Evening Prayer 2-24-11

Reading:
John 8:1-20

"Neither do I condemn you,"

This woman was caught in the act of adultery the Scriptures tell us.  We often liken the sexual sins to some of the worst sins that we can commit.  This probably arises from mankinds keen ability to try to rank everything in terms of better or worse.  We like to look around and think to ourselves, wow, I am not doing that, so I must not be all that bad.  We think that some sins are worse than others and that if we stay away from the big ones, God will just let us squeak by.  That is how the Pharisees treated their relationship to God, it was all about how well they were doing in keeping the Law.  So they felt their righteous indignation at this woman caught in this horrific act and they would have her stoned to death.

Jesus approaches this differently since He is the author of the Law.  He says to the group,"whoever does not have sin, let him cast the first stone."  Can you imagine the look on the faces of those that are standing around Him.  What does He mean, the Law says to do this.  I am right in doing this.  However, those words of Jesus cut to the root of the problem.  We are all sinners.

As sinners we deserve death.  That is what St. Paul records for us in Romans 6:23, "The wages of sin is death."  We are all sinners as Romans 3:23 and have fallen short of God's glory for us.  Sin means essentially that you missed the mark.  Just like when you are shooting at a target, there is the bulls eye that is dead center, if you miss it be 1/100 of an inch you still did not hit it.  So it is with the Law you can try all you want, but when you miss one part you missed it all.  We all deserve death according to the Law.  This is what Jesus was attempting to teach them.

However, because our God came in the flesh and lived a perfect life for us, something is different.  Jesus now says, "I don't condemn you either"  The Law drives us to despair.  It sends up the S.O.S., Show Our Sins and that we need another S.O.S., the Gospel of Shows Our Savior.  The Gospel tells us that we are freely forgiven by God on account of Jesus Christ and the sacrifice that He offered on the Cross.  This is gift of eternal life is already bought and paid for by the Blood of Jesus Christ.  That gift is yours.  The Savior will not condemn you, He came to save you.  He came to show you how much He loves you by going to the cross and dying in your place so that you no longer need to fear death and the grave.  You have been given the gift of eternal life because the Author of Life says so. 

Do not trust your works, only trust the works of Jesus Christ.  He is the one that came to prepare your way home to His Father.  To Him be the Glory forever and ever.