever it took to bring about change. Jesus didn’t condemn the woman in adultery and He doesn’t condemn you. He loves you and He simply asks you to accept His love. Once you have accepted His love change is possible. I firmly believe the woman, whom many believe to be Mary Magdalene, never committed adultery again.
How do you accept God’s love? I know this seems simplistic and maybe for others it is easy to accept God’s love but for me it was difficult. I had a hard time accepting that anyone could love me, let alone God. I was just too bad to love. I am not even sure exactly how it happened. I am still not sure how or even why but I fully understood He loved me, not because I deserved to be loved, but because He was my Creator, my Father and He desired a relationship with me. I didn’t buy His love, earn His love, nor could I ever be good enough, He just loved me because, period. I remember crying out to Him for forgiveness of my failures and He forgave. I remember a strange feeling of being loved and cared for by God. I still don’t fully understand it all and I probably never will, nor do I have to understand; I just accept that God, through Jesus, loves me and I am positive if this worked for me it will surely work for you.
Dr Bob Wilkerson is founder of Challenger Christian Ministries, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping others recover from life altering circumstances. Dr. Bob is a motivational speaker with true life story of God’s power to change any individuals life. If your Church or organization is looking for a dynamic speaker please email him today. challenger7777@gmail.com