Go And Sin No More    (03/09/07)

“Go And Sin No More”
 
            The Quiet Time passage from Friday, March 09, 2007 sparked a few thoughts in my head.  I know that is hard to believe, but it is true.  As I was once again reading this passage, my mind transferred me into that woman’s place.  Not that I had done what she had, but just that I had an accuser (Satan) who was bringing me before Jesus to get Him to condemn me.  Let’s look again at the passage.
 
8But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
2 Now *early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. 3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, 4 they said to Him, "Teacher, *this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now *Moses, in the law, commanded us *that such should be stoned. But what do You *say?" 6 This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, *as though He did not hear.
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."
 
            During this exchange, my first thought is, “What did Jesus write on the ground?”  Was it nothing, or was it something that caused the men to be convicted and leave?  Did Jesus communicate with them in their thoughts to point out the sin in their lives?  However He did it, the truth is that they all left her standing alone before Jesus.  His compassion is so wonderful and amazing at this point.  For she had clearly broken the Law of Moses, and could have been penalized accordingly.  Yet Jesus just sat their drawing or writing on the ground until the men were all gone.  And He spoke words of kindness and love when He said, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours?  Has no one condemned you?”  And she said, “No one, Lord.”  And here it is, those wonderful, beautiful, amazing words that all of us who have accepted Jesus as our Savior and have experience His forgiveness have all heard.  He said, “Neither do I condemn you.”  WOW!!  Here is Almighty God who loathes sin telling this woman that He did not condemn her.  He forgave her!  This is truly an overwhelming thing, but Jesus Himself told Nicodemus that He did not come to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved (John 3:17).  Jesus wants to forgive you of your sins, if you just ask.  He is waiting, He pushes the accuser out of the way so that it is just you and Him, and He is willing to forgive.
            But please note what happened next.  He didn’t stop there.  He issued an order.  He gave a mandate.  What was it?  “Go and sin no more.”  You see, Jesus is always willing to forgive, but He wants us to change.  He knows we are going to sin and mess up.  He knows that we struggle with this flesh.  He knows that we are going to succumb to temptation.  But He wants us to move on.  Sin no more.  Get past it.  Grow.  Learn.  Mature.  We are not supposed to live a life characterized by sin.  No, instead, we are supposed to live a life characterized by growth and maturity.  Yes, certainly, sin will take place.  And yes, we will need to come back to Christ to ask for forgiveness.  And yes, He will always grant that forgiveness, but we need to get the junk out of our lives.  Lay it aside.  Paul talks many times in the New Testament of putting off the old and putting on the new.  He talks of the old man (flesh) and the new man (spirit).  He tells us that we need to live as spiritual people and not as carnal.  He tells us that we are not supposed to feed the flesh, but rather to feed the spirit.  He tells us to live in the Spirit of God.  He tells us to put on the armor of God.  He tells us to bring every thought captive into the obedience of Christ.  That is who we are supposed to be.  That is how we are supposed to live.
            We are that woman.  We have accusers who are trying to bring us down.  But Jesus looks at every one of us and forgives us and commands us to go and sin no more.